Kansas to Kenya: A Different Kind of Retirement

While we were on home visit during the month of April we were interviewed by The Leaven, our diocese newspaper. We thought you might like to see what they wrote.

Kansas to Kenya: a different kind of ‘retirement’

By Caitlin Thornbrugh
Special to The Leaven

TONGANOXIE — For most people, retirement is a time to kick back, relax, and putter their way into the “golden years.”
Not John and Cindy Korb of Sacred Heart Parish in Tonganoxie. For them, “retirement” is an opportunity to take on a lifestyle change that would challenge anyone at any age.
After 32 years of teaching in Tonganoxie, John and Cindy were looking forward to retirement in August 2009. But instead of a traditional retirement plan and “puttering,” they signed a three-and-a-half year contract, sold all their possessions, and travelled more than 8,000 miles to Kitale, Kenya, East Africa, to be Maryknoll Lay Missioners.

Getting Started

The Korbs began searching for Catholic mission options online and, on a summer day in 2008, Cindy discovered the deadline for a Maryknoll Lay Ministers discernment weekend was that day. John was mowing the lawn, and Cindy went out to ask, “How serious are we about this?”
They registered that day.
After being accepted, they began getting rid of most of their possessions, selling their house, and preparing for an early retirement from teaching.
“We sold the house that we’d raised our family in. It was difficult, but we knew this was something we wanted to pursue,” said Cindy.
They originally thought they would be stationed in East Timor in Southeast Asia but, several weeks into orientation, found out this location was being closed due to economic reasons. From their remaining options, the Korbs chose Kenya. As John said, they are continually learning to be flexible and “go with the flow.”

Back to School

At an all-boys school called St. Anthony’s, John teaches math and geography to classes of around 90 students. Cindy teaches English at an all-girls school, St. Monica’s, to classes of around 50 students. The Kenyan school year runs 11 months.
However, beyond teaching, they also are involved in after-school activities. Cindy runs a literature club; John is teaching a catechumenate class.
“I think we have been really careful not to be the ‘know-it-all Americans,’ who come in and tell people how to do things. We’re trying to show by example good teaching practices,” said Cindy.
After over 30 years of teaching in the United States, one of the biggest differences they have noticed is the lack of interaction between teachers and students.
“Here in the States, we are constantly checking for understanding. . . . There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of that there. We call on students. You could tell at first they just weren’t used to that,” said Cindy.
Along with different practices, John and Cindy are the only non-Kenyan, white teachers. The Korbs have found, however, that race is not a large issue.
“You don’t think of skin color. Yeah, we’re a minority, but that doesn’t even enter in my mind. And I don’t think [it enters] the [minds of the] kids anymore,” said John.
The Korbs have become a part of their school communities: They have been to a wake service, a baby shower, and have been invited to a wedding.
With all the differences, they found similarities as well.
“Kids are the same around the world,” said John.
When talking to his students about stressors, they had similar responses to American schoolchildren: getting up early, what they’re having for lunch, and homework.

Marriage and Family

As they are adapting their teaching style, a change in location has also changed their marriage. The Korbs will celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary in June.
“The culture is just so different, and there are some things we don’t understand yet, so we rely on each other more,” said John.
This change has been a positive one.
“Our marriage has changed, because our lifestyle has changed so drastically. [When] we lived in Tonganoxie, you can go shopping anytime you wanted to, you could go to a movie, you could go to Kansas City, you could go to concerts. Those things just aren’t available [in Kitale], so you spend more quiet time together as a couple,” said Cindy.
The Korbs have two daughters: Andrea Korb, who lives in New York, and Katrina Korb, who lives in Nigeria. Although they sometimes feel bad for being so spread out, the Korbs try to speak with both daughters on a regular basis.
“We’re farther away in distance, but thank heavens for the Internet, Skyping, and e-mail,” said Cindy. “Thanks to modern technology, we’re able to stay in really close contact still.”
Andrea sees her parents as role models.
“Just seeing the work that they’re doing really inspires me to live my life in a good way,” she said, “and to help the people in my community.”

Growing in Faith

In having more time to spend with each other, they also have more time to spend with God.
“Because life is slower, we have more time for Scripture reading, for prayer, for meditation,” said Cindy.
They have been learning about their own faith from the people around them.
“Kenyans’ faith seems so much stronger than ours in a way. They see everything as a gift of God: waking up in the morning, the day, rain, a paycheck,” she said.
Although they celebrated, in some ways, a nontraditional Christmas — using a cypress tree branch for a Christmas tree — they also found that it enriched their faith by being focused on the religious aspect of the holiday.
“We in the American culture are so busy and so consumer-oriented. It was so nice to be there at Christmastime. There wasn’t the push to buy-buy-buy, want-want-want,” said Cindy.

A World Apart

The Korbs have been inspired by their students and the Kenyan culture. Now, they hope to inspire other Americans to volunteer and reach out to their own communities.
While visiting the United States, they gave nine presentations to schools and churches.
“Even volunteering at a food kitchen or a thrift shop, getting out of your comfort zone and trying to experience the world through somebody else’s eyes is so enriching,” said Cindy.
Right now, the Korbs plan to continue their work and then sign on for another three-year contract in 2013.
“The more you can see of the world, the more you learn, the more it increases your faith,” said Cindy.

© Copyright 2008 The Leaven. All Rights Reserved. Any copying, redistribution or retransmission of any of the contents of this service without the express written consent of The Leaven is expressly prohibited.

Out of Africa

Last night we watched the movie Out of Africa starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep. It has been years since I had seen it and of course at that time we were living in the US. I enjoyed it so much more last night, not for the romance, because so many things were familiar.

Oh, the landscape. There are beautiful shots of the Rift Valley, the savannah, the wildlife. We would say, “We’ve seen that.” “That’s just like we remember it.”

We’ve been to the Karen Blixen Coffee Garden twice for meals. It is located at the house of her farm supervisor. The house has been restored to that time period and the gardens are beautiful. It is a fun place to visit and eat lunch. We’ve been on the grounds of her house, but not inside. They obviously shot part of the movie there, because the drive, gardens and area around it we’ve seen with our own eyes.

Lord Delamere was a character in the movie. He was a successful British farmer with vast holdings near Lake Naivasha. We go past his “plantation” on the way to Nairobi. Although we have never stopped, his family has a nice area to rest, eat, and shop where they sell dairy products and meat from their farm.

It was fun to see what Kenya was like in the early 1900s. The period date was 1913 when she first moved to Kenya. Members of the high society of England were living here with their fine china, extravagant lifestyles, time spent in the club socializing.

We could understand the Kiswahali spoken in the movie.

It was interesting to see the two tribes depicted in the movie. The lifestyle of the Maasai haven’t changed much in the past hundred years, but the Kikukus are now the dominate tribe having most of the Kenyan owned businesses. They are considered to be the most well educated and richest tribe in Kenya.

This morning I did a little research about the movie. Of course, they have taken some liberties with the truth, but it is essentially factual. The major characters in the movie are based on real life people. She did lose the land due to the failure of the coffee crop and moved back to Denmark but lived in Kenya for 17 years rather than just a few.

"I had a farm in Africa at the foot of the Ngong Hills..." begins both the book and movie. If you get a chance, you ought to see the movie again. It is long, but it is a real charmer and lives you a slice of what life was like in Kenya once upon a time. Now I want to read the book.

Annual General Meeting

Last Saturday was the Annual General Meeting (AGM) at St. Moncia’s. It is considered to be an important day, a yearly meeting of parents with the Board of Governors (school board), PTA, teachers, administrators, and of course their children.

Any Kenyan celebration would be incomplete without worship, entertainment, speeches, and food.


The day started at 8:00 am with Mass. A typical Kenyan Mass lasts two hours or more with all of the singing and dancing. After Mass, it was time to take tea. That gave those parents who had already arrived a chance to visit with their daughters.

After tea, the entertainment began. It consisted of some dramas (plays), recitation of poems, singing and dancing. At one point even Madam Akech, the prinicipal, and Mrs. Kandie, the deputy principal, joined in the dancing. Of course, that was a real crowd pleaser.

The Chief Guest (keynote speaker), was an adjunct professor from Moi University. She is a real advocate of education for women. Her speech was positive, uplifting, filled with good advice and thoroughly enjoyed by all.

One of my favorite stories was . . .

God created Eve with the rib from Adam’s side. He didn’t take a bone from his head or his foot. That is because God meant for Eve to work side by side with Adam as a partner. One person is not be raised above the other nor be trampled upon. She went on, do you know how when you do thing more than once, you improve? Well, God saw that there were a few imperfections in man and he was able to improve upon these when he created Eve!

After the speeches and the business meeting, it was finally time to eat! The school had prepared food for the parents and student, but many mothers brought in their daughter’s favorite foods to supplement. You could smell fried chicken, chips (French fries), and chapatti. The girls were also thrilled to be able to drink sodas and eat bread that their families brought.

The next Visiting Day will be in June. The girls are already looking forward to that day.

Tulirudi Numbani, Kenya

We realized that we have returned to Kenya from a trip to the United States when we

. . . remembered that we can no longer brush our teeth in tap water.
. . . need to change our driving habits to slow down and brake for motorcycles, bicycles carrying passengers and potholes.
. . . find the wings of flying termites on the floor underneath our windows in the morning.
. . . must hang laundry out for a second day to dry during the rainy season.
. . . drive into a petrol (gas) station and the attendant motions you on because they don’t have any petrol.
. . . discover eggs of various sizes in your shopping bag.
. . . eat sweet, sweet bananas and mangoes.
. . . see students dressed in uniforms.
. . . fellow coworkers invite us to take tea.

AND BEST OF ALL

. . . students clap and cheer when we entered the classroom on our first day back.

Shopping

We are currently in the United States visiting family and friends. As we have been shopping for clothing and supplies that we want to take back with us, I am struck by the difference between shopping here and in Kenya.

Form I Class

Meet my Form I English class. Not only are they my freshman English class, but I am their class teacher. That would be similar to a homeroom teacher. I am responsible for them. Again, keep in mind this is a boarding school, so not only am I to keep track of their academic progress, but also deal with any issues that might arise during the boarding portion of their day.

Issues that I have had to deal with thus far:
* illness, mostly malaria

* wounds on legs (I don't know why, but several girls have had sores on their legs that are deep. It's not similar to anything I've seen before.)

* rebounding (This is a new vocabulary word for me. It means they snuck back in the serving line in the dining hall and got a second helping. Unfortunately it was on beans and rice day, everyone's favorite. That meant some girls did not get to eat that meal because there wasn't enough food.)

* locks on desks (Students need to lock all of their items in either their trunks in the dorms or their desks in the classroom.)

* phone calls home (It is the class teachers responsibility to determine whether the need for the phone is a valid one and then allow students to flash their parents when they need to talk to them.)

* gossiping


* report cards

They begin their final exams today with a week and a half remaining in this term.

I am pleased to report that these are for the most part well behaved and motivated students.

Leadership Visit

Sam Stanton, Executive Director of Maryknoll Lay Missioners, and Margo Cambier, Director of Mission Services, have been on a two week tour of Tanzania and Kenya. The purpose was to see all of the missioners and visit their work sites. They scheduled a half day per missioner. On their last days in Kitale they visited both of our schools.

They had never been in Kenyan schools before, so they were in for a treat. John asked several of his students come and talk informally with them.

Because of their schedule, it worked for them to visit my Form III class. On Monday, I asked the girls to organize themselves for the visitors. They love to recite poetry and sing so I requested they have a couple of poems, talk about our school and then sing some songs. It was great. Sam and Margo loved it, as I did!

Bernadine recited a poem then Charity and Mary talked about our school. They sang two traditional songs with dancing. Some girls even had "costumes". Sam requested a Kiswahali song he knows. That lead me to ask for a couple of more songs that I have heard them sing at assembly or church. I'm sure we disturbed the classes around us, but it was so much fun.

We then had about 15 minutes where the girls could ask questions of Sam and Margo. It was interesting to note what kind of questions they asked and compare them with questions they ask me.

All in all, it was a successful visit for everyone.

(It was on Ash Wednesday. That is why Sam has ashes on his forehead.)