In My Eyes : Literacy Journey Chronicles

A journey in the literacy world through my eyes is a whole new experience every day. I’m encouraged to share even with a plethora of obstacles in my way.

As a woman with dreadlocks, I board a public vehicle that is set to reach Mombasa. Fare to the picturesque Mombasa island is Ksh.500. However, this is not one of those days that I will relish travelling to Mombasa. I am to alight at Msabaha. It costs just Ksh.50 from Malindi to Gede — which is way past my destination. I have even overpaid — like a boss. The matatu pulls over from time to time in search of more passengers. The car is not full yet. In as much as the prices may be affordable, it is time-consuming. We all know what they say about time. Time is money. The very thought that one is losing an opportunity to do something productive sinks in.

As we await the matatu tout to strike the highest bid and we leave, I take note of whatever is happening in my surrounding. Sociology is learnt best in this manner. As a linguist, it’s important to take note and learn all that I can. A man in locs leaves the vehicle and goes to talk to a woman (also dread-locked) seated at an old bench at a waiting bay. He convinces her to board the vehicle.

There’s one thing I’ve noted with people who have locs and dreads on. We’re one people who have diverged in different ways. Or rather it feels like it. Whenever dread-locked people meet, there is something that draws one to the other and you just click. I think it’s because one is able to identify with the other and relate more easily. However, you don’t have to be dread to be rasta. This is not a dread lock thing. It is a ‘divine conception of the heart’- so goes the song by Morgan Heritage band.

So I alight at a junction and walk for like a minute to a farm in Msabaha. This is where my classes are set to be held today. The sun is scorching and my eyes bear the brunt of its light.

One thing about adult literacy teaching and learning is its high mobility. It is positive and much more embraced when you go to the learner than when they come to you as it is in a school setting. I realize, then, that the learner is comfortable and hence much more receptive. From a different perspective though, a learner can agree to go to a place provided that the environment is conducive for learning. At the initial stage, most learners do not wish to be seen by others. It is a battle of self-esteem intertwined with shame.

I lower my hand and let open the gate handle. I’m no longer new at this place and it’s that time that nobody is around to open doors for me. Talk independence.

I walk in and call out expecting to see either of my students. I see none. I take a rather dusty beige chair from a porch and carry it to some shade under a tree. One rather old farm-hand greets me respectfully from afar. I feel so humbled. He tells me that, Leo, my student is taking a shower. I have to wait for a few minutes.

There is music playing in the background from a speaker near a raised nursery bed. It is close to the washroom and I notice how music plays quite a huge role in our lives. It is a source of entertainment — soothing our nerves and helping us pass time really. Music is actually an aesthetic.

I make the most of this opportunity and learn and remind myself about a few things about what I am set to teach. It is a reminder of what element(s) I should focus on during the lesson. With a few weeks to a test, there is need for revision. On this day, we are set to revisit various topics learnt on nouns. The sub-topics are compound nouns, collective nouns and concrete and abstract nouns. I smile at myself sheepishly because I enjoy such topics in grammar. Imagine talking about things that surround you and making an impact at the same time. Quite fulfilling, yet it’s priceless.

Leo carries a square green plastic table to where I am and greets me. He is shocked that I have arrived and settled already without him noticing. I tell him it’s all okay. He enquires about his classmate. I try to reach this other young man but my efforts bear no fruits. Leo is always excited about learning.

Just like me, or any other curious person, Leo notices my gleaming white shirt, with sleeves torn, worn on top of a black Raglan sleeve shirt. He asks me if I am going to ‘see’ Ruto.

Ruto is the Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya. It is the electioneering period in the country and the vice president has been campaigning at the coastal region. On this day, he is expected to visit Malindi Town and sell his manifesto. I am thrilled at how abreast this young man (Leo) is with current affairs. It is good to know.

Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family. — Kofi Annan

I laugh at the thought and I share that it has nothing to do with the politicians’ coming. He, very eager to learn, tells me that we should start learning then. He exudes a male chauvinism that is deep and shows whenever it gets a chance to. It satisfies him to be able to be in control. Positively, it is a good thing because learner-centred learning can be very valuable to the learner as they get to be on the center stage.

We delve into our notes and search for the topics at hand. We agree to cover one at a time then try out an exercise. We are supposed to read on compound nouns, collective nouns and concrete and abstract nouns as I had mentioned earlier in this article.

First, we peruse the notes in search of compound nouns as a topic. As he searches, he comments firmly, eyes fixed on the bright white pages. “Eh we! Tumesoma mambo mengi ajabu.” (We have learnt quite a lot).

I agree with him. He finds whatever he was looking for. I ask him to briefly describe what nouns are. “Nouns,” he echoes, in his Giryama accent. It is on his fingertips that nouns are names of people, things, places, qualities or ideas. It is quite easy then to proceed and learn about the rest of the items under nouns.

He reads what he had written on compound nouns that they are nouns that are made up of two or more existing words. ‘Head teacher’, ‘boyfriend’, ‘ice cream’, ‘haircut’ are some of these in question. Leo is confident and says that he knows those ones. He even gives other examples to show his prowess and clearly, he is good at it. I add to remind him that some of these compound nouns may be open, closed or hyphenated. I show him the hyphen and take him back to punctuation marks, a different topic learnt altogether. He says he cannot remember its name but insists that he knows it. He recalls seeing it somewhere. I tell him that that is the ‘hyphen’. He says the vocabulary twice and I can tell that he is trying to master the word by repetition.

I show him some examples of open compound nouns in my phone. Such is like the word ‘ice cream’. Such a category has its words written together but separated by a space. Closed compound nouns have no space in between them. For example, ‘basketball’. The ones that are hyphenated are words like ‘mother-in-law’.

One thing about Leo is that it sits well with him once you give examples that are linked to the other gender. I tend to believe that it is because of his young age and all. A word like mother-in-law is more likely to stick in his memory than a word like ‘high-tech’. Again, all this trickles down to exposure and personal interests. We can also only relate to something once we have experienced it. This could be by reading about it, hearing stories or literally having a first-hand experience. Ghana’s Poetic Dela, in his poem entitled : After God, fear woman, was right after all. The magnitude of the female genders’ influence can be very large, clearly.

We swiftly segue from compound nouns to collective nouns. I recall that the word ‘collect’ was French to both Leo and his learning mate, Bob. I ask Leo if he can tell what collective nouns are. He asks me to give him time to think and see if he can remember. “Being a good teacher takes patience; being a good doctor also takes patience. In fact, if you want to excel in anything, master any skill, patience is an asset.” — Eknath Easwaran. With this in mind, I wait for Leo to recollect his memory on collective nouns.

He strokes his chin and taps his fingers on the table for a while. Leo then asks for a clue. I’m impressed he has mastered the word ‘clue’. I imply that such nouns are usually ‘a set or a group’. Leo has an aha moment and mentions words like ‘forest’ (for a group of trees) and ‘ring’ (for a set of keys). He flips through the pages to search for some notes written on the same. Reading them out loud, he finishes the entire list and says that that topic needs time to master. I note this. I’m obliged to explain that collective nouns are those nouns that are considered as a set or a group.

Leo cuts in and mentions the word ‘gang’. He has remembered another word and wishes to share. I don’t know really what comes into his mind but he says that being independent is really a good thing. He tells me that even if a loved one dies, the impact is less felt by an independent person compared to the one who is dependent. His phone rings and I allow him to pick up the call. He speaks for a minute to possibly a woman. I can tell from his tone that he is indeed irritated. The caller hangs up.

Leo shares a proverbial saying that he learnt from his grandparent. I find it very rich and full of literary aspects. It is in Swahili and I quote : “Hifadhi mbuzi utamla mchuzi, binadamu atakuletea upuzi.” Loosely translated, ‘Keep a goat, it will make sauce, a human being will bring you nonsense’. I find it quite hilarious and we both laugh heartily. Leo expounds on the proverb at my request. He says that sometimes you might do so much for someone but they turn out to be ungrateful instead. One would rather keep a goat which you can slaughter in the long run and still benefit from it — as a meal. It seems like he had helped the woman who had called but she didn’t appreciate him. Oui, c’est la vie, (yes, that’s life), I imagine. It is bound to happen.

I check the time on my watch and it is running out. I encourage Leo that we should cover up what we had intended to learn and so we go on to our next item: Concrete and abstract nouns. In this category, we head on to define what both of these nouns are. It is easy for Leo to say what concrete nouns are. In his scanty definition, he calls them ‘nouns that we can see, touch, taste, smell or hear’. Actually, they are nouns that can be perceived by any one of the five senses. They are physical objects in the real world. Examples of these are words like: ‘flower’, ‘book’, ‘table’ and so on.

Abstract nouns, on the other hand, are the intangible things. They cannot be experienced with the five senses. Most of the time, we can only feel them. Some of these are words like: ‘love’, ‘anger’, ‘information’ and whatnot. Leo has mastery of these so it is a walk in the park revising such content. I make a list of several nouns and tell them to group them in the learnt classes. We mutually agree that that is an assignment. He is always thankful for the lessons and my presence as well which is in turn quite motivating.

He holds his phone and slouches in his chair. I close my books and he does his too. As I pack mine, he cracks up. “Madam, mtandaoni hakuna maskini,” (Nobody is poor online). I laugh at his wisdom. Everyone likes to floss and show off how they are doing well in social media. But where is the lie? Everyone likes to be associated with success and the ‘good’ things in life. I laugh again at the thought and I imagine how my socials are awash with good vibes and soft life. Anyway, c’est la vie. I bid Leo goodbye and he sees me off. He even makes sure that I get some means home. This time round, I use a motorbike. I am lucky this motorbike rider has a fresh fragrance as though he has just taken a shower. Most of them are just something else — no offense. It is a long ride back home. But with my objectives achieved, it is surely worth it.