Sunrise

It's 6am and we are all awake. Outside the kitchen window the sun is spilling over the distant mountains. Lila and Uma's bags are ready, waiting at the door, their clothes laid out on the end of their beds. Today they are going to school in Iten.

Last Friday we all went to visit Sunrise Academy, a church-sponsored primary school that Maureen, Brenda and Hilda, our neighbours' children, go to. We were given a tour of the school and an enthusiastic welcome from the children, and arranged that Lila and Uma would come and spend a day or two in the class of their friends.

Perhaps their welcome was too enthusiastic, because now Lila is saying she doesn't want to go. She tells me she's scared. Scared of hundreds of pairs of eyes staring at her, hundreds of curious hands wanting to touch her, and of the noise of hundreds of shouting, laughing, overexcited children.

We arrive just after 7.30am, but most of the children are already in school. A few late-comers, who can't be more than three or four years old, run in behind us, wide eyed at the sight of these strangers. We walk over to the staffroom and greet the Deputy Head. He is seated in his office, a bare room with two simple wooden tables piled with paperwork and marking, a couple of white plastic chairs, a timetable stuck to the wall.

Hilda and Maureen come to take Lila and Uma to their classroom to prepare for assembly. Uma runs off with them, arm in arm with Hilda. Lila wont let go of my hand. She starts to cry. The Head Teacher, Henry, comes over, and puts his hand on Lila's shoulder. "It is normal" he says, "it is a new experience for her". Lila decides to wait with Ossian and I until after assembly, which is taking place on the grass square in front of the staffroom.

We are brought a chair and sit down to wait. Ossian wanders up and down the veranda picking up stones and throwing them onto the grass. Lila sits on my lap. From behind closed classroom doors comes the sound of chattering, laughter, bustling energy. The doors burst open and children parade out onto the pathways. The square in front of us is filling up quickly as they organise themselves into rows. I spot Uma, a big grin on her face, holding the hands of Hilda and Maureen. She disappears into a row of children, her head lost behind the row in front.

The entire school is now gathered in front of us, facing the veranda where we are waiting with the teachers. The youngest class of three and four year olds stand at the front, dressed in winter coats, their hoods pulled up over woolly hats. The strong morning sun shines in our eyes, it feels hot already.

A group of eight older children march out in front of the assembly, following orders shouted to them by another child. In military style they turn on their heals and salute the assembly. One of the group steps forward and raises the flag, everyone starts to sing, lead by two tall girls. The group salutes again and swivel on their heals to leave, marching off down the path.

Henry is addressing the children. Ossian starts to cry, the sun is too bright for him. As I carry him into the shade of the staffroom I catch a few words of Henry's talk. He is telling the children that we are all the same, that there is no difference between us. I wonder if this is for Lila's sake, to try and calm the children's overexcited behaviour at the sight of two little blond girls in their class.

Assembly is over, the children file out of the square and back to their classrooms. Uma reappears, still grinning. The sight of her seems to cheer Lila up, and she runs over and joins in the line behind Uma, glancing back to make sure Ossian and I are still there. We follow them into the classroom, a corrugated metal building with no windows, light streaming in from the gap between the walls and the roof. Pairs of wooden desks are arranged in rows, facing a large blackboard. Handmade posters are stuck on the walls.

Uma is sitting down at a pair of desks, squeezed onto the bench between two children. She is busy unpacking her bags. Maureen motions for Lila to come and sit down next to her, a small crowd gathers around as Maureen helps Lila to put her things inside the desk. A shout goes up that Teacher is coming, and the crowd disperses to find their desks. Lila seems to be OK now, so Ossian and I wave goodbye to the class and walk home.