Taste of ‘Dano’ at start of summer

Events and rituals celebrate one of the biggest traditional festive days

Summer is kicking in, and the day of the nation’s biggest sun festival is soon approaching.

Dano, one of South Korea’s most important festive days along with Seollal, or Lunar New Year, and Chuseok, or Thanksgiving day, will fall Monday. It comes every fifth day of the fifth month of the lunar calendar, the day of the year on which the “yang,” or the positive energy force, is considered to be at its peak.

Koreans traditionally celebrated the day with various events and rituals such as rinsing one’s hair in “changpomul,” or flag iris water, eating “surichiddeok” which is rice cake enjoyed on Dano, presenting fans decorated with paintings or writings to friends and family, and the usual memorial services for ancestors.

Festivals to enjoy the day as it used to be are already beginning throughout the country. 

Girls rinse their hair in “changpomul,” or flag iris water Thursday at a festival celebrating Dano in central Seoul. (Park Hae-mook/The Korea Herald)

The largest and the oldest is “Gangneung Danoje Festival” which takes place in Gangneung, Gangwon Province from June 2 through June 9. It was designated as Korean Intangible Cultural Heritage No. 13 in 1967 and as a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005.

Preparation for the festival began on May 7, which was the fifth day of April of the lunar calendar and the day for “sinjubitgi,” the distilling of the sacred liquor that is served at memorial services and drunk throughout the events.

The festival will include traditional dances, music and plays including “Gangneung Gwanno Gamyeongeuk,” a traditional mask drama performed by an intangible cultural heritage practitioner group, and “Gangeung Dano Gut,” a shamanic ritual.

This year, the organizers specially invited traditional performance groups from five countries ― Russia, Vietnam, China, Japan and Samoa ― to showcase their traditions as well. The cities of Beijing, China, and Ida, Japan, will also run an Asian Culture Exhibition pavilion during the festival. 

Surichiddeok. (The National Folk Museum of Korea)

The festival will also host many experience programs for visitors to enjoy, providing changpomul for you to rinse your hair and the chance to make surichiddeok. There will also be traditional games like swinging, tug-of-war and “yut,” a traditional board game.

In Seoul, The National Folk Museum of Korea is planning various events in celebration of Dano, particularly to compare how the festive day differs in Korea and China.

Soon after “Gangneung Danoje Festival” was designated as UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2005, a controversy broke out in China that the festival originated in China. China’s festival, named “Duanwu,” was designated by UNESCO four years later.

“Dano and Duanwu are similar in name and period but are actually very different in specific details,” said the museum in a statement.

The museum will hold a photo exhibition from June 1 to June 20, showcasing photos of Korean Dano scenes. On Monday, the museum will hold cooking lessons on how to make surichiddeok and “zongzi,” the Chinese traditional food enjoyed on Duanwu, and showcase Korean traditional performances in the front yard. 

A painted fan titled “Nansaengyubun,” which means “fragrances spread when orchids bloom,” by Joseon period artist Cho Hee-ryong. Fans bearing paintings were presented as gifts on Dano among the literati of the period. (Kan Song Mun Hwa)

Dream Forest in Beon-dong, eastern Seoul, hosts “2011 Dano Gugak Festival” on Saturday, which will showcase a series of Korean traditional music, dance and street plays. Visitors can experience about 30 different kinds of traditional rituals and plays including the traditional Dano fan-making and hair-rinsing.

Similar events will be held at Bukchon Hanok Village in Gye-dong, central Seoul.

For more information on “Gangneung Danoje Festival,” visit http://www.danojefestival.or.kr; for the events held by The National Folk Museum of Korea, visit http://www.nfm.go.kr; for “2011 Dano Gugak Festival,” visit http://www.seoulgugakfestival.org; for events held at Bukchon Hanok Village, visit bukchon.seoul.go.kr.

By Park Min-young  (claire@heraldm.com)

 

Korean creates the Voronoi ‘mega-yacht’

Korean yacht enthusiast Kim Hyun-seok has created the Voronoi “mega-yacht,” dailymail.co.uk reported Tuesday.

The 125m yacht has hot tubs, a golfing green, swimming pool and sky lounge.

With its stunningly beautiful lattice exterior and equally luxurious facilities, this eye-catching vessel blows Roman Abramovich’s super-yacht out of the water in the style stakes.

The lavish interior of the Voronoi is encased in an intricate honeycomb lattice facade, making it potentially one of the most beautiful boats to have taken to water.

Kim was intent on designing the ultimate yacht complete with the most distinctive exterior possible, the report said.

Kim described the 20m beam single hull vessel he came up with as “a unique and enjoyable luxury yacht.”

He named the yacht after the “Voronoi” concept of random geometric spacing created by Russian mathematician Georgy Voronoi, according to the Daily Mail.

Kim said, “We can find the (Voronoi) pattern in many areas, especially our body, and cell membranes look like Voronoi patterns.

“The Voronoi pattern is a special method of removing unwanted blocks of solid space, letting you create the most robust structures while using the minimum amount of material.”

Image is everything

Photos/FILE Men decide on sight whether you are wife material, chips funga, a platonic friend, or an authority figure they would like to work for. Consider your dressing style and discover what imagine you portray by the way you dress.

By IRENE NJOROGE

 

Clothes are a very powerful form of body language. At a glance, it is possible to be judged or even misjudged on the simple basis of how tight your trouser fit is.

Men are visual creatures, a common statement, but true. They check out women in detail, all the while forming their opinions.

As far as they are concerned, the more flesh you reveal, the more ‘available’ you are. To a man, how you present yourself says a lot more than what you actually speak out.

It only takes a man five seconds to decide what kind of woman you are, and whether you are his kind of woman or not.

Most men have a blueprint of their ideal woman in their minds even before they have met you.

According to psychologists, this is probably established before the teens and is based on an important woman in his childhood – his mother or sister.

It only takes a few seconds for him to decide whether you fit his ideal or not and how you dress the first time he sees you plays a big role in this decision.

Many women today have diverse lives usually juggling a career and family. Finding a balance imagewise means adopting a professional style with a little bit of casual dressing for weekends and family days thrown in.

Our images are shaped by the media, our own self-consciousness and by the men around us. It pays to establish a look that you are comfortable with, and which expresses the person you really are, according to yourself.

A self-assessment with an image consultant is of great help in this aspect. Many experts are of the view that a woman’s destiny is partly linked to her image and clothing choices.

To help you better understand the impact your image has, the Satmag team dressed up one woman in several different ways, thereby giving her a number of different personalities.

The woman in question is 27-year-old Milka Wambui, of Milimani Classic Salon, in Nairobi. We set her out in town to gauge the reaction of the men around her, and these were the responses, according to what she was wearing:

Office suit:

This style makes her look like a career-minded woman who is very self-assured. She looks like she would make a good boss, considering the fact that she has not expressed her sexuality through her clothes.

She seems interested in looking professional and intelligent, and at first glance, most men would be slightly scared of approaching her for a date.

Her clothes make her look like the type who is serious about her career, and would probably have little or no time for a love life.

She seems as though she heads straight for evening classes in a bid to improve on her education.

Most men thought she was the type who would only consider settling down after becoming well-established in her career at a level above manager.

She also looks like a go-getter at work – the ones who know what they want and go for it relentlessly

Hot pants and boots:

This look caused quite a stir, wolf-whistles and all. Most men said that a woman dressed like this would want people to focus on her body and not her mind.

Most did not see her as career-oriented, and thought she looked like the type who work to get money so that they can party all weekend.

They thought she must be confident to carry off those hot pants and boots, a look they thought is very daring unless one is on the beach, of course without the boots!

They made passes at her, with many heads turning to get a second glance. The men concurred that they would only approach a woman dressed like that if it was in the evening at a club and all they wanted was some fun.

Most concurred that this is not the woman they would take home to their mother.

Kitenge:

Most of the men interviewed thought this is the style that brought out the wife and homemaker image in Milka.

They said she looked respectable and humble. The interesting point to note is that they thought she would be unapproachable to flirt with.

They believe that if you decide to speak to a woman dressed this way, you had better be serious with her.

To them, this woman could be anyone in your life …. Your mum, aunt or sister. This just shows that the typical African man is still conservative and traditional.

Spaghetti straps:

This one had the men in awe. One of them was quoted as saying “She is way out of my league. She is such a classy dresser; I do not think she would look twice at an ordinary guy like me.”

From most of the reactions she received, we came to the conclusion that sometimes how a woman dresses can be intimidating to some men.

They find certain dress styles too high maintenance. These women probably why no man notices how well dressed they are.

The truth is that most appear not to notice, but they do, but are too scared to approach.

Jeans:

Jeans are the most commonly worn trousers by Nairobi women along with black trousers.

Most men we spoke to commented that some of the jeans are so tight, that it hardly leaves anything to the imagination.

Some of them are worn low-flung, while others are often in bad taste. The fact is that not all women have the body shape for jeans.

If you are curvy, opt for well-tailored trousers and bias cut skirts. Most men complained that most of the time. It seems as if women throw on jeans when they cannot be bothered to dress with care.

One man stated, “No self-respecting woman in our neighbouring countries would wear jeans with the kind of abandon they are worn in Kenya.”

He even suggested that if it were possible, men should revolt against women wearing jeans. Most off putting are the obviously dirty recycled jeans favoured by young women.

Overall, the fact that men do not like women in jeans came out quite clearly, with many calling for Kenyan women to learn to wear skirts and dresses.

It’s all down to culture

When a Kenyan African woman decides to wear shorts to a public place which is not one of those posh shopping malls, she often causes a stir, especially among the men.

Some will even o as far as calling for her stripping. It is not unusual to find groups of men following her and laughing in derision.

At the end of it all, the woman is usually a nervous wreck, unless she has a thick hide. Yet the scenario is often entirely different when a white woman dresses the same way.

No one bothers with her. It is almost as though she was invisible! Could it be the cultural differences that cause this disparity in reactions, or is it the victimisation of African women?

One black Kenyan women, upon her return from the US where she had lived for close to 10 years happened to be walking in town with a white friend.

Both were wearing shorts and sleeveless T-shirts. Everywhere they went, people offered opinions on her dress code.

She was lectured by old and young men alike, while her friend was completely ignored.

What the experts say:

Jane Odewale, director of Extra Edge Image consultancy stresses that a woman should be extremely particular about the image she presents to the world if she wants to be taken seriously.

In our cultural set up, when a woman reveals any part of her body, it is taken to mean that she is promiscuous. That is why it is always such a big deal when women wear outfits that expose their midriff.

When a man is assessing a woman’s suitability for marriage, the main thing he will look at is how she will fit into his family’s background.

He also tries to imagine how she will hold up as the mother of his children. When a woman goes to meet her potential in-laws for the first time, she needs to pay special attention to every detail of her appearance.

Some women have lost out by simply having long, brightly polished nails or exposed cleavage. A potential wife should look sober and steady, not frivolous, Jane adds.

An interesting observation that Odewale noted was that men expect women to start dressing differently immediately they get married.

It is very common to find a woman dressed in jeans, leggings, spaghetti tops and the like when she is part of a dating couple.

However, when she says ‘I do’, her husband will immediately insist on a more serious dress code. Many women claim it is unfair, because men are not expected to change their image in any way.

Daegu 2011

http://www.daegu2011.org/do/front/main/en

Beer festival helps expats feel at home

Seoul City Suicides play at the Cheongpyeong Riverside Beer and Mexican Grill Festival in Gangwon Province. (William du Plessis)

More than 400 revelers gathered Saturday in Cheongpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, to camp, enjoy bands and sample some Korean micro-brewed ale.

After the success of a similar festival last year, KaBrew manager Park Chul invited six Korean-based bands, including Vidulgi OoyoO and the Used Cassettes to rock the Cheongpyeong Riverside Beer and Mexican Grill Festival from noon ‘till late.
Crowds started gathering around midday as local expat band Magna Fall kicked off proceedings with their distinctive brand of indie rock. When their last note faded to the applause of the appreciative audience, event organizers helped quench thirst caused by the day’s sun with a beer-chugging contest. Those stepping up to the challenge got the chance to sample the five types of micro-brewed ale on offer in quick succession.

Grilled Mexican food dealt with hunger pangs, and Seoul-based rock bands No Respect for Beauty and Seoul City Suicides took to the stage, followed by expat four-piece Angry Bear as darkness descended. Partygoers danced and applauded the indie rock to the glow of a bonfire.

“It’s difficult to find good quality beer of home here in Korea. This festival has given us the chance to come out here to enjoy the green, the music and a taste of homebrew away from the grayness of the city,” said Seoul-based English teacher, Adam Prezbindowski.

Park believes that events like these can bridge cultural gaps and build understanding between expats and locals.

“That is why we opted for a mix of three Korean and three expat bands for this event,” he said.

Earlier this year, KaBrew used the same relaxing recipe of music and microbrew to launch a sunset cruise from Incheon.

“More than 300 expats and Koreans watched the setting sun while relaxing in each other’s company. We will continue to use events like this to help expats in Korea feel more at home while enjoying our quality beer,” Park said.

By William Du Plessis (wim.duplessis@gmail.com)

Galaxy Tab global sales top 600,000 units

Visitors try Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Tab in its promotional event at a department store in Seoul on Sunday. (Samsung Electronics)

Samsung Electronics Co. said Sunday it has sold more than 600,000 units of its tablet PC globally just a month after its launch.

The 7-inch Galaxy Tab was first released in Italy in mid-October, challenging the global dominance of Apple Inc.’s 9.7-inch iPad.

The Galaxy Tab is now available in more than 30 countries in North America, Europe and Asia.

In Korea, about 30,000 units have been sold since its Nov. 14 launch through SK Telecom. 

Weighing less than a kilogram, the Android-run mobile computer carries voice functions, wireless and 3G network connections, and an ability to run Adobe Flash software, on top of regular mobile phone features such as a camera, music and video.

Samsung said consumer demand for its Galaxy Tab has been robust, outpacing supply in most countries.

The brisk sale boosted its confidence to meet the goal of selling 1 million units this year.

“We believe tablet PCs will take over a bigger portion of the market next year,” Samsung’s mobile division head Shin Jong-kyun said at the IFA gadget expo in Berlin in September. “For this year, we’re projecting to sell up to 1 million units.”

The burgeoning tablet PC market is becoming increasingly crowded as other competitors such as Research in Motion, Hewlett-Packard, Motorola are rolling out their own products.

Apple has sold about 7.5 million iPad units globally since its April launch, brushing off skepticism that tablet PCs would not fill the gap between smartphones and computers.

It took about 95 percent of the world market in the third quarter, according to Boston-based research and consulting firm Strategy Analytics.

In Korea, the American tech giant is slated to begin sales on Nov. 30. Apple’s local distributor KT Corp. said it has taken more than 40,000 pre-orders in less than a week.

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldm.com)

 

MAKING YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE

 

Nuru Bwanakombo walked out of her first marriage to join university. She says that her decision paid off. Photo/AMINA KIBIRIGE

She was 18, when she was married off to a man 17 years older than her.

Nuru Bwanakombo had just completed her O levels at Mama Ngina Girls Secondary School in Mombasa, and had scored B+, making her the best student in the school.

She had always been a bright student, and had lofty dreams, dreams of becoming an engineer, an unlikely career for a girl, who had grown up in a traditional setting which valued marriage more than career.

Nuru traces her interest in engineering to a childhood curiosity about the workings of gadgets such as television sets, radios and bulbs.

While still a very young girl, she remembers agonising about what went into the construction of the imposing Nyali Bridge, the one that links Mombasa Island with the North Coast.

“I was fascinated with complex things. I wanted to know how they worked, and my fingers would itch to take them apart, so that I could satisfy my curiosity,” she explains, her eyes lighting up at the memory.

Nuru knew that by getting married, she would flush her dreams down drain. Unfortunately, she had no choice.

Culture demanded that she yield to her parents expectations, and so she moved into her new husband’s home, and immersed herself into the duties of a wife.

The only distant light, in a world that had suddenly gone dim, is when her mother asked her new husband to allow her to go back to school, should her university application be accepted.

“He initially agreed to the request, though I would later learn that he did that with the hope that I wouldn’t get a place,” Nuru explains.

When the admission letter from the University of Nairobi arrived, offering her a chance to study civil engineering, her husband flatly told her that she could not go back to school.

“He told me that my place as a woman was in the kitchen, furthermore, he could afford to give me everything I wanted, so why go back to school?” Nuru recalls.

By then however, she had nursed dreams of going to university for so long, she knew that nothing would stand between her and her childhood dream, not even marriage.

Difficult decision

With a distant look in her eyes, she talks about the day she walked out of her marriage.

It was a daring step to take, some might say ill-advised, considering that her child was only six months old, and she had been married for only a year and a half.

Fortunately, her parents were supportive, since they knew how much she had wanted to join university and get herself a career.

Nuru’s determination shocked many, and had tongues wagging for a while, but this is what propelled her to venture into what can only be described as a trailblazing undertaking.

She left her daughter in the care of her parents, and with the support of her elder sister and only brother, left Mombasa with a heavy heart for Nairobi, a place she had never been to before.

On arrival at the university, she was greeted with disbelief whenever people learnt that she was studying civil engineering.

They could not believe that a “Muslim” girl from the Coast Province would want to pursue such a “tough” course.

The first few months at the university, were difficult for Nuru. As much as she was determined to pursue her dream, her heart was torn right down the middle; a piece in school, another one at home with a daughter she hadn’t quite bonded with.

However, as much as she was tempted to take the next bus home, she knew that one way of ensuring a secure future for her daughter was to graduate from university.

Nuru says that throughout her four years at university, she had to work, to earn her pocket money, and also to send some home for her daughter’s upkeep.

Her parents, back home in Kisauni were volunteer Madrassa (religious school) teachers, and were therefore not in a position to assist her financially.

Luckily, she was lucky to get a part time job for an engineering firm, as well as with the Electoral Commission.

She also took up odd jobs during her first and second year at the university to make extra money. She also did a bit of “decent” modeling on the side.

When she was just beginning to adapt to her new life, Nuru realised that she was pregnant.

She says that she was so shaken; she was in denial for quite some time, especially since she had no idea that she had conceived, when leaving her husband.

“It was the last thing I expected, but after the shock wore off, I decided to be positive about it, after all, children are God-given, and pregnancy would not prevent me from going on with my education,” Nuru says.

A few months later, in 1995, she gave birth to a baby boy, only for her former husband’s family to forcefully take him away from her when he was just 20 days old.

Though she finally managed to get him back many months later, Nuru is reluctant to dwell on that “dark” period, which saw her fight with everything she had to get her son back.

“I have him, and that’s all that matters,” she says of the incident.

Nuru, a popular student, went on to head various associations at the university. Besides heading the Muslim Students Association, sisters wing, for four years, 1995 to 1999, she was also elected student leader in 1998.

The following year, she graduated with honors. Her graduation, she says, still counts as one of her happiest day.

Soon afterwards, she took up a job with Otieno, Odongo & Partners, a consulting engineer’s firm in Nairobi, where she had previously interned.

She worked with them for three years, during which she gained valuable experience on crucial aspects of her career.

The most important learning experience, she says, came when she was put in charge of the dualling of Langata Road, and the rehabilitation of the Mtito Andei-Voi-Bachuma road.

In 2002, she decided to go back to Mombasa, so that she could spend more time with her children and parents. She applied for a job at the Kenya Ports Authority in June 2002, and was accepted.

Even though she had been apprehensive of how she would be received in what had been considered a man’s turf for many years, Nuru says that she was treated as an equal from the beginning.

Furthermore, she was immediately appointed to supervise the setting up of a one stop centre to make the process of clearing and forwarding documents as short, and as smooth as possible.

She was also put in charge of KPA’s outreach programmes and so far, she has designed and built a primary school in Msambweni, a dispensary in Taita, and an administration block for Faza secondary school.

“I am now looking forward to building a secondary school for girls in Faza Island, who have to make the long journey to Lamu to go to school. It is either that, or stay at home and wait to get married,” says Nuru, a passionate advocate of girl-child education.

In 2003, Nuru was the only woman amongst eight Kenyans selected to study at the UNESCO-IHE (Institute of Hydraulic Engineering) where she was named the best overall student in the academic year 2003 -2004.

Her job at KPA has been a blessing. Besides being sponsored to do her Masters degree in Coastal Engineering and Port Development in the Netherlands, this is also where she met her new husband, Engineer Ibrahim Ali. 

Nuru is also part of the team that is involved in mapping out the port’s plan for the next 25years.

Amongst the projects she is involved in include the rehabilitation of the berths, rehabilitation of Kipevu bridge, dredging of the port, as well as the construction of the second container terminal funded by Japan.

She also assists with the feasibility study of the proposed second port in Lamu.

To her husband, Nuru is like a bar of gold, which he values highly. Her toughness, he says, is what drew him to her in the first place.

“I wanted a tough, intelligent woman, and getting one wasn’t easy. Also, I preferred to marry someone in my line of work, someone who could understand the demands of my job, someone I could have fruitful conversations with,” he says, and adds that being in the same career has enriched their marriage .

I am a wife first

It’s on a Saturday, and we’re doing this interview at their home in Kizingo, Mombasa.

Nuru, who considers herself a mother of five children having adopted three others from her husband’s first marriage, is serving her husband his lunch.

“I know my place as a wife, and as a Muslim woman, I recognise my husband as the head of the family, so there is no power struggle between us,” she explains.

She adds that her successful career has not gotten into her head, and points out that it’s important for women to be good role models for their children, especially their daughters.

Referring to the challenges she has gone through, Nuru encourages women who find themselves in tough situations to look on the bright side of life, and above all, to stay positive.

“I am a career woman, a wife, a mother, a leader, a sister, and an aunt to many, but I manage to do all of it well. This means that you too can do it,” she points out.

Nuru is grateful to her mother, father and siblings, and other relatives, who she says stood by her side when she was struggling to make sense of her life.

“I am especially grateful to my mother, who encouraged me to fight for dreams,” she says.

To young girls, a call of persistence, strong will and determination are her words of wisdom to them

She insists that to meet one’s goals and succeed in life, one not only needs to do well in school, but also needs to stay focused on their goal.

“If you are focused, the doors of success will open up for you. Give your best in everything you do, be it a vegetable stall, a hair salon or a shoe shine business – just give it your best shot, and the rest will fall into place.”

50 reasons why Seoul is the world’s greatest city

http://www.cnngo.com/seoul/life/50-reasons-why-seoul-worlds-greatest-city-534720

Really great!! very interesting

More to mouth than eating and speaking

 

For most of us, the mouth is reserved for eating and speaking.

But for Simon Waithanje, 17, this facial organ serves more than just these two natural purposes.

Through many years of practice “Simo”, as he is known among his friends, deftly uses his jaws, lips and tongue to perform tasks normal people do using their hands.

Tasks like writing and dialling a mobile phone. He suffered brain damage during birth, which has confined him to a wheelchair; his limbs are paralysed.

Innovative ways

But this apparent setback has not dampened the teenager’s gusto and energy for life, which have seen him conjure up innovative ways to do daily chores.

“As part of his road to self-reliance, Simon painstakingly taught himself how to use his mouth to perform numerous chores,” Henry Konga, a teacher at his school recalls.

“He accepted his disability at the age of nine. That was instrumental in his rehabilitation.” Although he is behind his peers in his studies, Simon’s desire to learn is evident.

He jots down digits in his arithmetic book using a pencil held firmly between his teeth. He performs the feat with a skill that can only be born of practice.

After the death of his father when he was toddler, Simon’s mother, who is jobless, could not provide for his special needs, hence he had to move around several schools, in many of which he was mistreated.

It was while doing the rounds in these institutions that he met Mr Konga at a special school in Kahawa West, Nairobi.

The teacher and pupil struck a rapport, and when Ongata Rongai Special School opened its doors early last year, Simon was among the first to be enrolled at the school where Mr Konga is also a director.

Besides his amazing ability to use his mouth in ways that few can, the friendly boy is also a trendy teen.

He dons an earring. But given the raging debate that the Chief Justice nominee Dr Willy Mutunga’s stud has generated, he young man sought to explain:

“I saw my friends doing it and I thought it was cool. I looked for some money and pierced my ear too. Coach also has an earring, so being my role model, mentor and sponsor I am inspired to be like him.”

“Coach” refers to Peak Performance managing director James Gitau, who doubles as Simon’s mentor and close friend.

Simon also has a phone but due to the fact that he uses a sharpened mouth-held pencil to punch the numbers, the key pad is in tatters.

“I pray that one day I will get a touch screen that wouldn’t be destroyed by the pencil so that I can network with friends and family more easily whenever I have an issue,” he says.

The fact that the boy mentions the word “pray” is no coincidence because as Mr Konga explains, Simon is also very religious.

Besides putting pressure on the school’s director to take him and the others to church every Sunday, the teacher says many are the days that up to three hours before going to sleep, he prays for his family, fellow students, the school and the country.

“Taking the students to church, which is 500 meters away, takes about two hours since we have to ferry them one by one using the only wheelchair that the school owns,” the director says.

“But the sad and gloomy mood that clouds the faces of these children when I am unable to take them to church always compels me to try my best,” he says.

Mr Konga’s efforts to procure additional wheelchairs from various donor agencies have been unfruitful. A good wheelchair goes for Sh20,000 or more.

Simon is also an ardent fan of English football; he supports Chelsea, confirmed by the relative ease with which he mentions the club players like Drogba, Lampard and goalkeeper Cesc.

“I would like to be a journalist writing stories for newspapers,” he concludes with a never-say-die expression etched on his face.

Pyeongchang Favored for City of Hosting 2018 Winter Olympics

Pyeongchang was judged to have a higher possibility to win its bid to host the Winter Olympics in 2018 than Annecy, France or Munich, Austria, following the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Evaluation Commission visit, according to a report released by GamesBids.com.

Pyeongchang scored higher than its rivals in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games BidIndex released by GamesBids.com at SportAccord in London last week.

According to GamesBids’ reckoning, Pyeongchang recorded a total of 64.99 points, up 2.59 points from January. Munich went up 0.66 points to 62.31 points and Annecy dropped 2.26 points to 52.77.

“High levels of public support along with complete government backing and solid sponsorships continue to propel the South Korean bid from PyeongChang,” GamesBids said in the report. GamesBids also called the city’s geography “favorable” since it has been almost 20 years since the Winter Games were last held in Asia and that Pyeongchang’s previous two bids were a “positive factor.”

According to the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Bid Committee, the city also took the top spot in GamesBids’ index four years ago. The city is determined to keep campaigning until the IOC announces the final winner in Durban, South Africa, in July.