Last week was a big blur of school, which is going really well, I'm so proud of my kids. It makes me happy when you have a kid who usually doesn't understand anything get 7/7 in your exercise :) The marbles were working well, I just had to take them out of my desk and the class was silent within a minute, last week, but not so much today when my English class went nuts and wouldn't shut up. I've also picked up some more lessons; I'm doing Standard 4 and 5 maths regularly now as well which is awesome as maths is really easy to teach.
Annie and I also visited a new orphanage last week, one for babies between 3 months and 3 years old. It was SO cute, they all clung to you and wanted to be picked up and played with as soon as you arrived. It was a really wealthy looking orphanage for usual standards, which surprised me - it was in an enormous beautiful house with such cute little tables with multicoloured chairs set out like a tea-party for their dinner! Hopefully I'll go again sometime but I seem to have no time anymore - everyday I go to school from 8am until 1ish, then into town for lunch, then spend the afternoon at the orphanage or preparing for the next day's lessons.
The weekend was awesome and horrible at the same time. On Friday we had the leaving party for Rebecca, Amy and Lorna and each household had to dress up as a country. Annie, Rebecca and I chose America as Rebecca already had an interesting pair of 'shorts' from the second-hand-market in American colours, and so I went dressed in a red t-shirt, painted with white stars in tipex, and each of us in very attractive white hats with the American flag drawn on them.
We spent most of the evening at Eunice's house, a friend of ours, just generally being stupid and messing around, until our HEADMASTER from school arrived, a 'surprise' for Rebecca, as she was leaving. WE HATE OUR HEADMASTER. He's always really unfriendly and patronising to us at school, and the evening just confirmed that he is a man to be avoided. URGH.Anyway, the evening was still really awesome and we have some hilarious photos (I am resolutely not untagging them on facebook because I love them despite the fact that some are pretty awful - BLAME REBECCA for that). BUT, by the next morning, everything was sad and nasty as the reason for a leaving party is obviously that people are leaving.
So, on Sunday morning, all the volunteers went for a final meal at Taidys, the first place we all ate together in Nakuru, and then trooped to the shuttle station to say an extremely sad goodbye to Rebecca, Lorna and Amy. We all cried and the Kenyans all stared at us. We ate a hell of a lot of comfort food in front of a film at Karanja's house, and then Annie and I went home to see the room SO HORRIBLY TIDY due to the lack of Rebecca's stuff.
The last few days, other than the absence of Rebecca, have been quite nice. The kids at school have (mainly) been lovely; everyday we walk with our standard three girls to the road to get a matatu and give them all giant hugs before we go. They love it, and so do I :) Oh and we went to Ann's house (one of the standard threes) and met her cow! We got stuck at the orphanage during a giant thunderstorm the other day which was pretty nice actually as we played clapping games and sang with the kids for ages. Then yesterday I went to Pistis, a different orphanage, which was awesome but crazy, the kids just swarmed me and basically stole all the wool I'd brought for them to make bracelets. There are a lot more children there, about 150 at the orphanage and tons more at the school it's attached to, and lots of older kids who are really interesting to talk to.
Anyway, this is getting pretty long, so to sum up: school is good. Orphanage is good. Absence of Rebecca is very sad and I miss her a hell of a lot as I spent nearly 24 hours a day with her for four months. Rain is bad. Need more jumpers.
1 comment:
I would just like to say that that jumper you want is in my room as you were going to give it away =o
Ilanaa xx
Post a Comment