6/15/2010
Today has been a great day. The children are really responding well to therapy. The children in Haven 1 receive language enrichment during yard activities and then transition in for “tea time.” The older children are no longer drinking from bottles. We have taken the bottle tops off and have them drinking from it as if it were a cup. At first they would spill the tea or juice everywhere and the Aunties would be upset. Now they are sitting on the bench and drinking all of their tea without spilling:) (with the help of smarties as a treat). After tea time we call them over for school. We have separated them into two groups. Each group goes to separate ends of the porch. They are beginning to do a better job of waiting for their name to be called. After their name is called they go and get a chair and set it in the designated space. We have organized it so that the back of their chairs are up against the wall in a v shape formation. The children are responding well to the tasks and are more interested in participating. We are hearing more verbalizations, seeing more imitations and they are beginning to follow more simple directions involved in the activity. Initially when we got started they sat on the floor and had a difficult time concentrating. Now they are in the school routine. They are waiting their turn, singing the songs and doing the movements that go along with the songs. We have observed a lot of growth. I have video showing their performance.
The children in Haven 2 are also broken up into two groups. We have the younger children at the table for class and the older children in their standers on the floor. I can’t tell you how much more cooing, babbling and imitations we are seeing. Even their facial expressions are different. These have always been fantastic children, but it is great to see the amount of meaningful interaction. The Aunties are taking part during the activities when they can too!
The children in Haven 3 are remarkable. We have separated them into 3 groups and the growth is amazing. As I said in a previous blog, these children have a long of spirit, personality and energy. They are following the lessons, smiling, interacting, clapping, saying they want more, singing and dancing. The younger group is amazing too.
I am so happy that I have the opportunity to work with such wonderful children. They are amazing in sooo many ways. When they smile, I smile. When they laugh, I laugh. My day is filled with songs, hugs, laughter, smiles and a million and one learning experiences. There is always something new to see inside of them. In spite of whatever they have been through they are full of life and energy. I am sooo very glad that I have the opportunity to play a part in their language enrichment.
I have to share that last week on Thursday instead of going to the Havens I went to the primary school. The school here starts at 7:30am. Chapel is at 7:15am. Many of the children that live farther away must leave their homes at 5:45 or 6:00am to walk to school. There are different times of day that school starts but I must get more information about that this week. Harriett, one of the teachers and my new friend, told me everything but I was somewhat confused. Between trying to understand her English and understand their customs it was difficult to make out exactly what she was saying. I did understand that during the rainy season more children have to leave up to 2 hours early to walk to school. For this reason many do not come to school during the rainy season. It is quite difficult if there is flooding and they have to take another route.
I went to Harriet’s grade 7 class first. Upon entering the room all of the children stand up and say “Good morning Madame.” After you say good morning to them and ask how they are doing. In one voice they say they are fine and ask about how you are. When you say you are well they sit down and you begin class. This happened each time I entered the room of a classroom. The children are very respectful. I did hear a couple of snickers and laughter because they are getting used to seeing a new face.
The classrooms are very different from what you would see in the US. There are cement walls half painted. These walls are not flat and even as one would generally see. The window may or may not be broken too. It is very cold in the morning so if the windows are broken this makes for an interesting learning environment. The children do not seem to mind. In the US we are accustomed to white boards and dry erase markers. Here there are old chalk boards and chalk that falls apart if you write too hard. The children write with pens. One of the children was trying to fix his pen in order to get it to write. He had taken it apart, pressed it (amongst other things) and put it back together. By the time he was finished he had ink all over his hands. That was all he had to write with. Their notebooks are made from what looks like recycled paper and bound by hand to make a notebook. The children do not sharpen pencils with a pencil sharpener but use a razor blade. If there is a lesson in math they are called to the board as a group so that they can learn and see the lesson. There is no projector, etc. The sentences in their workbook consist of the following: 1. “I will immunize your baby against polio,” said the nurse to Mrs. Bendu. Even their subject matter is different.
Math is called numeracy. Instead of writing the date 6/15/2010 it is written 15/6/10. Upon entering the preschool room, you see the word “preschool” written in chalk on the outside of the door. I wire hanger is used to lock the door. A rooster runs across the way and a cock a doodle doo is heard literally every 2 minutes. The alphabet is written on notebook paper. A on one sheet with an apple drawn on underneath in crayon and so forth. The alphabet is hung above the board same as in the US. Y is for Yatch here though. The numbers are written on the board. The teacher used rocks, sticks, pencils, pens and leaves to teach counting. Each child had to come up and count the items and tell how many were there. The teacher kept their notebooks and passed them out during class. Before passing them out she had to write the letter /p/ in each notebook for a tracing activity. She had to do this by hand for each one of them and then give it to them so they could practice tracing the letter /p/…Did I say for each one of them?
There is a fire pit outside of the school. You put your trash here and then it is set on fire later. After preschool I went next door to grade 9. They are learning Nutrition. In nutrition they are learning how to prepare food for frying and food for grilling. How hot should your grease be? How do you know how hot it is? Is it better to fry chicken or grill chicken? It was very interesting to listen to.
I am preparing to go back to school on Thursday of this week. I am really excited about it. I am not telling you about the school here so you can feel sorry for the students. Each classroom is one filled with manners, joy and positivity. The teachers were not stressed and neither were the children. It was good to see though because I am mindful of what things they can use that we throw away or take for granted. A pencil sharpener like we used to use in class. A simple notebook. Alphabet letters to hang above the board and such. Classroom materials.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
A shooting star
I saw a shooting star last night. I saw the Milky Way last night (I would love to eat a Milky Way right now). I saw Saturn last night. The constellations here are amazing. I went outside to see if I could talk to Tony and had a bit of trouble getting through. I ended up talking to Webster, our night watchman for a while. It was really nice. He told me about his wife and his two children (a boy and a girl). He told me that when he saw his (now) wife that he knew he would marry her. First he asked around to see if she was loving anyone. Then he found out where she lived and went to talk to her brothers in the yard. He talked to her brothers several times before he made his intentions known. Once he inquired about their sister, the brothers told him that he could not talk to her until he proved that he was serious. So he came back repeatedly to warm chatter the brothers. They soon saw that he was serious and allowed him to talk to their sister. He talked to her three time and then decided they would marry. He asked me the US marital customs and told me about theirs. It was so neat talking to him. It sometimes hits me out of the blue……it being…..you are in Africa talking to Webster your night watchman, under the milky way, with Saturn across the street:) Neat…..Then while he was talking….wait…… Webster….sorry to interrupt but I just saw a star shoot across the sky so I can’t concentrate on what you are saying anymore!!! Once I composed myself and told everyone what I just saw, I returned to finish my conversation with Webster. Webster and I sat in front of a small pan of hot coals and talked about how men go see the father and offer a dowry. Yes, a dowry. Great idea. Why don’t we still do this in the US? By the way, Webster had no idea what I was talking about when I asked if he heard of jumping the broom. He did however look off longingly into the night air with a smile on his face and say, “I love her” (speak with an African accent). He spoke so well of his wife Ellah. He said that he loved her many times and repeated her name over and over. Ellah…Ellah….(speak with an African accent again) They have been married for six years and he still looks like he just saw her….. So I left Webster to night dream about Ellah and then went to see if I could talk to the one who makes me look longingly into space and smile:)
The day was full of mixed emotions. When we walked to the Haven for morning therapy we discovered that Kelly did not make it. We cried, said a prayer and then walked immediately to play with the kids. I could have cried for a long time but I did not want to. The kids did not know what happened and they were so happy to see us. Bright always calls my name from across the playground. “Marja!” Then he says nothing. I just think he likes saying my name. Later we found out that the burial would be at 2:30. They do not call them funerals here. They bury the children as soon as possible.
After therapy we left for lunch then put on shatangi and went to the funeral. It did take us a minute to get there because we had to drive Red Fred instead of Khaki Jackie. Red Fred didn’t want to cooperate and stalled out several times. Pretty funny trying to get to a burial and stalling out many times on the way. The burial did not start on time but it was all good because we got a chance to play with the babies and talk to Mrs. Merritt, the owner of the Haven and Eric’s house. Then the truck drove up with Kelly’s family. They climbed out of the back and then there it was…a tiny wooden coffin. We quietly walked behind Haven 2 to the burial ground. The women sang songs in Tonga on the way there. The burial was in Tonga so I did not understand what was said. They did give us the opportunity to see her before she was buried. She looked so peaceful. It was as if she fell asleep. Sweet Kelly. I know that God does not make mistakes and I was glad that she was at peace. My eyes were cloudy with tears but none fell. I heard sniffles from the girls and Be Weave (Dr. Weaver) behind me. Some of the aunties shed tears as well. Prayers were said then the nails were nailed. The women sang. They put Kelly in the ground and put several small branches on top. Then the men took turns shoveling the dirt into the hole. The women sang and we walked back to the Havens.
Yesterday was Ian’s birthday (Dr. Tullos’ new 13 year old) so we decided not to tell him about Kelly so that he could enjoy his day. Mrs. Hamby thought that it would be a great idea to go to Jordan’s rock to roast hot dogs over a campfire. She bought these huuuuuge avocados and the girls made guacamole and took nachos. Jordan’s rock is in the bush. It is a set of rocks that are reminiscent of the Lion King. We watched a beautiful African sunset, roasted hotdogs and laughed. The area looked like you would misc. see a zebra or lion walking around. Hey lion how’s it going? Hey zebra what’s going on? I looked out and just thanked God. He is sooo amazing. Soooo we really did play the Lion King song and Dan did pick Ian up like Simba. It was cute. I love it here.
We left once the skitas started coming out because we def. didn’t want to catch the malaria. After leaving the bush is when I went out to the porch to star gaze and talk to Tony…..ahhh Tony (say in a southern accent) lol….Great end to an eventful day.
The day was full of mixed emotions. When we walked to the Haven for morning therapy we discovered that Kelly did not make it. We cried, said a prayer and then walked immediately to play with the kids. I could have cried for a long time but I did not want to. The kids did not know what happened and they were so happy to see us. Bright always calls my name from across the playground. “Marja!” Then he says nothing. I just think he likes saying my name. Later we found out that the burial would be at 2:30. They do not call them funerals here. They bury the children as soon as possible.
After therapy we left for lunch then put on shatangi and went to the funeral. It did take us a minute to get there because we had to drive Red Fred instead of Khaki Jackie. Red Fred didn’t want to cooperate and stalled out several times. Pretty funny trying to get to a burial and stalling out many times on the way. The burial did not start on time but it was all good because we got a chance to play with the babies and talk to Mrs. Merritt, the owner of the Haven and Eric’s house. Then the truck drove up with Kelly’s family. They climbed out of the back and then there it was…a tiny wooden coffin. We quietly walked behind Haven 2 to the burial ground. The women sang songs in Tonga on the way there. The burial was in Tonga so I did not understand what was said. They did give us the opportunity to see her before she was buried. She looked so peaceful. It was as if she fell asleep. Sweet Kelly. I know that God does not make mistakes and I was glad that she was at peace. My eyes were cloudy with tears but none fell. I heard sniffles from the girls and Be Weave (Dr. Weaver) behind me. Some of the aunties shed tears as well. Prayers were said then the nails were nailed. The women sang. They put Kelly in the ground and put several small branches on top. Then the men took turns shoveling the dirt into the hole. The women sang and we walked back to the Havens.
Yesterday was Ian’s birthday (Dr. Tullos’ new 13 year old) so we decided not to tell him about Kelly so that he could enjoy his day. Mrs. Hamby thought that it would be a great idea to go to Jordan’s rock to roast hot dogs over a campfire. She bought these huuuuuge avocados and the girls made guacamole and took nachos. Jordan’s rock is in the bush. It is a set of rocks that are reminiscent of the Lion King. We watched a beautiful African sunset, roasted hotdogs and laughed. The area looked like you would misc. see a zebra or lion walking around. Hey lion how’s it going? Hey zebra what’s going on? I looked out and just thanked God. He is sooo amazing. Soooo we really did play the Lion King song and Dan did pick Ian up like Simba. It was cute. I love it here.
We left once the skitas started coming out because we def. didn’t want to catch the malaria. After leaving the bush is when I went out to the porch to star gaze and talk to Tony…..ahhh Tony (say in a southern accent) lol….Great end to an eventful day.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Two more weeks of therapy!
6/4/2010
We had a great week of therapy with the kids. Yesterday I blew bubbles for them and they totally loved it. Doesn’t everyone like bubbles? Except you might want to watch out for flying milk bottles when you blow them. Why you may ask? Well, because Grenda (roll the tongue) will try to make sure they pop by throwing her milk bottle as fast as she can (which is full of milk and very heavy I might add). Four year olds don’t have good aim. Four year olds aim for your head when trying to aim for bubbles. I am so glad that I am aware of my surroundings because Grenda misc. walked by and threw the bottle twice with no forewarning. Actually there were three children that I blew bubbles for and they stepped over, kicked, pushed, poked and hit each other as they tried to pop the bubbles. I would have stopped but the injuries didn’t stop the fun!!! There was still laughter and smiles mixed in with ouches, ooo’s and ahhh’s.
Nothing stops the kids here. Not much stops anyone here. Today we went to Kolomo to the market. Kolomo is about a 20-25 minute drive from the Namwianga mission give or take (10-15 you spend on a dirt road leading to the main road). On the way back when we turned onto the dirt road we saw a young man walking with a bucket. He started to run after “Khaki Jackie”, our Land Cruiser, so we stopped readjusted and picked him up (13 people in Khaki Jackie). Well turns out this young man’s name is Francis and he is blind. He goes to the school at Namwianga and is one of Dr. Tullos’ new students. Francis walked all the way from the mission to Kolomo because he needed a bucket to put water in. Wow. Remember how I said that it is about a 25 minute drive? Francis spoke of his walk as if he was going right up the street.
Being here has allowed me to see and experience many wonderful things. I am so glad that we met Francis. He was not sad. He was not was not bothered that he had to walk to Kolomo. He was very appreciative and upbeat. He smiled and laughed with us. Meeting him was a blessing.
Our night watchman Webster lives in Kolomo. He rides his bike to our house every night. It is a thirty minute bike ride. No worries. No problem. Great guy. The other night we came back from singing practice and Webster was standing in the yard. We couldn’t see him and then he started talking to us. “Webster what are you doing trying to scare us to death?” It was hilarious. Webster said he likes to lurk in the shadows just in case something happens or needs to happen. He mainly watches our house so that wild animals don’t try to get in. Last year an elephant came into Namwianga and had to be shooed away. Not every day that happens in the US right? We have to mainly watch out for the snakes. Black Mamba is prevalent here (and I don’t mean Kobe Bryant).
Sidebar: Tony told me that the Lakers made it to the playoffs, Blanche from Golden Girls died (tear Larissa!!!! Why, Why, Why), Gary Coleman died (what?), oil is still spilling into the ocean and that the new healthcare hasn’t started yet:)
And I am back….Two cobras have been caught and killed. If we use the solar warmed showers we have to make sure we check them for snakes before.
I mentioned that we went to singing practice. Well, one night after blogging I heard African singing in the night air so we went to check it out. Now we are invited every time. The group is called Helping Hands. Three of us go and we mainly stand up with them and smile. It is really nice. They sound just like what you hear in movies, etc. Call and response is amazing. After practice they asked us our “physical being”. Physical being defined: whether or not you are single, have a boyfriend, married or have children. Also, the men here don’t ask you for your digits or telephone number. They ask you for your “details”. When they want to get to know you they say that they would like to speak intellectually with you. Um…there will be no intellectual talk here.…..wait…not that I can’t….but I won’t….lol
We had a great time at the market today. I think the people are getting used to seeing us. They called out Macua (we have an outdoor cat named Macua) several times thinking that we didn’t know what that meant. Macua means “white” or “European”. Catherine our Native American student was offended:( I however am still called “Sista”. Ahhhh Sista you are back! Where are you from? You look like you are (tonga word). I think he was saying that I look like I am black but not really. Now I know what it feels like to be Halle Berry or Mariah Carey. Not white but not quite African either. I never had a problem knowing that I was black but now I am not quite so sure about my “blackness” :) They also called me the Black American. It should be noted that when passing a group of children one gasped for air when he saw Catherine. Funny!!! It was like he had seen a ghost. Other children ran after us and playfully laughed.
The Zambian community is very friendly. The country does not seem foreign to me anymore. Mr. Calloway tends his garden in the morning and always says hello. Mrs. Mono says to come by anytime. Anyone you pass responds “Hello Madame” when you say hello. Lovely place to live.
After work I spend forty-five minutes laying in the sun on the front porch clearing my mind of everything. I listen to my ipod and just smile on the inside and on the outside. I am sooo happy to be here. The Haven children are great to work with and so are the graduate students. We had a scare with one of the infants this week. Sidney’s (twin to Shelby) breathing was so labored. It was like nothing we had ever heard. Turns out she was having an asthma attack and has a touch of pneumonia I think. Now we have to be in prayer for Kelly. Kelly (twin to Kelsey) is one of the infants in Haven 1 who is now in the woods. I had her in the Shatangi on Friday and knew that she wasn’t feeling well at all. Hopefully we will know more on Monday about her well-being.
Two more weeks to go working at the orphanages then we go to Botswana for a safari and to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls in the light of day. Before hand we have to go see the Dragon lady to get more time added to our visas……Until next time.
We had a great week of therapy with the kids. Yesterday I blew bubbles for them and they totally loved it. Doesn’t everyone like bubbles? Except you might want to watch out for flying milk bottles when you blow them. Why you may ask? Well, because Grenda (roll the tongue) will try to make sure they pop by throwing her milk bottle as fast as she can (which is full of milk and very heavy I might add). Four year olds don’t have good aim. Four year olds aim for your head when trying to aim for bubbles. I am so glad that I am aware of my surroundings because Grenda misc. walked by and threw the bottle twice with no forewarning. Actually there were three children that I blew bubbles for and they stepped over, kicked, pushed, poked and hit each other as they tried to pop the bubbles. I would have stopped but the injuries didn’t stop the fun!!! There was still laughter and smiles mixed in with ouches, ooo’s and ahhh’s.
Nothing stops the kids here. Not much stops anyone here. Today we went to Kolomo to the market. Kolomo is about a 20-25 minute drive from the Namwianga mission give or take (10-15 you spend on a dirt road leading to the main road). On the way back when we turned onto the dirt road we saw a young man walking with a bucket. He started to run after “Khaki Jackie”, our Land Cruiser, so we stopped readjusted and picked him up (13 people in Khaki Jackie). Well turns out this young man’s name is Francis and he is blind. He goes to the school at Namwianga and is one of Dr. Tullos’ new students. Francis walked all the way from the mission to Kolomo because he needed a bucket to put water in. Wow. Remember how I said that it is about a 25 minute drive? Francis spoke of his walk as if he was going right up the street.
Being here has allowed me to see and experience many wonderful things. I am so glad that we met Francis. He was not sad. He was not was not bothered that he had to walk to Kolomo. He was very appreciative and upbeat. He smiled and laughed with us. Meeting him was a blessing.
Our night watchman Webster lives in Kolomo. He rides his bike to our house every night. It is a thirty minute bike ride. No worries. No problem. Great guy. The other night we came back from singing practice and Webster was standing in the yard. We couldn’t see him and then he started talking to us. “Webster what are you doing trying to scare us to death?” It was hilarious. Webster said he likes to lurk in the shadows just in case something happens or needs to happen. He mainly watches our house so that wild animals don’t try to get in. Last year an elephant came into Namwianga and had to be shooed away. Not every day that happens in the US right? We have to mainly watch out for the snakes. Black Mamba is prevalent here (and I don’t mean Kobe Bryant).
Sidebar: Tony told me that the Lakers made it to the playoffs, Blanche from Golden Girls died (tear Larissa!!!! Why, Why, Why), Gary Coleman died (what?), oil is still spilling into the ocean and that the new healthcare hasn’t started yet:)
And I am back….Two cobras have been caught and killed. If we use the solar warmed showers we have to make sure we check them for snakes before.
I mentioned that we went to singing practice. Well, one night after blogging I heard African singing in the night air so we went to check it out. Now we are invited every time. The group is called Helping Hands. Three of us go and we mainly stand up with them and smile. It is really nice. They sound just like what you hear in movies, etc. Call and response is amazing. After practice they asked us our “physical being”. Physical being defined: whether or not you are single, have a boyfriend, married or have children. Also, the men here don’t ask you for your digits or telephone number. They ask you for your “details”. When they want to get to know you they say that they would like to speak intellectually with you. Um…there will be no intellectual talk here.…..wait…not that I can’t….but I won’t….lol
We had a great time at the market today. I think the people are getting used to seeing us. They called out Macua (we have an outdoor cat named Macua) several times thinking that we didn’t know what that meant. Macua means “white” or “European”. Catherine our Native American student was offended:( I however am still called “Sista”. Ahhhh Sista you are back! Where are you from? You look like you are (tonga word). I think he was saying that I look like I am black but not really. Now I know what it feels like to be Halle Berry or Mariah Carey. Not white but not quite African either. I never had a problem knowing that I was black but now I am not quite so sure about my “blackness” :) They also called me the Black American. It should be noted that when passing a group of children one gasped for air when he saw Catherine. Funny!!! It was like he had seen a ghost. Other children ran after us and playfully laughed.
The Zambian community is very friendly. The country does not seem foreign to me anymore. Mr. Calloway tends his garden in the morning and always says hello. Mrs. Mono says to come by anytime. Anyone you pass responds “Hello Madame” when you say hello. Lovely place to live.
After work I spend forty-five minutes laying in the sun on the front porch clearing my mind of everything. I listen to my ipod and just smile on the inside and on the outside. I am sooo happy to be here. The Haven children are great to work with and so are the graduate students. We had a scare with one of the infants this week. Sidney’s (twin to Shelby) breathing was so labored. It was like nothing we had ever heard. Turns out she was having an asthma attack and has a touch of pneumonia I think. Now we have to be in prayer for Kelly. Kelly (twin to Kelsey) is one of the infants in Haven 1 who is now in the woods. I had her in the Shatangi on Friday and knew that she wasn’t feeling well at all. Hopefully we will know more on Monday about her well-being.
Two more weeks to go working at the orphanages then we go to Botswana for a safari and to Livingstone to see Victoria Falls in the light of day. Before hand we have to go see the Dragon lady to get more time added to our visas……Until next time.
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