Downs and Ups

   This has been a very emotional week, both sad and happy moments.  I will end with the happy to leave you in better spirits.  First my sad moment.  On the right is Mameliso, she was just brought to our school on Monday.  Although she doesn't technically have a disability, she can barely walk and is extremely malnourished.  She lost both parents and was left with an uncle who could not care for her and locked her inside.  She is actually 14 years old and she only weighs 35 pounds.  Now that she has been found and treated at the hospital and received basic medicines she was needing a home. They brought her to our school because they felt like the orphanages here could not handle her special needs.  Our principal had no notice, rather people showed up with her in the back of a truck and asked her to please take her.  How do you say "no" even though there is no bed and technically she should go somewhere else.  Of course the teachers  met and we agreed to have her stay.  The school will be able to feed her without a problem and take good care of her.  I found an inexpensive mattress in town and the house mothers have made space for her.  Everyone is working to make sure she eats well and has some positive social interactions.  I have started bringing my seated yoga DVD to her on my laptop, she can only do little bits but she seems to like it.  Even being here, amongst a very vulnerable population, I couldn't believe how neglected this child was.  When she arrived it brought tears to many eyes and I was thankful for the strong teachers who knew they had to take care of her.  I want this blog to be a nice thing to read, but I have just been so consumed by this over the last few days that I had to write about it.  Welcome to this school Mameliso!

   On a more positive note, I also had some happy tears this week.  This is Me Mase who works at our school as a secretary right now.  She also has taken on the challenging role of being my language tutor!  I am really not good at learning languages so it is quite a challenge.  She recently graduated from Agriculture college and last Sunday she invited all of us to her graduation party.  I went with my supervisor and co-teacher out to her family home in a rural village.  After getting lost several times, we finally found it by seeing the large tent and gathering of many people.  Here when there is a graduation party the graduate asks all of her friends who have also gotten degrees to attend in their graduation robes and caps, there were not too many, maybe 8 other people.  I did not have mine, but she included me with the group. Little did I know that there would first be a special mass followed by speeches about the graduate.  At first they had someone translating for me, but then I told them to stop because I felt like it was distracting for everyone else.  So I didn't notice at first when everyone was looking at me expectantly, then the person next to me said it was my turn to get up and speak!  I was not prepared at all, but come up with something, in English of course, but sufficient.  Finally my friend, the graduate spoke, I could tell that she was thanking all of her family, teachers, etc.  It was very moving and a good example of a "village" raising a child.  She then spoke about me and what I was doing here and how happy she was that I attended her party.   I was feeling so happy to be included and welcomed and also embarrassed by too much attention.  After the formalities we had quite a feast and it was fun to see all the older women of the village go into a back room together. I asked "where are they going?"  I was told that they were going in there to drink some shots!  The women do celebrate here, just more privately.

       This is the last week of school before a week vacation for Independence Day.  Everyone is busy finishing up craft projects for the upcoming environmental fair.  Others have been busy building a new home for the pig and harvesting some of the plants.  I have continued to help out wherever I can and have had a lot of fun learning some new skills in farming and building.  I am just continuously trying to show how all the students can be included. Otherwise I am still trying to learn new words and names to communicate better.  These are pictures of us working on making trays out of empty tomato boxes. It is not easy to teach someone how to use a hand saw!