Looking for the right school?

Even though priorities change from person to a person, there are major qualifications and necessities have to be there when you look for the right school. Of course our priorities dramatically shift depending on the geopolitical situations and dynamics in the country we live in! It is really hard to make a decision from outside, as a parent best decision is to go and see, talk to other parents, walk around the school and take a close look at surrounding areas and make sure safety and security measures in place.

Since my daughter started preschool (we were living in US by that time) my priority was never the food that the school served as long as my children did not get food poison, or fancy toys they play with. It was rather the playground, amenities that the school offer, qualifications and experience of the teachers and school management team, and more than anything safety and security. Last item was always our number one priority and it became more important when we moved to Kenya.

Unfortunately my daughter had to change her school during our first year! As much as we try to control and make sure of the conditions sometimes it does not work that way...And there we have to come up with solutions without much impact on children...

So notes below are my opinions and they are based on my experience in Nairobi...If you are an expat and looking for school for your child make sure:

1- School is a SAFE environment, by saying safe: school is running by a private security firm,
schools perimeters are in place in every corner, gates are closed all the time, cars are searched accordingly in a professional manner.

2-If you have small children, make sure to check teacher's qualifications, if he/she had early
childhood training, understand basic rules of child caring, knows and applies basic hygiene in the class!

3-If there is a pool, make sure it runs professionally, all the hygiene rules are in place as well as people who are in the pool with children trained for first aid, got training and approved as life guards. I have seen and heard so much on this issue that this is not something should be taken lightly! I am not even mentioning if there are showers and changing rooms!!!! Have not I mentioned priorities shift:)

4- There is an link between school management and parents. effective and open communication is very important. Whether it is about the good or bad, parent should know what is going on in the school. There are certain things school management hears first, and you do not want to be the last person to know if it is about safety and well being of your children.

5- For quality education purposes and standards make sure the school is accredited by international associations at least by Council of International Schools (CIS).

6- No matter what age group children are, obviously teacher has to have qualifications, recommendations, necessary training, and university diploma! Do not assume, they already have, believe me you would be surprised to hear the background of the teachers!!

I made a list, again this is solely based on my personal view and experience.

1- ISK: well established internationally recognized IB school, located in Runda, in every angle this is one of the best school in Nairobi, note: Funded by US., early years have waiting list!

2-Breauburn: they have different locations in town, most of the them have waiting list, once you know you will be moving to Nairobi, do not waste time contact to school. It is a good school both academic and athletic wise.

3- Banda: More like a boutique school, more than half of children population are expat kids. It is a very competitive school in every angle!

4- Kenton: Another good school, has one of the best school ground I have every seen! School amenities are the best in town. Kenton does not have high school education. Very popular among expats.

5-Brookhouse: it is popular among wealthy Kenyan politicians, majority of the students are African (Brookhouse have also boarding section, very popular among other African countries) roughly 20% of children are expat kids. It is highly popular, dream like school ground and buildings, has number one auditorium and libary in Kenya! Even Kenyan govrnment uses it auditoriom for political events.
Their curriculm is British and Kenyan, preparing kids mostly for UK schools and universities.

A great event at Kasarani Safaricom Stadium

We had a great event last week at Kasarani Safaricom Stadium, there were 10+ schools attended this annual competition, it was fun and friendly.

Kasarani is the biggest sport venue in Kenya, all major national and international sports events take place in here, grounds are well kept and run professionally.

This was where parents got really carried on, screaming, yelling, taking pictures, running from one end to another, just to get a glimpse of their kids!I was one of the parents' who were yelling and trying to take hundred of pictures! One picture is never enough, we gotta take pictures from every angle, right:)

Children competed in different venues, 100m, 400m, 800m, jumping and throwing ball. My daughter, Dilara, was one of the ball throwers, I had a huge grin on of my face when she was on the ground competing and also she was just trying to make an eye contact with me after each throw:) I felt as much proud when I watched the young boys and girls run for 100m to 800m, they all finished what they started, how all the parents looked so exicted, like they were the ones who were competing....By the way all the first runners were Kenyans, not much of a surprise there:) 

I love these competitions not only they are fun, they also teach children to be fair players.

Litttle tips for new comers

Moving from one place to another is always a hustle put aside moving into a new country! Even though moving company do all the packing and loading getting the house ready at the other end is another story. Expenses pile up! Curtains, lighting, appliances, new car, and so much more. As much as we want to believe we are prepared there are always hidden costs, just show up from the day one!

There are not many websites out there to give new comers an idea what to expect, where to find it and how to find it. So I want my blog to be a good resource for new comers. Honestly, I had a hard time myself discovering lots of things later on when it was too late! So, if you are a new comer, below is a list that can be beneficial in terms of finding used and new items.

1-If you are looking to buy and sell used items from other expats: first option is UN Nairobi Bulletin Board. You can find, used furnitures, appliances and cars along with houses available for rent. The site is open to public, and very reliable. Items mostly posted by UN employees leaving the country or friends of theirs who can post the ad on behalf of them. I had no idea of this websites existence, it was too late when I heard about it! It is followed by not expats only by locals as well! If you are not keen to spend a lot money on new items, looking for clean and dependable stuff this is the website you gotta look. New posts are added onto site on a daily basis, so page is updated almost everyday.
www.un.org/motd

2-If you are looking for a used car: Try Sarit Center upper floor, there is a huge board for used car ads. UN Bulletin Board also has lots of car sales ad almost every other day. Dealers are also an option but expect to pay higher than direct buy.

3-After deciding moving to Nairobi, do not waste anytime, start using social media! I even became a Facebook member, still cannot believe it!!!! Anyways, there are lots of Facebook pages for expat community, do not be judgemental:) Nairobi Expats Marketplace is a Facebook page is for expats who sell/buy items. In order to be able to view the page, you should be a member. This is a great page, thanks to people who came with this great idea!

4-There are also following websites, they are not as highly popular as the ones above, but still a great source: www.olx.co.ke, www.expat-blog.com , www.expatriates.com , and www.internations.org .

5-There is also a big supermarket chain, Nakumatt. You can find everything under one roof, expect to pay much higher though. Nakumatt sells from kitchen appliance to furniture to electronics. Try Mega Nakumatt, has more options. www.nakumatt.net

6-For outdoor and indoor furniture: try Ngong Rd. There are hundreds of vendors who make and sell home goods, beds, tables, night stands, TV stands, sunbeds, patio set, swings, shoe racks and much more. Be ready to negotiate, it is expected. Vendors can even build a basic furniture from a picture, they are very flexible.