February 6th - 7th

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Thursday, I worked with the Momma who prepares the food for the nursery. I wake early and ride with the driver to pick up the first set of children. Then after breakfast, I walk with Jacob to the nursery. Always we start by handing out cups of porridge. Then we fill large tubs with water and crouch on the ground washing the cups, rinsing and returning them wet. I have seen no towels or dry clothes anywhere, everyone just drip dries. The meal today is rice and vegetables, which takes a while to prepare. The vegetables are piles and piles of leaves like chard and bokchoy. We gather them in our hand in a tight bundle and then slice across their ends in narrow slices. Again we are crouched on the ground over a big pot; there are no cutting boards and there wouldn't be space to cut that much kale on a counter here anyway. We fine slice onions and tomatoes, and then grate carrots. This will be all cooked down by the momma with lots of salt and oil. I help with the pre primer (oldest) class again, before serving 100 and some bowls of rice and vegetable. Then it is the race to wash all the bowls in time, so that I can help some of the older ones do their homework before they leave. Every child gets homework everyday. My back and legs will be strong when I leave here.

Jacob and I must travel on the dala dala alone today. We are going to town, to the Projects Abroad offices to take an introductory language culture class. The teacher is able to clearly explain the protocols in greetings, why responding is so important and how much respect plays a part in this culture. You do not start your business right away, you must ask about a person's day, children, work. You address elders with a certain phrase and if I am addressed in that manner I must respond with a blessing. We were with about 10 others. The other volunteers are in their 20s or at most early 30s, so Jacob and I are somewhat out of sync, but everyone is very welcoming particularly because Jacob is so young.

Friday, I go with Catriona to a boarding school. This is a very large complex with nine hundred students coming to school each day, although not all of them board there. The school is well built with lots of beautiful teaching paintings on all the walls. The bunk houses have bunk beds three high, but everyone has a bug net and a metal trunk for belongings under the bed. The students here are paid for by some families, but are mainly sponsored by foreigners. They are often orphans from AIDS or from families so poor their children were malnourished. These students are almost the same age range as the nursery that I teach in. Here, they have their own chair and space at a table. They have room to squirm, and breath. There is even a playground with sand box and slides for the littlest ones. The children look happy and very healthy. This would be a good organization to connect with if anyone wanted to sponsor a child, you would know that your help was going directly to a child. We brought Chili with us so that she could visit with her two brothers. She only sees them at holidays every three or four months. Her mother cares well for her so she comes to our school and lives at home, but her brothers are from different mothers and were slowly dying in the home. Now, they are growing and developing although several years behind the others at their school. We got back in time to serve lunch and wash dishes. I didn't have to do the late run driving the children home so my day was over at 1:30. We spent the afternoon reading and Jacob doing homework. It has been an eye opening week.

Good Night and Sweet Dreams

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