Selling hot dogs in the residence

The 13:th of december is a big celebration in Sweden. We celebrate Lucia. In December, the weather in sweden is really cold and dark. Lucia comes to wake up people with light in her hair and special cookies and other christmas things, singing traditional songs from Sweden. We had a big celebration at the residence for the Swedish ambassador. Students from the Swedish school performed the lucia train and the Swedish society sold hot dogs. We also made 50 liters of Glögg for the celebration. I sold a lot of hot dogs and it was a really nice night. Click the Lucia link to see a short video of how it looks:

Lucia

I'm getting really good at selling things now. I always get a lot of credit from the board of the Swedish society. I've learned that if I say: I think you should buy 2 hot dogs, you look hungry. The usually do that!

Helping out in the Swedish Christmas market

Yesterday I had a full day of work for the Swedish Society. I really enjoyed it but was very tired in the afternoon. I started out at 9 in the morning, helping out in the kitchen. I did everything from peeling eggs to decorate the plates. When the market opened I continued selling swedish candy and christmas things. I had no small bills to pay back, so I managed to persuade the people to buy more candy. I really learned how to sell things and I think I could make a good salesperson. In the kitchen, I also worked hard and the people in there really gave me compliments for helping out. I also got to talk to a lot of people from the Nordic communities, both Finnish and Norwegian. I had a good time but was very tired when I got home.

Concert

This week we had a holiday concert in school. I'm in the choir, so I was very nervous. The audience seemed to like it and my mom filmed it. This is the film:

Glögg again

Yesterday I helped the swedish society to finish the glögg. We had a good time and made a lot of it. The boss came by and told us we need to do another 50 liters for the Swedish Embassys Lucia celebration, so I promised I would help out the next time again.

Making glögg

Today I helped my mother and her friends in the Swedish society to make glögg. This is a traditional wine drink you make for christmas in Sweden. We are making a lot for the Swedish market in december. We crushed spices and let it soak in alcohol. On wednesday we are going to boil water, sugar and wine and add it to the alcohol and spices. I don't drink it because its alcohol in it, but it smells like christmas so I like the smell.

Black belt soon

I am soon going to gradeing Taekwondo.  But to do that I need to practice my poomses. I need to know 8 of them, and I don't know 6, 7 and 8. I'm starting to get nervos becase they are harder and harder. The first ones are pretty simple, but number 4 is really hard and then it just becomes worse and worse. Poomses are like taekwondo movements performed in a special way and I need to remember every one. If the grader tells me to do number 5 I have to remember it and not confuse it with number 6. For black belt they are testing my fighting skills too. I have to fight two opponents at the same time. It is going to be very hard.
Here is a film where I'm doing poomse 2 with instructions in swedish.

In the school

These are some pictures from my last visit to Excellent Care center and school. We are building a teachers room and got money from the Swedish Society to buy desks and chairs for the teachers. This visit was spent looking at the progress the school is making and just seeing the kids. The think I'm very exciting, with my blond hair and white skin and want to touch me and hug me all the time. They are very happy and sweet when we visit.

Tae Kwondo

I'm training taekwondo and MMA and judo several times a week. My coach has now sent the application to the world taekwondo federation for my black belt. I have to apply to Korea and t takes some time so he sent all the applications early. Max got back to me saying that the Koreans would not believe that I was Kenyan so I had to go to Ms Reddler to get a letter saying that I'm a student at ISK. I think it is funny that they can't believe a blond person lives in Kenya. I'm Swedish but I didn't do any martial arts in Sweden so I learned everything I know in Kenya.

Tis is a film my dad made when we were doing reactions.

Painting the set for Arabian Nights

All Saturday I spent painting the set for the upcoming High school play "Arabian night". It was really hard work. I started out tracing a projection that was very detailed and complicated. I used charcoal  and was black all over when I was done.

Me, tracing a projection with charcoal

After this I started painting the whole unit, doors, walls, ceiling and everything, bright red. I was red all over when done. We were about 15 people helping out. Finally, I made papier mache heads and tried to   glue gold paper to a big pirate ship. This took me ALL day and I'm very tired. My brother is doing about five roles in the play, that premiers on the 15:th.

Me, painting everything RED!

Here is the poster for the play. It gives you an idea about the look.

Face painting the Elementary shchoolers

Today I did face painting in the Elementary school. They had a Halloween party and a lot of Middle schoolers needed to help out. I mainly painted spiders, rainbows, daisies and skulls. The kids loved it and I had fun too. It started raining in the middle of my painting session, but thankfully I was under a roof. I didn't really get a chance to talk to all the kids because I had to concentrate on my paintings.

MMA

MMA is Mixed Martial Arts. I'm a beginner, but I have a lot of help by knowing Tae kwondo and Judo. My Judo trainer is also my MMA trainer. The hardest thing is to punch. I'm used to throwing and kicking, but the punching I've never done before. It is also good for my stamina, which I'm going to need when I do my black belt grading in Tae kwondo. I go for two to three minute rounds, kicking and punching on the mits and then I rest for a minute. My trainer says I can easily do three minutes and soon we are going to try four minutes. It is very tough! After every class, my knuckles are red and almost bleeding, even when I wear gloves. My trainer says it is only hardening the skin and will go away.

Tonights performance

Tonight we had a performance for the community and our families. Here is a clip:

And a photo of me:

This is my Director Ms Flemming:

And the whole cast:

My First Performance

Yesterday was my first performance for the traveling show at school. Even though it wasn't actually raining it was drizzling and the chance of it raining was big. It was also much easier with the curtains which made more space for us actors to hide behind and it was more discreet to turn the backdrop from castle to peasants homes. Because of the few fights and many noises we have had during the rehearsals Ms.Fleming who is the director asked me and my friend to take care of the backstage. Even though I wasn't in the last parts of the play hearing the many laughters of the elementary students. I knew many of them because of after school activities  and just on the playground when I was in 4th and 5th grade.

This is me in my costume.

The cast

Excellent school

I was talking to my brother about what to do for the school. He told me about his work to raise money. He is doing a lot of good things and I want to help him anyway I can. He wanted me to help him design christmas cards to sell. This is something I think I can do. He also suggested that I could help him chose photos to make a collage and give to the students. They love seeing photos of themselves and he had the idea to bring a big framed collage to hang in the school. This summer he wants me to make calendar to sell in Sweden for next christmas, so he has got a lot of ideas for me.
I also need to go to the school for a visit, but I have to do it on a saturday, or a wednesday after we are done with the play. Now, all my wednesday afternoons will be used for rehearsals. My mother also said that I should promote Emils application for the grant from Weleda on Facebook. We need many likes to be in the top. She also said I could help the Swedish society selling Swedish things and then apply for money from them to help the school. Emil did that in April and got 100.000 Kes. He will be done with his CAS work in May, so then I can take over the project. I know he will not stop working for the school, but I think that he will need even more help from me at that point. He will be very busy with his final IB exams.
I think this will be a good start even though I will ask him for more things to do and get a plan for the whole school year.
He is now working really hard to raise money to rebuild the school, but it's going to take some time to get all that money.

Theatre poster

Throwing my brother

Some pictures of when I was beating my brother in Judo! (I have to say, he was quite good because it was only his first time.) My brother was very kind to me because he has never done judo and I only used him as a dummy. My mother usually trains with me but she was sick so my brother became the hero and he didn't complain one bit. I was doing some basic techniques but still I had to teach him how to fall. Falling might sound easy but really it isn't. This is a way of falling without hurting your self as much. It was even better that I did this because then it really shows that I know how to do it and teaching is a really good skill to know. One of the major reasons why it was so easy doing it with my brother is that he is very light even though he is very strong.

Performance

Today I got the information about our performance of the traveling school play Beauty is a beast. I'm having two roles and they are not very big. We are going to do rehearsals every evening now but I think its fun. The only problem is that my mom is complaining that I'm too tired for my homework. Tonight I'm also training judo. I got my brother to join me because my mom was sick and I need someone to throw. (Kind of great to throw your brother around).
On the 16:th my parents get to see the show and I can't wait.

My mom is teaching me to upload images to my blog. It's a lot of fun. From now on I'm going to upload lots of photos.
My brother has a great blog about his CAS work and he is really inspiring me. I need to make my blog as nice as his.

My CAS projects

My brother is working with a school in the Mathare slums. He is a senior in High School. I asked my CAS coordinator if I can join him in his work and she said it was OK. This is going to be my Service project this year. For Action I'm doing Tae Kwondo, Judo and MMA. I'm soon going to be a black belt in Tae kwondo, I'm blue in Judo and a beginner in MMA. For my Creativity project I'm currently doing the school play. It's going to be a traveling play and the name of it is "Beauty is a beast". I will post things and images on my blog as often as possible!

My blog

This is my blog for Community, Action and Service in ISK, International School of Kenya.