One on One

One on One

This week we spoke with Emanuel (son of the owner of the orphanage); we told him we wanted to observe and aide him and Pat (my class teacher) while they teach and we get a chance to work one on one with the children who need more help. This concept went over great with the teachers and the children seemed to love it as well. I discovered that two of the children in my class have no recognition of the letters in the alphabet… how did they get past nursery and into my class? I don’t know. One on one has proved to be more frustrating than teaching an entire class but I think the children are getting a better chance at catching up with the rest of their classmates.

Market!!

Every Monday and Friday there is a “market” in the center of town on the way back to our hotel from the orphanage and it is the best place to find fabric and anything else you are looking for really because there are tons of shops with huge selections of anything and everything. We were on the hunt for fabric for ourselves, flip flops for the kids, and a skirt for me (I UNDER packed… imagine that). Fabric was difficult to find and I ended up not being able to decide on just one so the search continues. Luckily we found flip flops for the kids at a little shop and were able to buy a few pairs at $.80 each… yes eighty cents! The children were so extremely happy you would have thought they won the lotto; they were all trying them on and figuring out who needed them the most and it was so adorable. We also got a loaf of bread ($.45) to keep in the room for times when we have the munchies (peanut butter sandwiches) and I got two large and delicious mangos.

There is a group of men we drive pass on our way to the orphanage that sits together and talks loudly as if to let everyone know they are big strong men having a manly discussion. They pay some sort of game too that involves beer and dice but I don’t know what it is. The reason I pay so much attention to this group of men is because it is extremely amusing to me the setting as to which it takes place: Under a very beautiful and dainty tree with full, waxy green leaves, that produce white flowers, and has branches that grow in the shape of a fan so the branches block the sun but create a perfect sitting area over the “manly men” who sit right under this very womanly and pretty tree.

Tuesday was a tuff day, Rachel didn’t sleep well and I was feeling a little tired too. We each worked hard with our children one on one but felt like they weren’t absorbing as much and then Rachel witnesses the teacher swatching the children on the hands fairly hard (to tears) today and it was hard for her to see and for me to except. We are aware and have to respect the way that people discipline here but it doesn’t happen often, and this is the only time since we have been here we have seen it happen to this extent (and we spend a lot of time with the kids).We are going to talk to Kelsey and make sure it is the expectable form of discipline, but honestly I have a feeling she will want it to stop, this daycare and school is much more affectionate and run differently than most in the area.  

We lost power again, twice in the last two days due to rain and windstorms. Today it rained again so we played games with the children under the covered over hang and played some music for them to dance to. I took some really amazing videos of the some of the kids dancing- haha. I also spoke with one of my favorite girls at the orphanage; her name is Lucy, and she is 12 I think. She is the oldest girl and is so adorable, very soft spoken, beautiful, caring and mother like to the younger ones. She pulls herself away from playing and prepares a stew/soup dinner for the children each night by breaking up the dried fish and cutting the veggies… She is one of those girls who deserve to win some sort of scholarship and move onto a life she never imagined she could ever have. She says she wants to be a teacher. 

Lucky- cooking tonight's dinner: Fish soup with veggies :)