African Union Day:

African Union Day:

Today there was no school due to a holiday that was put in place only a few years ago that no one really knows much about or celebrates in the town we are in, at least. We were able to sleep in until around 730 and then have breakfast. Unfortunately the cook is away due to a death in her family until Monday so our eggs were not so good and they had no veggies as they usually do.

Our intentions for the day were to walk into town and see a few things as well as pick up a couple items the orphanage and school needed, but the weather had different plans as it seems to have often…. It started to rain as soon as we got into town and we were getting quite wet. Visiting a sewing store to get some supplies for the children’s sewing class and finding a local store for each of us to buy some crackers to have as snacks at the hotel was all we accomplished. The crackers are so yummy; some sort of milk/malt thing. Once the rain started to really fall we called Godwin (the very kind and funny man who has been driving us around while we are here) and he was there as soon as the phone had hung up… but not alone. In the back seat was a woman with a baby on her back (it is amazing how the women here wrap the babysit in sitting position with fabric right onto their back and the child just hangs/ clings on without falling out) This women and her adorable maybe 6 month old baby were going to the hospital though I don’t know for what. We accompanied her on her ride and then Godwin brought us back to the hotel.

Even though there was no school today we were still able to visit the children after the rain had stopped to play some soccer and enjoy each other’s company. We were also supposed to watch them in their sewing class that was SUPPOSED to take place at 3pm. This is a fabulous program was put in place to teach the children a skill as well as empower them buy having them create things like school bags or purses or shirts for themselves. The sewing supplies are dwindling and the women who used to come 2-3 times a week is now coming only once a week and has not even been there for three weeks now. Without guidance the children are going through fabric and needles as well as running out of things to do and getting let down each week they assume she will be coming. We got them some new needles and thread and some needles so they can do hand stitching as well as the part they needed to fix one of their two machines. It is great we are able to buy these items for them but it is hard to see them not going anywhere with their skills while this women isn’t showing up and they are going through product trying to practice without her. Today Rachel and I made them some hacky sacks with the sewing machine and some stones--- they loved them but like anything with 15 kids using it they broke fast. Yesterday I told them to take the scraps and make small bags out on them as to not waste material—it seems to work for an hour or so. Our hope is to speak with the director of project and tell her of what is going on to get the program running again or find a new seamstress to teach them more often.

We had bought them a 20 Cedi ($9-ish) soccer ball on Monday and it is already falling apart, I fixed it three times with duct tape but it is literally coming apart at the seams. Playing soccer is fun- the boys are so good at it and love the game. I try not to overexert myself which is easy to do with the sun beating down on you. My knee is continuously in pain, popping and giving out while running but I still am able to play for a decent amount of time. After I gave up at soccer I went to see the younger kids over at the mango trees and impressed them with my tree climbing abilities “Look the white is in the tree”… “The white can climb the tree”—so funny to hear them.

Back at the orphanage we played mancala and connect four then watched the boys feed the chickens which became an ordeal because they started to escape their pen so I was herding them back into it yelling weird words and waving my arms as if it was working… I was showed up by a small 9 year old girl Morta who came up in front of me and grabbed two birds at once by the wings heaving them into the pen like a professional… I just stood back; clearly I was of no help lol.

I was showing some of the kids how to do flips and upside down sit ups on an old bar from a swing set without the swings they play on when this very small boy who spoke no English came over and started pointing to the bar. His name was Maxwell; he was bald except for two small tuffs of hair near his ears that were clearly missed while he was having his head shaved. I picked him up and let him hang from the bar for a few second before his tiny arms gave out and then did it about 5 more time until my arms were about to give out. We moved on to jumping off a step while holding my arm and then after that he was like my little shadow for the rest of the afternoon.

Around the time we were leaving we heard a marching band coming and we all gathered to see it go past the gate of the orphanage, I held the very short Maxwell over my head so her could see and we soon realized there was a train of cars and an ambulance too signifying it was a funeral. The children didn’t put it together but were enjoying the marching band and trying to reenact the marching- the young following the old in a line around the orphanage… so cute!

MMMMM Dinner was so good tonight; we asked them to prepare us something off the menu (because we couldn’t handle all of the starch) they prepared once piece of chicken and a very large portion of cooked veggies which were so yummy and just what I needed after all the fries and rice I have been eating. I will finish the evening with a few crackers and maybe some peanut butter J read some of my not so interesting book and then bed for me!

<3 you all

-Jessie