May 14, 2008

I really am writing these on the dates that they say, but I am just unable to post! Today was a more relaxing day then yesterday because we were all dead tired. We went to the orphanage right away in the morning to observe their preschool and kindergarten classes. They don't have very many younger kids, but they have a school for these classes that children from the community attend and the proceeds are profits for the center. The classes were so fun! There are four classrooms and a total of 118 children, so a lot bigger class sizes than we're used to, especially for that age! Each classroom did a few songs for us, and some were even in English. The children are so happy and playful, and they definitely love to perform. One class even did a Kinyarwanda song and did a dance. It's amazing to me that they are learning three languages. I feel like Americans are doing so little compared to them! We observed a classroom that was working on counting and writing numbers. The teachers used sticks to make sure everyone stayed on task- I felt so bad when the kids got in trouble for not paying attention because they were looking at us! They have a morning snack that they bring and then they go outside. This was by far the most fun part of the day. I don't think any one of us ever had one empty hand. They would literally fight over who could just stand there and hold your hand. They are very fascinated by any extra things: watches, jewelry, etc. I was wearing both a hat and sunglasses, and both were shared by all...I didn't think I'd ever get them back. They loved them so much and I'm really wishing I would have brought some with me to leave. If they even see a camera they all come FLOCKING! It ended up having to be put away a lot! They are also amused by our hair and they LOVE to play with it. We also visited KIE today. The campus is so beautiful. It was very interesting to see how their school is run and the differences. They have a lot of new buildings and are doing a great job. The dorms were beautiful, and the view from their balcony was breathtaking- I'm so jealous! We also planned out exactly what our plan is at the orphanage. We decided we will spend our time here working with the children and interacting with them. We will also work on gathering information so that we can create a website for the orphanage, since there is very little information available about it. I'm very excited to get to interacting with the children and to gather their stories for the website. This will be such a fun and helpful project. Having their information available to the world should not only increase help, but also recognition for what they are doing at the Gisimba Center.