“What do you want to be when you grow up ?” – this was the question often posed by Catherine and Chris to students at Impezza Academy when I was there for 2 weeks in Jan/Feb.

The usual replies were : “I want to be a lawyer/judge, doctor/surgeon, teacher, journalist, or army recruit.” With their interest in football/soccer, I thought there might be a potential Wayne Rooney…

I was surprised and disappointed that no one wanted to be a farmer/ranger/ environmentalist – with such magnificent wildlife and habitats in Kenya, in Wildlife Parks and National Reserves and Sanctuaries, careers here are clearly not advertised or not encouraged much. I replied that when I grow up (?!) I want to return to Africa – “Amen! (pronounced Aymen)” was the loud response.

Daily living at this private secondary School (this was their dry and dusty time of year) is totally different to our comparatively cosy existence in the UK – we take for granted running water, electricity at the touch of a switch, washing machines, computers, photo-copiers etc. They take the oppressive heat and mosquitoes for granted, and manage to be more cheerful than we are, always being smartly dressed (in sweaters sometimes!), despite having to handwash all their clothes and dry them on barbed wire fences around the site (I didn’t see how they dry clothes in the rainy seasons).

They are so keen to learn, with classwork starting before sunrise (about 7 am) and not finishing until after sunset (about 7 pm) – even at weekends I saw boarders working in small groups or individually. Each afternoon some students enjoyed the 2 footballs which Chris had bought and the football gear which we had both brought out. I had brought table tennis equipment, and this proved very popular with students and staff alike – following good press coverage while we were there, the School hopes to be the leader locally in table tennis !

Saturday mornings are for classroom cleaning, and presumably for dormitory cleaning too – I didn’t witness the latter, obviously. What I found strange was that the School site was not cleaned too: I suggested to the Head Boy (there is also a Head Girl) that there should be a litter-pick, and he organised this immediately – I arranged for a bonfire where rubbish had been left near the kitchen area. I hope that this will be a weekly occurrence now, and have asked Catherine to buy a rake for this – this should be called “Anton”, as this was my given nickname !

The Sunday church service of worship, dancing and talks lasts for about 3 hours. I had taught 3 of the 4 forms my version of The Lord’s Prayer on their keyboard, and we all sang this on my last day there – an emotional occasion for me as it was also my younger daughter’s birthday. I was pleased to find a guitar there (sadly with only 2 strings) which had presumably been donated by another musician. I left my ukulele there, and hope that music will become a hobby for some which might develop into a profession, as it has for me.

What impressed me most was the popularity of the School locally, and the medical care on offer. Catherine or the Principal were often visited by parents wanting to have their children educated there, and had to turn the latter away because of over-capacity. The School car (4-wheel drive is essential for the rough roads) often takes a sick student to the best hospital about 2 hours away. A deputy for Catherine has just been appointed to assist with the School’s development, with all its ideas for new buildings and ventures into conservation agriculture – this should be the best way forward, that Catherine doesn’t shoulder all the decision-making, although Chris is always on hand for advice and encouragement. What a team ! Impressive Imprezza !