Conversations I've Been Having

Just after church on Sunday I spoke with my precious student, Peter Gudere. Well, he’s not actually one of my kids, as he was only at the primary school in Class 8 (8^th grade) the year I left Kenya, but somehow he was very much a part of my life. He and my Rendille brother, Somo, are best friends, so the two boys would come over together for Sunday lunch every week and I always found Peter’s face in the crowd at school or church events. Last year Peter entered Form 1 at Tirrim Secondary School and was immediately elected as class prefect, which is essentially a class president. The class prefect is the ambassador between teacher and class students, the code enforcer, and generally a role model of behavior and attitude for the rest of the class. It’s quite an honor, but a weighty responsibility. And, as you might imagine, such a leadership position amongst one’s peers often incurs the outpourings of teenage angst. This was, unfortunately, the case for Peter last year; he was too good at his job. Heaven forbid he actually enforce the class rules and report offenders to the teachers! There was an uprising amongst the Form 1s, and Peter was unceremoniously voted out of his position by teens perpetually offended by justice.

For many teenage boys, the social rejection of such a situation and the humbling fall from leadership would be a disaster. But not for Peter. During our discussion on Sunday, he told me that he is not saddened by his demotion because he believes that he was always doing the right thing. He said something to the effect of, “Madame, you know, these students (the Form 1 class), they just wanted to not be serious and I wanted to be serious, so I told them ‘If you don’t want me as your leader, fine. Vote me out. But if I am your leader, then I will continue to enforce class rules.’ So they voted for another guy, and that is fine. I did the right thing.” What a positive attitude! I then mentioned to him that it is a very hard task to go against one’s peers to do what is right and what the Lord would have one do, and Peter whole-heartedly agreed. I think the Lord has honored Peter’s faithfulness because he is now been elected as the Scouts Prefect (like the honor guard at school.)

Then today I had lunch with my favorite female student at TSS, Naiseku. Over our typical rice and beans we started to talk about marriage, also typical of our lunch times. I wouldn’t say that the girls are obsessed with the idea of marriage, but it certainly is a more prevalent reality in their life stage of secondary school than it ever was for me. It is around the high school years that Rendille girls typically decide between the marriage and schooling paths, a decision which causes a benign disconnect between peer girls. They still care for and spend time with each other, but they lead incredible different existences. So, when Naiseku asked about the “other Madames” and I said that Tamara and Emily were engaged, it led to a conversation about Naiseku not wanting to get married until she is 32. How she chose that age is beyond me, but she has determined that she is going to be a mobile, self-ruling, professional woman throughout her young adulthood. “Madame,” she said, “no, no, I don’t want a husband. I want to be free and happy!” (Haha!) This girl has potential and if she wants to spend her 20s pursuing her career and traveling and having adventures, good for her! It’s exactly what I did, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.