The art is in the air

Can I say, I feel like Margaret and I are really so lucky to be doing this work here in Kenya. We looked at each other today at the end of our day with the thought, it is almost over. It is almost done, a third year complete.

Well, we went downtown (which is where you go to buy art supplies) at Sarat Center to get more nice paper at the Text Book Centre. Due to when our classes take place, we have been in constant commuter traffic and it is not fun at all. It has been really hard and sometime we think we might be late for our classes but we always pull it off. Today when I got to class, I just continued to watch the form 4 class unfold even more than yesterday. I asked today why it took me to tell them to go out side of the line, be a little uncomfortable, do things in your art that you have never done and they gave a very clear answer. One, the work that they have seen over the times that we have shown them mostly, not totally, were pictures that were recognizable as a content of some sort. Even the Cubism, etc. They also thought there work had to be recognizable by others and tell a story and did not necessarily see it as a story that you get to see when you look at art. They seem like they have been freed....The art that they are making and creating is over the top amazing....it makes me proud and they are feeling free to be in their art. In my form 4 class today we moved past Classical music to Michael Jackson and Pop and they loved it. They danced, the laughed and all while they intensely did the art that they are so passionate about.

Surprisingly, my form 2 class came early and wanted to start right away, so I set them up in another room. They are very independent and they love to do their work. They are very connected to their work and they seem so content to repeat and repeat and repeat which is really what helps artist become more skilled and then give them freedom and watch out.

Margaret's classes are robust and creative. The form 3 class are using colors and forms and shapes and scenes that are just beautiful. You would so enjoy them. She has been with this class three years and she has watched them go from rowdy freshman to maturing Juniors....They still have one more year and they will continue to mature. Margaret so handles their idiosyncrysies and they respond to her tone and control of the class. The difference between form 3 and 4 is the real maturity that happens in a year. It is visible. My guys can be alone and focused, form 3 need to be lead still and Margaret has brought up a good set of students.

Her form 1 class is a very different temperament and they have really gotten the drawing bug and have demonstrated the most still in all our classes yet for drawing. They got it, they like, they want it and they continue to flourish. There portraits and faces and shadings are amazing. In all our classes, we never saw this. They also hang on her every word.

After class we went to Kouna Trust for Cyrus Kabiru's exhibit called C-stunners which is an exhibit of eye glasses made into art. Once I get the write up in email, I will share it, there wa wonderful inspiration for this art. amazing. We each had bought a pair of glasses as art and they are so cool. We also met the head of the Kouna Trust, Danda Jaroljmek. She was engaged by the art of our students, the partnership of the trust with us and the potential of coming to meet us and others in the US. She would like to find a way to engage the students of St. Al's regularly. It was just wonderful to also be meeting the arts community in Nairobi. We also bought art from and visited with Fred Abuga, another great artist we met at Kouna Trust. All the people there are so nice and gracious and engaging and well, just good people to know.

Tomorrow is our last day of class and then Friday is celebration day. We give out certificates, we eat ginger snaps, drink soda and talk about our art. The difference this time, is the head of School programs, Thom, from the Kouna Trust is going to come visit us with a Isaac Miriri, free lance art correspondent to see the work of our students. They will be so excited.

Hope all is well, thanks for following us.

Charles and Margaret

The School feels like it has a soul

Another beautiful day in Nairobi and off to pick a few things at the market and then to school. Every time I walk into the place, it feels like more that just a school that students come to learn, it feels like a place filled with soul. The movement of the students, the voices, the feelings, the impacts, the learning and the development. It feels like it has a soul to me.

Today was suppose to be more of a lecture day with our primary topic being Frank Lloyd Wright. The projector for the laptop was not available so we went into painting instead. My first class is forms 4 and they are skillful painters and have really perfected the narrative of the Kibera slum and the Kenyan experience and some of the many scenes that we have educated them on. Today after realizing that they have achieved a high level of skill level at this point in their ability to paint these scenes, it made me realize that they are just continuing to do the same things, just better. After an hour, I spoke to them about how well they have done, how much they have learned and how similar it all looks. All good things, then I employed them to consider breaking out of their box, feeling uneasy while they paint, doing something that is not representative of what they have perfected but to break out. I also made them aware that they are smart beautiful and important and that comes with responsibilities to be more than just what they had already achieved. There was not a bit of love for me after that speech. I could tell that they were really not wanting to hear that I wanted them to be different. So I gave them another hour in class and said, "knock yourselves out" see you in an hour and with the many other classrooms available took my forms 2 class to another room for history and their drawing lessons. They are always quiet, amenable and attentive and are very good at drawing. It was a good class. When I returned to forms 4, it was like they had had a breakthrough. It was phenomenal. There were Rothko's and Pollacks and all these unique and FREE styles and they all seemed unconstrained. I asked them what they are feeling, and they all said it felt freeing. It nearly brought tears to my eyes. Art makes a difference in people's lives and it makes a difference in theirs and ours. The proof is in this art, their attitudes and their perspectives. I could hardly believe my eyes and when Margaret walked in, she looked at me and said, they had a breakthrough. This is what faculty must feel like when they have made a difference. Every time I have these moments, the first person that comes to mind is Professor Tony Arend. A dear friend, neighbor and colleague. He helps students have breakthroughs all the time. I can tell. He makes me have a breakthrough when we have intense conversations. Thank you for inspiring me Tony.....

Margaret's classes are doing well and they are working diligently and are working in wonderful colors and particularly Siasi Wycliffe. And why shouldn't he be using great colors with a rock star artist name like Saisi Wycliffe. Who does not want a name like that! I do...... The Form 1 class she has is great at really being focused unlike her first form 1 in 2008 and the form 3 class is motivated and maturing. They really love Margaret's demeanor and really look up to her. She is definitely a model teacher and is focused and direct and open and they all clammer for her attention.

After class we met up with our friend Anne Wangari and Sarah, Jamie and Consuelo form the Georgetown Masters in Conflict Resolution program for a nice dinner at Talisman. It was wonderful and the women may join Anne in Dadaab for a women's conference in July. This was a good connection. It helps to be related to the Kenyan Anne Wangari. She is so wonderful and a world of help.

We have 2 more days of art class left and one day of celebration and then we leave Nairobi on Saturday. I cannot believe it has moved so fast. It feels great to be here and I am inspired every day by the students and the amazing Kenyan people that we have connected with.

Assante Sana (thank you very much) for joining us on this Journey.

Charles and Margaret

It is definitely a village

Well the weekend was great. Saturday Studio at the school, good turn out for 3 hours of studio time, a little rest at Pedro Arrupe and then Anne Wangari arrived from Dadaab and we spent the evening into Sunday together. Off to mass the Nyumbani Home with Sr. Mary and Anne while Margaret stayed home and had time to her self. I have to say, if mass was like it is at Nyumbani every where, I think church would be filled regardless of your faith tradition. The kids make the mass. The kids take part, they dance, they sing and it is all about them. What a great mass and it was nice to see all the kids and also old friends like Loite who is from the DC area and hosts these KEST (Kenyan Education Service Trips) and dear friends of mine, the Vicas Family, will be going on one in August with there kids. After Mass, hung out at Pedro Arrupe and then went and took the art exhibit down and then to dinner. It was a nice Sunday.

Today, Monday, started at 6:15am on a road trip to Katui which is where the Nyumbani Village is located. The village house 663 aids orphan children and 64 grandparents that care for these kids, either as their maternal grandparents or newly connected. This place is great. Homes made of brick that interlocks, schools that are amazing, a clinic, a guest house, agriculture, sustainability, you name it and it was there. I was so impressed. As a Nyumbani Board Member, my feeling of pride for this organization just grew ten fold. Sr. Mary Owens is also a rock star for leading this to the place it is today.

The model is grandparents, and kids in a home and 4 homes in a block. It is wonderful. I believe there are 16 blocks. The melia trees are amazing and they are the what in the future will sustain the village. The melia is like a mahogany that can be harvested for hard wood furniture. There are a 100 acres of it and it is growing well. The farms and the livestock were also so well cared for and the areas so clean, Nickolas was also wonderful as he has major oversight of the village and the grandmothers and the children were great. They speak little to no english but it all works out. The school again, was over the top.

We promptly left the village at 1pm to return to Nairobi to teach our 4:15 classes and we got back with time to spare. When you are on a schedule with Sr. Mary, you are sure it will be kept.

Teaching was low key and rewarding and at 6:15 off to dinner with Anne. The three of us reflected on our day and then went home. I am exhausted and am about to fall asleep but if I did not get this out, I might loose sight of some of the details.

Be well and we appreciate you being on this journey with us.

Charles and Margaret

Art Exhibit at the Kouna Trust Centre for Visual Arts

Friends and Family,

We are exhausted and all I can say is that I cannot sleep until I share our great experience. Today we started off going to pick up so final pieces of art that our Form 4 class wanted to finish overnight for the show. I popped out of the van to go into the Principal Beatrice office where the art was waiting for me. She and another faculty member Bernard said that now that they have continued to see this talent, their are questioning is they should not be appealing the Ministry of Education to have Art be a part of their core curriculum. I was speechless and in a hurry because Margaret and I needed to "hang the show" at Kouna Trust. To think that our art program may change the format of the curriculum for St. Al's. I cannot believe it.

So off we went, grabbed lunch quickly and Margaret and I had our work cut out for us. We had a show to hang which based on Margaret's experience was going to be her gig. She basically laid out all the art in the gallery group it together and while she was doing this, I was creating and working with the Kouna Trust head of School Programs to create the program that would be distributed and get the names on the paper for the art work so there was recognition of the students art.

We were done by 4:30m the exhibition was to take place at 6:30pm. It was great. We looked at each other and were happy that we did it. They asked us one last time if we were done and then they closed the gallery so to clean it and not open it til time to show. This piece of professionalism was interesting and well received. We hung out and had some of the food that was prepared for the reception in advance of the arrival of our 60 students and administrators and guest and took it all in. This was the real deal and great to see not only how important this is to our students and us, but how important it was to Thom at Kouna Trust to make this go well. Margaret changed into a delightful outfit, I put on a bowtie and a sports coat and we were set.

Well, then their is Kenyan Time and traffic. The bus left the school at 5pm to arrive across town at 6:30pm and they arrived at 7:05. Oh well.....The traffic during commute time is horrible and then add Friday to the equation and it is really bad. While we waited, one of our guest arrived, Sr. Mary Owens, the Executive Director of Nyumbani home which is the AIDs orphanage in Kenya. I am on the Board of Directors of this organization and first meet Mary on the trip in 2007. It was great that she came to support and she loved it.

The students showed and all was well. The students, faculty and staff came from the bus and walking on the grounds taking it all in and in a fashion that we created three years ago insisted on shaking the hands of both Margaret and I as they entered. We started this the first year where we would stand outside our class and greet each student by shaking their hand and they still do it with us three yeas later. As they filled the gallery there was all this noise and excitement and picture taking and oohhhs and ahhhhs and asking the principal to come look at this or to have a picture taken with their work. It was a buzz I had never seen before. I was in heaven, shocked, internally emotional and pleased. I looked over and in a mere glance at Margaret, I could tell she was experiencing the exact same thing. We had felt like the work that we came to do with this program had been realized. I was and am still in shock.

Margaret asked me to represent us and do a speech and I did. I enjoyed being able to thank them for all that they do to make such great art and to remind them that the whole reason that we come each year is to be with these smart, beautiful and important people that we are are some clearly fond of. In true Kenyan fashion, immediately following my speech the power went out.

I laughed outload and things just carried on. People were taken pictures in the dark, people we eating food outside and walking around enjoying themselves and did not even care that the power was out. We were convening with one another celebrating artists and sharing their body of work that they put together this week to hang. Impressed and proud does not truly capture the feelings that Margaret and I feel but its all I can come up with.

As we were all gathered eating food, drinking soda and wine for adults and taking in the event, Sarah, Jamie and Consuelo all from of the Masters in Conflict Resolution program at Georgetown University showed up. It was great. I explained that the power went out, we grabbed a candle and toured them through the show. They loved it and all the students loved them. They grabbed wine and took it all in and hung out with the students. It was just great. It has been nice to share this with so many people that we are connected with in DC and especially for me with reference to Jamie who was an intern in the Presidents office and worked with me for almost a year on the Georgetown Africa Interest Network (GAIN).

As we loaded the bus to return the student/artist home, the light came back on....As always, nothing goes as you expect in Kenya. We all laughed. The few things that came out of this was that Thom and Patrick of Kouna Trust are committed to partnering with us on this annually and I believe in the coming years, art will be part of the official curriculum at St. Al's.

On our drive home, the principal Beatrice, Bernard and John, faculty members, drove with us because they do not live in Kibera which is where the bus was returning the students. I thanked Beatrice and them for coming and allowing us to deliver this program. Beatrice looked at me and said, "we should be thanking you. The sacrifice you and Margaret make is what makes this a success". Not once in the three years of delivering this program would I have characterized any element of this as a sacrifice. None of it. I asked Margaret and she said not at all. Maybe we have to work here with the program and still tend to our responsibilities at Georgetown or have difficulty scheduling to get away, but sacrifice, not at all. I call this a gift we are given. We get as much out of this as the students do, and maybe on somedays, more.

We have Saturday Studio from 9am to noon or I would be posting pictures with this blog tonight, more to come.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

It just gets better and better

Today started off with the wonderful voice of Deborah Moijoi nocking on my door of the guest house I am staying in at the Pedro Arrupe Center, the same place we have stayed 2 of the last 3 years of the art program and the first visit in 2007 with the Georgetown Kenya Group.

It feels like home here and Deborah is part of coming home to Pedro Arrupe and Nairobi, and now part of coming home will be Joseph, her new beautiful son who is 7 months old. He is just beautiful and has captured my heart. Wow, and if he does not look like a Moijoi, who does he look like. Having been to Deborah's home multiple times, I know what her sisters, mom and dad and nephews look like and boy is he from this family-You shall see.

Today was the last day for the Georgetown Kenya 2010 Group being here on the same property and so Margaret and I had lunch with them at the Vernadah and dinner with them at Talisman. It was such a wonderful addition to have Georgetown friends here in addition to just Margaret and I. It was an honor to be included in their meals where possible and really want to thank Phil for always being so inclusive and making it feel like the community Georgetown is regardless if you are in Washington, Qatar, or in this case, Nairobi.

We were off and running today at school and I am pleased to say that we have the art work we need for the Art Exhibit. It is the real deal... Tomorrow we open an Art Exhibit, with a reception and an introduction and the press and 58 from St. Al's, 54 students and 4 administrators. Can you believe it???? I can't.

Today in class, the art students showed up 1/2 hour early for both Margaret and I. I did not questions why they were so early and not in another class, just glad they were there and ready. The Forms 4 class, mine, were spectacular. So focused, so quiet and so engrossed in creating great work. I was pleased. We were listening to Classical again and Castro, one of the artist, said to me "its beautiful but not very interesting...", I said that I was more interested in him being connected with creating his art and not distracted by the music, his response....good point... We walked away with a bunch of art and lots to do tomorrow to "hang" this show as they might say in the industry... Thank God Margaret spent 12 years teaching art and hung student shows each year for all that time.

Margaret's class has been amazing and they created some really different and wonderful pieces. They are talented. Her forms 1 class hangs on her every word and it is great to see how attentive they are. We looked at each other today and still can't believe how well they take to art education. They get it, they get it, they get it.... Wow, I wish we had more to give.

So tonight at dinner with the gtown group was fun and they were in a bit of frenzy to make it to the airport on time, etc. I get it. Large group type reservations sometimes have complexities....We came a little late, they left we finished and had a desert that we split and talked about how rewarding it is. How familiar and regular it feels to be in Kenya and how nice it is to be teaching (something I have never done professionally and Margaret had for 12 years) students that want to be taught. How receptive the whole place feels to us and the concept of being here and how nice it is that we are expected back. The work is hard, rewarding, restorative, refreshing, reflective and motivating for us. We get so much out of what seems like so little we are giving. I am thrilled and can't believe that as hard as it feels to scrap ourselves away from our normal lives, that we get to be here doing something that has so much to give for our artist and for us.

It is all about reciprocity....It is all about relationships, it is all about sharing your passions, it is all about going outside of your comfort zone, it is all about taking chances, it is all about doing the unexpected and it is all about believing in yourself and knowing that we have all of you that believe in us too.

The next blog entry will be about the Art Exhibit at the Kouna Trust Center for Visual Arts.....

Thank you for your support and being on this journey with us.

Charles and Margaret

Day Three

All,

All is running smoothly and the art program will be having its first Gallery Exhibition at the Kouna Trust Art Centre this Friday, it was all confirmed today and all the preparations have been made for this groups first ever, true art exhibition. It is the real deal. I will include the announcement. We are very excited and today was a day of intense work as we discovered there is no stock of art work for the show!!!! At the event last week, the art club sold ALL of their art. That is amazing and now they have to make enough art in the next few days to be able to show on Friday. The exciting this is that the Nation, the Standard and Reuters were invited and the kids may get some press.

The students were quiet today as they worked and they were very engaged. I had my laptop and they got to listen to Classical as they painted. Margaret's classes were quiet as well and although they did not listen to classical, they were listening to a performance that was happening in the assembly room in the new school that was echoing towards the class. They are excited and engaged. They are so attentive and once this art program really start moving each year, it seems to have a life of its own.

Dinner back at the community with the Jesuits and Sr. Mary Owens, the head of Nyumbani. It was great to see her and then we went and spent the last night with the Georgetown 2010 group. It is very nice having them all here. We will have a meal with them tomorrow before they depart.

Not much more to add but to say that it is exciting to do this work and we are happy that you are on this journey with us.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

Below is the announcement:

kuona trust

centre for visual arts

Likoni Close, Likoni Lane, off Dennis Pritt Road, Hurlingham

PO Box 4802, Nyayo Stadium 00506

Tel: (254) 0202405960 Mobile: 0721 262326, 0733 742752

Artists of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School Exhibition

Opening 25^th June 2010 at 6.30 pm

St. Aloysius Gonzaga, is a Catholic secondary school that serves HIV/AIDS affected young people from the Kibera slums in Nairobi, Kenya.

On an initial visit, Georgetown University administrators realizing the absence of a visual art education, created an art immersion program. These artists receive art instruction annually from these administrators who first visited Kibera in 2007. After the first year of this art immersion program the artists/students formed the art club which functions all year around with the intensive art instruction delivered in a two-week annual art immersion program for those students interested in art.

In its 3^rd year, the art immersion program has yielded some amazing artists that know how to convey their talent as well as their story about the place they live, the Kibera slum here in Nairobi, Kenya.

This has resulted in a successful body of work that really represents the fantastic art ability of the smart, beautiful and important students of St. Aloysius which has recently opened its new site in Lang’ata.

Please join us for this exhibition at the Kuona Trust, Centre for Visual Arts, Likoni Close, Likoni Lane off Dennis Pritt Rd, Hurlingham on Friday, June 25^th, 2010 at 6:30 pm for the opening of the “Artist of St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School”. The show will be open through 27^th June 2010.

RSVP:

Kuona Trust

or

Charles DeSantis

Georgetown University

Tel. 0718767077

Day 2: Contrasts and Rewards

Hello all,

I write this in an exhausted state. Today was long and it is only 8:30pm. We started off the day at the Foundation of Hope that David Dinda started and it is in the old Kibera Location of St. Al's. I remember bemoaning that we would miss the location and the walk to the school. I realized today it was all about the students and now that the students have moved, the walk down to the school from the street is harsh, filled with squalor and the realization of the harsh realities that the condition of Kibera really is. The excitement of teaching this wonderful students the prior years choked out the harshness for Margaret and I because the happiness and joy we received from teaching these deserving and engaged Kenyans. Both Margaret and I, after the visit to the old school site both looked at each other and realized that we do not miss that location at all. It is definitely a sharp contrast to the new school that is amazing. The piece that brought us such excitement lives in a new location and so does our passion. In no way does this mean the location is not great in its new incarnation as the home of the Foundation of Hope and it really does serve a great purpose in the central place it serves. Just as a location for us as prior occupants, it is different. This really talks to the contrasts between the old and new school. It almost makes it impossible to look back at the old school as an option once you have been in the new school. What inspiration for the students to continue to excel even more than they already are.

We visited Caroline, David's sister that has a strong connection to Margaret. Margaret purchased her a sewing machine to help aid in her education as a seamstress and we went to visit her at the shop/school that she learns/works and Margaret was given the gift of a beautiful dress that she made her. It was just amazing and Margaret was so touched.

Then to lunch and to school for us and it was a filled day. The new school is amazing and we have 2 great rooms that we teach in. These children are so engrossed and now that we are in a class room that is appropriately sized, we can actually be close to them. We used to sometimes have to see them from across the room because the compactness of the rooms and the desks lined up never gave us the ability to be right next to them or gather around to discuss something. Today our first classes were forms 3 and 4. Since they started the same year they have the same curriculum and we wanted to talk about the Gallery Show that is happening this Friday, the new mediums that we are using and the theme for this years art. We discussed this together since we wanted to kick off this with the same perspective. It was great. We talked about peace and what peace means, read quotes of peace and engaged them in a conversation of peace from some of the different meanings that we shared with them. It was remarkable. They were thinking about this and you can see the wheels turning and the questions they asked. For example Collins asked if art around war could be a representative of how one some times fights to gain or maintain peace. I had a wow moments then. We also talked about peace between humans and governments. It was intriguing. They went away with things to think about before they start to create art with the theme of peace. Then Margaret and I each on our second classes taught separately, me forms 2 and Margaret a new set of forms 1. Mine were really engaged and Margaret's were really inquisitive and ready. Some of them also had know about some of the western artists and where able to talk about them from materials that had been left at the school or they had heard from other students.

It is so wonderful that we can share something with these great students and find such peace in the sharing of our knowledge of art and the learning they are experiencing and the education they are giving us.

We are off to go work on the galley show, the lesson plans and all the other things we need to do before we teach tomorrow afternoon.

Be well and thanks for following us on this journey.

The pictures are of David D and I, Margaret and Caroline with the new dress, with Margaret in action in the new school and comparisons pics between the old and new school.

Charles and Margaret

The first day of year three, we are off and running

Family and Friends,

As always, it is great to be at the school, today was even more rewarding being in a school that is better than most american schools on the border of the Kibera Slum. It is fantastic and the pride that is present in the students is extremely overwhelming.

We started our day of at the Kuona Trust Art Centre, which is this amazing art center for artists in residence, programs for artist development and a wonderful gallery that the journalism club used last year to display their photo journalism exhibit. If all works as planned, we will be having an art exhibit at this place starting this Friday through Monday. It is exciting to think that these artist will be displaying their art for public view for the first time in their life. If all goes well, the "Artist of St. Al's" exhibit will open this Friday at 6:30pm. What an opportunity for these smart, beautiful and important students. They make our hearts full.

Thank God we got to the school early as they had not at all really alerted the students of when and how we will be starting this year and so they had to run around quickly. New school or not, Phil Boroughs said to us on our first trip and this remains to be true "it will never go as planned" Because of the shuffle and getting the students prepared to meet with us, Margaret and I jointly met with the students from Froms 1 -4 together to explain what we will be doing. Went over the new few weeks curriculum, talked about expectations, talked about the exhibit and also got them prepared for lots of work. They are ready and willing. Then off they went to something that was planned at the same time as our class, go figure.

We came back to the Pedro Arrupe to some light exercise around the property and a pleasant dinner with a bunch of Jesuits and a nun... As always, it is great.

Tomorrow is truly day of art practice and working with the students. It is so rewarding and they are so ready. We asked if there were questions and one asked about the photos they took three years ago and the landscape and figure and different elements we had taught. It was amazing to think that it stuck with them. We also have learned some of our students have gone of to the Buro Buro (I am sure that I spelled this wrong) School of Fine Arts in Kenya and one is a producing and selling artist. Who knew? This is great.

Be well and thanks for following us,

Charles and Margaret

The New School

It was amazing, I am speechless. The day was over the top as we arrived at the school at 10am, I knew exactly where we were going and when we turned the corner, I though to myself, hmmm, they must have built a three story apartment building near the new school. I remembered a 2 story plan for the new school, not a 3. We parked and still had in my mind that we were not there yet. I walked in and was speechless, absolutely speechless. I could not believe it. The students where so proud of their school, I was so proud of their school, the moments were joyous and the celebration full hearted.

I walked in and three of my art students came running up to Margaret and I. You are here and you must see that we have an art room. Charles and Margaret, we have an art room. I was so wrapped up in everything that was going on, I just walked about and hugged our art students, shook hands of new students I had not met, met guardian, parents, Jesuits both local and from afar, benefactors from Wisconsin and Chicago, Friends of St. Als and all. I was in awe. When we walked into the art room at separate times, Hellen, one of the forms 4 students just screamed our names and hugged us and said, "you are here, you are here". This happened time and again through out this celebration day. I am in awe. This is the first time I have had space to myself to process what has occurred and it has finally hit me. As I write this email, there are tears streaming down my face. This school has the most amazing resources that one could imagine and I do not have to add "amazing for Africa" to this. It is amazing. Any american students would be proud to be educated in this beautiful school. They have a real and fully resources school. The labs are beautiful. Shockingly.

The layout is welcoming, the feeling is warm and the heart is present. There is a chapel in the middle of the school and it beats large as the center of this institution. I am in shock.

The celebration mass of St. Aloysius Gonzaga was beautiful and in true Kenyan form, long. Many speeches, I think 11 baptisms, many recognitions, it was flawless. Georgetown University was recognized for its contribution to the school and they mentioned Phil Boroughs, Martha and Dave Swanson, and humbly thanked Margaret and I and asked all the Georgetown visitors to come up, in front of nearly 700 people. I was stunned. I was stunned for a few reasons, I think Margaret and I learn as much if not more from delivering the Art in Kibera program then the students. I feel that just in this program the reciprocity is overwhelming, then to have the founder of the school recognize us and have an art room, it is overwhelming to me.

The irony is that for me today was really about Phil and he actually feel ill with a dramatic scratch to his eye that prevented him from attending the celebration. He is on the mend and was able to go to the dinner tonight. The irony is that he introduced the school to all of us, and even though our Kenyan Immersion 2007 was not about St. Al's for Margaret or I, it became the place we wanted to impact and this is all because of Phil. He also was a key fundraiser for the school. So the irony was that he was not there but in every introductory opportunity, he was mentioned when thanking the honored guests.

My son David Dinda was there today and I was so excited to see him. We will spend a fair amount of time with him during the coming weeks and I am so proud of him. He has created the Foundation of Hope and they are doing great things in the Kibera slum to help others, more to come in this in a future blog. His foundation took over the space the old school we used to teach so the old space will not be gone to us, just repurposed with a new soul.

We spent the afternoon lunching with the Kenyan Immersion Group 2010 and then to dinner at Osteria for a celebration dinner of the school with what seemed like 100+ people. It was also great to see Dave and Martha Swanson again and realize that our worlds expand way past the Georgetown Community and in fact that community is world wide.

Tomorrow is our first day of classes and Margaret and I have never been more inspired. The theme we walked away with is that our students are prospering....They are amazing. They were selling there art today and they were just beyond excited about what they are going to do in art club. We are part of this institution and we are honored.

This post includes pictures for the first time ever....woo hoo--I have the power! These are 2 very superficial shots of the school with one of the Georgetown 2010 group with Margaret and I.

Much Love and be well,

Charles and Margaret

So great to be back.....

Hello Friends and Family,

It has been so great to be back to a place both Margaret and I feel owns a piece of our hearts. As far as travel was concerned, fairly uneventful... The one thing I did realize, from sitting directly behind Margaret, that when she does not sleep well, she moves about a great deal. Just an observation not a complaint. On the second leg from Amsterdam to Kenya, we sat next to each other and economy KLM was just great and as promised, Margaret did not fall asleep on me and drool on me. It happens by people I do not even know on airplanes so it really would not have been a problem. We are definitely partners in the best sense on this trip.

Well, we arrived in Kenya and as always, Margaret was ultra prepared and had her visa from the Kenyan Embassy in DC and I of course, did not. In December when I came and realized how easy it was to get one on the spot, that piece of planning went right out of my head. Why go get 2 pictures, a money order, fill out a form, wait in line, and have to return in 8 days to pick it up when you can show up with $25 USD, smile for their camera after 16 hours on a plane, and wait a little longer than you do if you already have Visa. If this is not perfect clarity why it takes all types to get things done, I don't know what is. This should be one of those examples. As it relates to this Art in Kibera program, Margaret is the Ying to my Yang. We are a perfect compliment. I am expounding on this as I continue to see this program grow, succeed and serve and it is because the different things that we own in making this happen and our different approaches. Thanks for all types and I definitely see this in both Margaret and I, so here is to you Margaret.

As protocol has been developed, we were met by our dear friend and president of our transportation, Franco Sego. He was graciously and happily waiting for us. All I can say is that when I see Franco when I come out of the terminal, all is good in the world. He has a happy demeanor and feels like a stalwart representative of Kenya to us.

Carefully we were delivered to Pedro Arrupe Jesuit Home where we stay amongst the beautiful Jesuits, the Ngong Hills, the lovely grounds and the most amazing people. We also are surrounded by nature, and what I mean when I say that is that all the dogs are serenading us all at this very moment. You should hear them. They are howling like they are a chorus and it is something you come to expect each night. It is great. There are three beautiful tan dogs on the grounds that are pet like and then there are the guard dogs that are behind a gate and so you get very used to walking every where with these three dogs or hearing the guard dogs at night when they feel compromised.

Friday was great as we were up and off to breakfast and to see the Georgetown 2010 Kenyan Immersion Group that are staying on the same property at the Mwamgaza Retreat Center. We went up to see them after we had breakfast. It was really great. We were invited to lunch with the group to meet and talk with Stanley Gazemba, whom is a Kenyan writer recently recognized on NPR. He is just great and has written many book and one will be coming out soon in a republished format. It was intriguing. We had to do our do diligence and go to the Nakumatt which is only the greatest store on earth. I dare put it down by saying it is the Walmart of Kenya, but I am sure I am not too far off. We bought all the requisite things you need, water, wine, new cameras (Margaret's died) and then off Pedro Arrupe for dinner and took part in the nightly reflection with the 2010 immersion group. It was great to be included and they are a great group. After having visited here in this format originally, it is interesting to see the dynamics of another group. They are a wonderful set of people, most of which I know from Georgetown and a few that I did not. One of the participants made the evening for us when she said, "it is nice to have you here and important that you take part". Feeling welcome is always nice but especially nice by the community you are part of.

Today, Saturday-June 19, has been a nice and interesting day. Margaret who was sick in 2007 when we went to see the Kweto Home for Boys missed this day and so she joined the 2010 group. The Kweto home is where boys go that have been invited off the streets who have left Kibera and other slums who might be engaging in drugs and glue sniffing and are offered a place to come for a period of time to get it back together. It was one of the hardest elements of the trip in 2007 and Margaret experienced it today. The boys just want loving and it is so clear. I am glad that Margaret got to experience this.

My mid morning was spent in a more superficial non-Kenyan centric format. Trying to acquire a suit by having a tailor make one. Franco knows everyone and has a cousin who is a tailor. As I return from this trip, I will attend the Caine Prize for African Writing at Oxford on July 5 and did not bring a suit. Details, Details (details Margaret would have remembered!). Franco took me to a tailor and after that joined the 2010 group for lunch as we fetched Margaret. We also were able to see Sarah and Jamie, graduate students in Conflict Resolution from the Georgetown Government Department. It was great to see them here and they will be here for 7 weeks. They are interning and making connections and I think that this is just great. Jamie worked with me on GAIN (Georgetown African Interest Network) which is a collaboration program of all Gtown entities, people and departments, that have some African centric work both professionally and personally from our community. I am the Co-Convener of this program with Scott Taylor, Professor in African Studies. It was great to see these two Hoyas as we are here and I am sure we will see them often.

After this, off to purchase art supplies at the Text Book Centre which is where all schools buy supplies. This was the third year of buying supplies here. Today was a special day and has fallen under the caption of "ask and thou shalt receive". It never dawned on me to ask for a teaching discount and without questions they gave us a nice discount. One of the heads of the store come over and said, "of course" and we went off with a great feeling of gratitude.

Then the conquest continued and I found a beautiful suit at Sir Henry's Menswear, the oldest clothier for men in East Africa. A beautiful 140 Super count wool Italian suit, with 3 shirts and 3 ties, $217 USD. I was in shock, it fit very well and was meant to be. I am prepared for Oxford and am no longer worried as I was this AM. Time flies by while you are here and I envisioned myself getting to London with limited time to get clothing for this event. Margaret and I had tea at Nairobi Java and meandered around, came home and rested and had dinner with the group. It is great to be staying at the same place that we originally were introduced to Kenya, and have stayed here 3 of the 4 times we have been here and feel part of a community. It is great to have 14 other people from your community here and it is great to believe that you have a place in the world that wants you as much as you want it.

Margaret and I are unprepared for what tomorrow shall bring. It is the grand opening of the new school. Those of you that have followed us in the past or know of this experience realize that we taught in a shanti style school, corrugated roofs, dirt floors, minimal to no electricity and the most amazing students ever. With all the "third world charm" associated with the physical school, it was also a place we loved. The new school is one that we have heard is nothing less than amazing and that people in the states would love to be taught in. This is so great for the students, they so deserve it and there are so many that have taken part to make this happen. I am sure that we will be overwhelmed with emotion and cannot wait to take part in this celebration. So many have made this happen and I would like to say that three people immediately come to mind as key contributors to this schools creations, Martha and Dave Swanson for all that you do and Phil Boroughs, SJ who always has been focused on getting this school built. Hats off, Hats off to these and all the people that have contributed to the well being and development of this school. The grand opening of this school coincides with the feast of St. Aloysius of Gonzaga which is the name "saint" of this school.

I will share fully with you all the experience we have tomorrow. We start school on Monday, the third year of Art in Kibera and I cannot wait. These students are Smart, Beautiful and Important in every way. The connection with them is worth all the money in the world.

Thanks for being here with us.

Be well,

Charles and Margaret

We leave in less than 48 hours.....

Dear Friends and Family,

We leave in less than 48hours for our third year teaching Art in Kibera at St. Al's in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi. We are excited to be going soon and this year, as each other year, all seems to fall in to place just as it has in the past. Flawlessly!

For some reason, this year feels particularly special. I am in the belief system of "ask and you shall receive". This year, we have more money than we have had in the past 2 years, the curriculum seems to have fallen in to place as always under the great direction of Margaret and unique giving has occurred. So, about 8 months ago, I met the Count Von Faber-Castell, who is the CEO of the venerable Faber-Castell company out of Germany. Almost all #2 pencils used in school, especially for those of us who are more mature, we have used their products and those of us that are artist definitely know Faber-Castell as some of the finest Art Supplies available. Well, when I met Toni (The Count) he said if there was anything I needed for the program to let him know. Well, I remembered his statement, emailed him a week and half ago and asked for charcoal pencils. He contacted me to say his office in Germany wanted me to provide them with a list. At this point, I contacted Margaret, she formulated a list and I blindly sent it on. Then Margaret asked me, "what from the list did you ask for?", I gulped and said, " I thought you wanted all of it". She thought I would select a few things. The assistant to Toni, emailed me and said that she hoped I would received the supplies before we left. We received them today. Some of the finest and most beautiful supplies available. Our great students are really going to enjoy these nice supplies, I cannot wait.

Recently I was in a residency program at Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater home. It was exciting and have befriended the Vice President and Curator, Lynda and Justin. They had lunch with me today and they know of my trip. I shared with them that Margaret has placed Frank Lloyd Wright in the 3rd year curriculum and they are sending art post cards and power points to share with the students.

The amazing support of the people that give to these smart, beautiful and important students is very overwhelming to me. I cannot begin to express my gratitude for how wonderful it is to have the support of so many for work that Margaret and I so love. It is an honor for us to deliver art education to such wonderful, beautiful and hopeful people as our students of St. Als and the kids of the Red Rose School.

The next time you will get a post from us, we will be in Kenya, on the ground preparing to start class in the new school. We are going to be teaching in a new school, can you believe it. I am so excited and a little sad. I love walking through Kibera to our old school seeing all the familiar faces of the residence of the area that we teach. I will want to go visit them and say hello. I am also so excited that the students have wonderful accommodations to be taught in. They deserve this and so much more.

With Gratitude for all your love and support as we begin the third year of our journey.

Charles and Margaret