Running Buddies

This morning I woke up early to go on a run, and Madame Karo’s daughter Margret wanted to go with me. I had told Madame Karo the night before that I was going on a run (so that I would not totally shock her with my running gear) and Margaret overheard, and became really excited about running with me. I was just planning to make laps around the school compound, and I figured it would be fun to go with her.

It turned into a school-wide event! Today happens to be a national holiday (Madaraka Day) so none of the children from Gede Primary School were there -- it was only the children who board at Gede Special School. But as soon as the boys saw I was running, I was joined by a large pack of them.

We must have been quite a sight to behold, me in my running clothes, and they in their tattered weekend clothes and bare feet traipsing after me. I lost Margaret after the first lap, and some children joined and dropped after each dusty lap, but I could tell that that they were quite amused by a ‘muzungu’ running. Margaret joined the group again for the last round, and after I cooled down for a few minutes I led the group in some stretches. I tried to demonstrate how to do push-ups and crunches, but they just looked at me, perplexed. So I ended up just doing stretches they could mirror. One of the balancing stretches was particularly funny, because they all started hopping around trying to stay balanced.

When we had finished the stretches, I had them skip with me back to Madame Karo’s house. They looked rather forlorn when I needed to go inside to wash. By this time, sweat was pouring down my face from the humidity, and I was tired!

So I have a new project now. I never would have imagined myself a PE teacher, but I guess that is how life is, full of surprises.

From now on I hope to run every day or so, and I hope they will be able to join me! They are the best running buddies I have ever had!