School was great today. It was good to be back. Innocent (one of the teachers) gave another drumming lesson. He is such a good teacher. Stephanie, in our group, is the best drummer in our group. I think I need some remedial help. We then helped to feed the children for the feeding program. We had hoped to use primer on the bookshelves today, but we needed more materials (thinner). So, we will begin that project on Monday.
After school, our little troop of boys stopped to talk and play. This is such a special time of the day for me. It helps me to connect with some of the children on a more personal level. They try to teach us Chichewa and we teach them English. It is a really nice exchange. They are so funny. They dance, play games and just ask us questions and goof off with us. Today we did the limbo with them, did some break dancing (they’re really good!) and then I asked if they had a ball. The children in Malawi make balls out of plastic bags. They are good balls, made exclusively of plastic bags, and I can’t figure out how they do it. One kid had a bag, and I gave him one. Other kids immediately started coming up and adding more bags to the collection. Next thing I knew, they were building a small fire right off the roadside. They put one bag inside another, scrunched it up into a ball, and then held it over the fire. They let the plastic get a little hot; then they’d take it off the fire and shape it with their hands. Then, they added another layer, and another, shaping with the fire after each layer. Before I knew it, we had a great ball to play with. It was amazing!!! I am going to take more plastic bags on Monday and get them to make one for me to bring home.
After playing with the ball for a while, we played duck duck goose with them, danced some more, and just talked some more. It broke my heart, because before we got on the bus to come back home, Geraldi gave the ball to us and said, “Take it back to America with you and play.” Little Geraldi, with no shoes, torn clothes wanted us to have his new ball.
Jenny I have this wonderfully delightful picture of Steph on the drums. I'm sure you all have fun with it. It appears that the children are stealing your hearts. They have a way of doing that. The games sound fun, I would stay away from the limbo and the break dancing, duck, duck, goose is okay. "Little Geraldi" apparently has a very generous heart. It is probably an delight for him to be able to give his ball to you.
ReplyDeleteIt's the 4th of July today we hope you all enjoy yours.
Warmest wishes from Steph's family.
Don
Thanks for your 4th of July wishes. It sure felt weird to be away from home. But, we all noted that is was "our day". Today is Malawi's Independence Day.
ReplyDeleteStephanie is wonderful! All of the Malawians just love her, especially the children. She's genuine and they can see it. It has been a pleasure to have her here this year!