That first picture is of me and Asya, one of the cutest kids in the class. She's a bit more advanced than the rest of the kids, and so well behaved too!! Well behaved kids are one in a million around here.
The second picture is from Ester's house in a little village called Amboni. They swarmed us.
The third picture is me singing 5 Little Speckled Frogs, a favorite with the little ones. To do the song, 5 little kids start on the table. Then teacher sings about how they sat on a speckled log, eating the most delicious grubs (I believe thats the motion I'm completing in this photo). One jumps into the pool (a kid is carried, spun and dropped on the floor), then there are 4 green speckled frogs (ONE TWO THREE FOUR!!) and so on. A tiring, but pleasantly time-consuming song. I think my arms are sore from it. I'm not made for that kind of lifting.
Today was finally a great day. We got a batch of new volunteers in this weekend, a couple Americans even. Just one is a teacher though. It has been a frustrating weekend to say the least. Kieran is the new in-country cordinator and i-to-i is trying to readjust some of the programs so they work more efficiently. This is a great thing, except for the fact that the volunteers have not yet been consulted or even told about changes until after they happen. Even better, the changes they make have little or no logic. For example, they took all the chairs out of Jenny's class, supposedly because they are 3 years old and don't need desks. The problem there is that when they sit on mats, they don't actually sit. They roll... and kick.. and punch.. and hit... and do just about everything but sit. Moreover, the afternoon adult class that meets in there (now me) has over 30 students in it! Where the heck are they supposed to sit!? Other problems include but are not limited to: Caronline's class of disabled children (already prone to running away) don't have a door to their class or even enough room to sit down, There are not enough teachers already, why are they creating another class?!
We're having a meeting tomorrow to work all these kinks out though, don't worry. If there's one thing I've learned here, its that everything runs slowly, just deal with it. Time means nothing.
2 comments:
Kami!!!
It's Heather! I am so slow, but don't worry, I caught up on your blog today. I read every single entry. I can't believe you live in Africa, Ms. World Traveler. Sounds like you're having a great time. Those kids are ADORABLE, I want to squeeze them! You tell them I said that, they'll be relieved that I didn't come with you. How are things with Jenny? Do you see her much? You ended up in kind of a nice place, except for the cold shower situation. I bet it feels good sometimes though, after all the heat! I'm sure the community bathroom and common area idea bring you right back to the DT days. The people surrounding you are just a bit different, though! So I resent that you only miss your family, but if it helps, I don't miss you hardly at all. Just every night when I cry myself to sleep or every time I watch The OC with only two people in the LoveSac, that's all. I'm getting by just fine, thanks! So Kelsey is pregnant? Congrats to her!! Anyway, I'll be in touch much more often, because I got way too behind on the blog thing. I love all of your messages, it's making the Africa thing a reality. Keep having fun, and I want more pictures!
Heather
Kami,
I'll echo what Heather said above. I've been reading along for some time now, but haven't emailed you since you apparently don't miss me :) This blog is making me so jealous though! It reminds me of my awesome trip last summer to India. Don't miss the little luxuries of home--enjoy the simple African life while you can!
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