Mmm. A cup of black, strong coffee, bread with real butter, fruit and an omelette (made to order)- staying at a hotel is wonderful! I also had a real shower today (no wash basin and cup needed!) and it was awesome. The little things in life...
I have now been in Uganda for a little over a month. I now have that huge appreciation of things I no longer experience every day (hot breakfasts, water that comes out when commanded by a handle, and a fan blowing all night- it's almost like air conditioning ;).
Moses continues to do well with developing speech and learning to walk. This week, for the first time since I started working with him, he pushed my hands away when I helped him stand up (he can't quite get vertical on his own, but almost). The look on his face when he stood for a few seconds by himself, before sitting down) was priceless. It was the greatest reward for me this week, watching him finally be self-motivated to walk. Yeah, Moses!
The other 23 children are doing well. We are working this week on good sportsmanship during games. I explained this as: "Have a smile on your face, whether you are on the team you want, if you win, or if you lose." We'll see how this concept continues to develop- it is sort of a life-long lesson if you ask me, here or in any other country. It was very encouraging to see the kids all participate cheerfully in Duck-duck-goose after our last discussion about having good attitudes- yahoo!
Love you all, friends and family! Have a great end-of-the-week...
Cornerstone Children!
Some of the children at Cornerstone, enjoying a few laughs with me
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
One day at Cornerstone
Yesterday was probably the best day I have had since I came back to Uganda. It was amazing and tiring and exciting and everything all at once.
It started with many of the children being sad in the morning. Their school semester here had just ended for one month, so this was the first day of holidays, when no boarders or day schoolers would be around to play with. The kids told me they missed their friends and they also didn't have school to occupy them (kids in Uganda enjoy attending school, as opposed to the attitude of many students in America). The kids at the orphanage were looking at a long boring day.
So I decided to come with a bag of tricks (literally). First, we made some origami, and even the preschoolers joined in and the older kids helped them.
Then we held races in the courtyard (I beat the kids' "mom," Aunt Monica, in our foot race, which made the kids laugh and cheer as much as it surprised me. She is a short, thin woman, and I am not :) After the races, I taught them Hide n Seek, and remembered why I never include preschoolers in this game. The first round, Charity and Isaac, both 4 years old, trailed behind the "it" person and told where everyone was hiding; they sort of missed the point of the game, at least for the older kids. :)
After a quick water and potty break for me (it was around 85/90 out and we had been playing in the direct sunlight all morning), I brought out "Go Fish," which some of the kids knew (thank you, Dina Poulin!). Four-kids-at-a-time came and played the game in one of the classrooms, and while we played, the other 20 kids were at the windows and doorways, itching for their turn to come and play. Even their "mom" asked to come to play- this was her first time!
Afterwards, we ate lunch together and then the kids rested. Moses got mad at me (he was playing in his water cup instead of eating, so I took the cup away) and threw a huge fit, screaming and throwing himself down. So, I decided to take him and put him down for a nap. An hour and a half later, he woke up happy and willing to try walking and talking (he says 10 words now!) and hanging out with me with me again. Ah, 3-year-olds. Africa or America, they are still the same.
Once rest time was over, we sang songs and played some hand-clapping games together. It was almost time for dinner when I decided to call it a day.
This one day was so fun for me because I got to spend time just loving on and playing with these kids. Small things (like adult attention) sure go a long way.
And thanks for reading my blogs from over here! I would always love to hear from you, here, on facebook, or through email. Have a great week.
-Abby
It started with many of the children being sad in the morning. Their school semester here had just ended for one month, so this was the first day of holidays, when no boarders or day schoolers would be around to play with. The kids told me they missed their friends and they also didn't have school to occupy them (kids in Uganda enjoy attending school, as opposed to the attitude of many students in America). The kids at the orphanage were looking at a long boring day.
So I decided to come with a bag of tricks (literally). First, we made some origami, and even the preschoolers joined in and the older kids helped them.
Then we held races in the courtyard (I beat the kids' "mom," Aunt Monica, in our foot race, which made the kids laugh and cheer as much as it surprised me. She is a short, thin woman, and I am not :) After the races, I taught them Hide n Seek, and remembered why I never include preschoolers in this game. The first round, Charity and Isaac, both 4 years old, trailed behind the "it" person and told where everyone was hiding; they sort of missed the point of the game, at least for the older kids. :)
After a quick water and potty break for me (it was around 85/90 out and we had been playing in the direct sunlight all morning), I brought out "Go Fish," which some of the kids knew (thank you, Dina Poulin!). Four-kids-at-a-time came and played the game in one of the classrooms, and while we played, the other 20 kids were at the windows and doorways, itching for their turn to come and play. Even their "mom" asked to come to play- this was her first time!
Afterwards, we ate lunch together and then the kids rested. Moses got mad at me (he was playing in his water cup instead of eating, so I took the cup away) and threw a huge fit, screaming and throwing himself down. So, I decided to take him and put him down for a nap. An hour and a half later, he woke up happy and willing to try walking and talking (he says 10 words now!) and hanging out with me with me again. Ah, 3-year-olds. Africa or America, they are still the same.
Once rest time was over, we sang songs and played some hand-clapping games together. It was almost time for dinner when I decided to call it a day.
This one day was so fun for me because I got to spend time just loving on and playing with these kids. Small things (like adult attention) sure go a long way.
And thanks for reading my blogs from over here! I would always love to hear from you, here, on facebook, or through email. Have a great week.
-Abby
Monday, April 4, 2011
Pictures...
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| Here is Moses reading from a book of colors during our time together. |
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| These are some children at Cornerstone's school being silly during recess. |
Celebration and Laughter
Things are going great here in Budaka! This week has been mostly made up of adjusting to the new time zone (no more jet lag, yahoo!), adjusting to the culture here, and building relationships with the children at Cornerstone. The little boy, Moses, who I am working with to learn to talk, can now say the names of 3 colors, a major breakthrough for someone who has said nothing except "mama" prior to this week. Moses is also doing great at learning to walk and almost took an independent step this past Friday. Yeah!
I love being here and I wanted to share with you a few little things that brought me tears of laughter this week:
- I made a discovery this week while bathing (think cement room, a basin of water, a cup and a drain to the outside). I was looking down at the design printed on the bottom of the washbasin. There are flowers, butterflies, and star-shaped dots printed on a blue background. Here are the words around the pictures: “Little flower: Let’s feel the clean cosmos; let’s feel urgently the fresh family’s atmosphere.” Anyone else confused as to what this message means?
- On a box of pots and pans, the company boasts that they have “30 years of excellecne.” I had to think twice before buying the pans: do I really want a company that boasts of excellence or excellecne? Hmmm.
- After buying a small gas stove for the house, I pulled out the manual to ensure I put it together correctly. After referencing the front cover, I opened to the appropriate page, only to find that the rest of the manual was in Arabic, save for the front and back covers. How helpful…not! Anyone want to come over and read Arabic for me?
- While reading over an inventory list of new clothes that my mom and I had given out (donated from the States for the kids here), something caught my eye: “Ronald- 2 shirts, 1 pair of shorts; Charles: 2 _____…” Wait a minute! Instead of writing that Charles had 2 shirts, the author accidentally left out a very important consonant, turning an ordinary word into a swear word. Oh, Uganda…
Let me end by saying I would not be able to be here working with the children, without the financial, spiritual and emotional support I am receiving from all of you. Thank you so much!!
Until next week,
-Abby
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