I've apparently been a tad bit lazy in my blogging over the past week, so I'll try to keep this brief while updating what's been going on as much as possible.
Our big task this week was teaching school at the CLAPAI house. I was in charge of Math class and taught Pre-K through 3rd graders. The first day was insanely frustrating. We seemed a bit out of place and the kids were simultaneously further ahead and further behind than we imagined. Joe (one of the other interns) and I created a math assessment sheet to figure out where they were at in their education. Well, the amazing thing was that the first graders were learning division, the sad thing was that they had nothing memorized and relied on tally-mark counting for every single problem.
After that day, we took some time to revamp our lesson plans and decided they would be much better served if we focused on memorizing certain math. By the end of the week, I think we were able to accomplish a lot. The third graders had memorized their 2 times table, 2nd grade knew about fractions of a whole, and the first graders knew how to count using the number line instead of tally marks. I was really proud of them and all they learned throughout our time there.
On Tuesday, we took the CLAPAI kids on a field trip to the library - which they loved!
Afterwards, we took off for Kissayip A, a much larger section of the Village than what we distributed food to the other week. We met up with the Chairman of Village B, who went with us to explore the “new” territory. Very few B2B people have been their before. On our way to meet up with Ibro to drop off our passports for renewal, we happened to see the Chief of the village, who then decided he wanted to meet with us. Chris debriefed us in the car about proper etiquette when around the chief, including don’t make eye contact, don’t speak unless spoken to, and bow if you are acknowledged.
I must admit, I was a bit frightened. Well, everything turned out just fine. He invited us into his home, shook all our hands and had a great, lighthearted conversation with us, letting us know how glad he is that we are here. It was fun and encouraging.
When we left his house, it was out to the village. We were met by plenty of eager kids. Among our activities included an American vs. Nigerian soccer (football) game, bubbles (total hit!), nail painting with the girls, and handing out lollipops. It was a ton of fun. They are amazing at soccer! I did my best …
Wednesday, we were able to go back to OLA (the orphanage that is also at a hospital). It was fun to see the kids again, but also very sad. It's really hard to see kids struggling with the basics such as clothing - some of them don't even have clothes that fit, let alone clothes that are the proper gender.
There were 2 kids there that really stood out to me. First was Clay. He was in a crib when I met him; I thought he was about 2 years old. It was evident that he had a developmental disorder, but I wasn't sure what. Upon asking about him, I learned that he is seven years old! All I could think was about how his life could have been different if he had been born in the
The second child was still an infant. She was about 4 months old. Her mother didn’t want her and threw her in a gutter after she was born. Luckily, she was found by a man and taken to the orphanage. Sadly though, she is covered in scars from the abuse, and it is simply heart wrenching.
Thursday after teaching, we took a trip out to the future B2B campus and hiked up one of the mountains. Upon reaching the top, Mark (another one of the interns) led us in some amazing worship time. It was absolutely beautiful! Afterwards, we spent some time in prayer – it was just so peaceful and refreshing, just what my spirit needed. It’s hard for me to think that moments like that aren’t going to happen weekly when I go home….
Friday was spent finishing out our week of teaching and spending a relaxing afternoon at the pool. Unlike what you may think, we are all very pale. Because of the culture, very little of our skin actually sees the sun on a daily basis.
That brings us up to today. Today was our day off, so 4 of the interns decided to tag along with the Gucks to go back to
So now, I’m left reflecting, apologizing for such a long post, but really glad I got to write everything down. It’s so hard to think that there’s only a week left for me here – it would have been incredible to stay for the whole summer.
I do miss you all, and once again, really appreciate the support and emails – they keep me feeling connected.
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