Tuesday!

Another day almost done! Today was another good day at the creche. I'm finding myself falling in love with each of the kids. They all have some special little endearing quality that just melts its way right into my heart. I wish I could bring them all home with me. It's been so interesting watching and working with the children. Some of them accepted me right away and were, from the beginning, fighting for my attention and some have been more reserved. In those reserved kids, I'm starting to see the trust there...and they are opening themselves up to me.

I always work in the classroom, but when we are out on the playground and during lunch we are also with the younger children. There is one little girl that I would say is about 18 months old, and she just wants to be held. There are so many children and so few "Mamas" that work there, it's impossible to hold one child all day. So she toddles around and cries a lot. I picked her up yesterday and the instant she was in my arms, the tears stopped. My guess is she is an orphan. She is so desperate for affection...just plain human touch. It breaks my heart. She is very petite and has the cutest little dimples. I held her for about 30 minutes and then it was lunchtime. I sat her in front of me and fed her rice and vegetables. I actually got her to giggle and smile. (That's when I discovered her cute little dimples)!!! After lunch, I sat on the ground and held her in my lap while I rocked back and forth, until she fell asleep. There are a lot of days where one of the Mama's put her on their back and wrap a large towel or blanket around, which virtually works like the Snugli's we use at home. She can work around the center while the baby just hangs around on her back. That little sweet pea is also content with that.

She wasn't there today, and I missed her. But there are lots of other children there that need the same love and affection.

Today was a nice change for the children; they didn't get rice! They had pappa, which is actually maize. It looks sort of like mashed potatoes but has a very dry sort of lumpy texture. We had some here at the house, it's actually pretty good. I don't eat grits, but somehow I think that's probably what it's like, just much thicker. They had that with gravy and a little bit of meat. The kids seemed to enjoy it. No snack again today. :( I brought snack yesterday, and again it was a big hit. Cheese and crackers and juice! I really wish I could bring them something everyday, I just don't want to set them up for disappointment, after I leave. So I think twice a week will have to do. I think on my last day, I'm going to pack a cooler full of ice cream and we'll make sundaes!

Yesterday after we returned from our placements, a group of us went to this place called African Allsorts. It's a beading place that makes these incredible animals, key chains, magnets, Christmas ornaments, etc. I don't mean beading like the kind of beading my daughter does with all the kits she gets for birthday's etc. These are real artists creating these masterpieces. They have made pieces for Oprah, the CEO of Coca Cola, and some display pieces for some large retailers in NY City. The tag on the gecko I bought says it all, " African Allsorts is a social upliftment project that aims to provide a sustainable future for previously disadvantaged artists and present their wonderful creative skills to the world." We toured their facility and met with their artists. Please check out their website: http://www.africanallsorts.com. Their website doesn't do any of the work justice....request a brochure, and if you work with me...come by my cubicle and see my gecko, when I return!

Well, I must get ready for my 5:00 pm lesson in Xhosa.