For Esme, With Love and Hope

Little moments from the BNC (2007)

Grace
Aunt Gert had finished her journey as an educator as I was beginning mine.
“You really should come... you would love it.”
It started out as a thought, a conversation starter.
“Oh I would love to, dear, but there is my trip to Japan, the church is opening in the spring, and I am just so busy here in Montauk.... I can’t.”
The experience was not one I could fully explain in words but I knew that someone had to come to see with her own eyes, just to understand what I felt... agape. It is a word I learned here, even before I could define it. A Christ-like love. I first felt it for a few months a year ago when I set eyes on these children during my first visit. Dad said what made that trip so profound and so memorable for me was that for one of the first times in my life I was able to let go and be myself without looking over my shoulder to see who was watching. Whatever the reason, I feel it- I feel peace.
It’s not uncommon in life to be lost, to be searching, to face adversity. I was seeking control over who I was to become in my life when the Holy Spirit guided me here. But for the grace of God I ended up in a part of the world few knew and where I began to unwrap some of the gifts He had given me. So often we seek to make an impact on others but when we look back we see the impact was on us. God bless the broken road, Esme, that led me straight to you- and through you to Him.

Overtime
Five o’clock is not quitting time... it’s starting time. The games are put away, the computers are shut off, and all the volunteers climb into the bakkie and leave Katutura but I stay- just for an hour or two, just to connect one-on-one with a few kids for a little while longer. Romachell, Esme, Bonita- whoever feels like staying late and walking the streets. They say that in Katutura the street is the life and the life is the street. No one really wants to go home, and I can’t blame them.
“What time does your mother want you home for dinner?”
“We don’t have dinner.”
It isn’t so much tragic as matter of fact. There simply is not much to do at home. No Xbox, no internet, no toys. It is much more fun to stay out with everyone else- at least it’s cooler outside. They say it’s the ghetto. They say don’t be there at night. But love doesn’t punch out at 5pm.
Nonetheless, it is getting dark; I should be on my way home. Just a few more hugs, a few more good-byes.
“!Nam si da, Meroldi”
“!Nam si da, Scooter!”
“!Nam si da, Salome.”
“!Nam si da, Scooter!”
“!Nam si da, Esme!”
“You, too, Scooter.”
One of these days she will say it- because I know she feels it. She is ten-years old and so wonderful. Surely one of these days she will act out. Eventually she will test the limits of what she can get away with. Not today. There is something about the way she finds her way through the crowd to sit on my lap. The way she tricks a little girl to lean to the side so she can squeeze in beside me. We can sit in silence, her on my lap with nothing being said. What can a 24 year old discuss with a 10 year old anyway? In our silence, I hope she sticks around for a little while longer. I can talk to Romachell or Salome or Susmitha- they are the chatter bugs- but Esme is something else.
She’ll ask me a random question in Damara, as if I would understand.
“No thank, you I respond,” trying, in vain, to guess what she might have been asking.
“What I did say?”
“You asked me if I would like a million dollars.”
She laughs. “No, Scooter, I did say....”

Hope
One day we are hanging out after the center is closed. The security guard has not shown up yet... will he ever? Romachell has just puffed. I am offended- he didn’t even ask me to pull his finger. This one stinks and Romachell walks away, laughing.
“Esme, who do you live with?”
“My family.”
“Who is in your family?”
“My mother, my granny, my auntie...”
“What about your father?”
“He is gone.”
“...to Heaven?”
“I don’t know.”
She doesn’t seem very open to the question and I withdraw. There may be a time later when she is more willing to open up. They say these children are orphaned and endangered. What does that mean? Abusive uncles? Promiscuous aunties? Alcoholic mothers? Dead parents? The statistics say one in five have HIV/AIDS. Surely in Katutura the percentages must be higher. Who has it? Who doesn’t? No one talks much about it. I suppose the weaker ones, the ones with sores that don’t heal, the ones with thinning hair might have it- but could you really tell by the way they hug or by the way they laugh? But it is here- and it is not going away. So is poverty. What about hope?
Hope. What do you hope for? Typing away on this amazing little iMac, I hope I can have one. Have you ever hoped for food? I’m not asking in the way Sally Struthers might ask. Don’t send money. Don’t feel guilt. Just think.
Today MB, as she was rummaging through a closet in the house, found a bag of letters from San Francisco she meant to distribute to the kids months ago. She hands them out randomly, each envelope contains a note wishing an anonymous child Merry Christmas- this is February. A few generic sentences about how friendly the kids sound. Keep in touch! Here is my picture! Junk mail. No, it’s my mail. A new friend. “Please hold this for me,” they ask.

A Day at the Grass Soccer Field
Today was Sunday and I drove Aunt Gert to Mass. It was a wonderful Mass, I suppose. I wouldn’t know- I left her at the church and drove back to Katatura. Driving from the Benedictine Church along the dirt road and seeing all the locals walking through the heat to attend Mass was inspiring. Throughout Katutura I saw similar acts of devotion. All in their Sunday best. Blessed are the poor.
After picking up Aunt Gert, we drive to the grass soccer field to watch the kids play. It is day two of a weekend worth of soccer on a nicely groomed grass field that MaryBeth has reserved. Win or lose, the privilege of playing on grass is all the kids really care about today.
Grass. We only notice it when it needs to be cut. It’s a chore to us, a privilege to them.
The sun is hot- we are in a desert- and Aunt Gert wants to get back home. (I tell MaryBeth that Aunt Gert has a wicked hangover.)
“Scooter, can I go with you?”
I turn to see Dora.
Can I actually tell her no when I was hoping she would ask?
“OK... but don’t tell anyone!” Except maybe Esme, Romachell, Wendy, and Salome.
Romachell and Dora walk out the gate casually; I will meet them out by the road. Esme is hiding in the back of the truck.
“Don’t let anyone else see.”
At the house they see some of my family photos and I offer them some Litchi Juice. They look at the photos on Aunt Gert’s computer. Simple joys.
We hop back in the bakkie and drive back to the grass fields.
“OK, I’ll let you three off at the gate so the other kids don’t see us.”
The kids hop out at the gate and sneak around.
“Scooter, where’s Dora and Romachell?” Meroldi asks before I even shut off the bakkie. Busted.
There is instant jealousy and bitterness.
“Why did you tell us we could not be in the truck then you take them? That’s not fair!”
Not fair? Not fair! I’m not fair. Life’s not fair. Is it fair that I let Edelsine run the computer room every day? Is it fair that Elizabeth bought Meroldi ice cream? Is it fair that I can come here on a whim to spend a few months with these kids and spoil them in the process? Nothing is fair. I cannot be fair. I cannot give out 150 hugs every time I give out one. I cannot let 150 kids come to the airport with me. It’s only fair if they are the ones being spoiled that day. They can be ornery little kids from time to time.
I must learn to be consistent ... or at least more inconspicuous.
Oh... and don’t make any promises either! They will hold you to them.

~~~~~ ** ~~~~~

Sitting in the grandstand. Kids running all around. Dora by my side- hugging her.
“Dora, I will bring you to the airport when I leave.”
She smiles. “What about Bonitha?”
“Nambre y damure.” Wait and see. No promises.
Flashback to last April. I went to pick up the “seven angels” to bring them with me to the airport to say see me off and say goodbye. Dora caught wind of this... and she was waiting at the BNC with a sad look on her face.
“Scooter, can I come?”
“Dora... there is not enough room. If I could I would...”
“She is probably disappointed she won’t get to see the airport,” I think to myself.
But then tears run down her face.
My heart breaks. “No, she just wants to spend more time with me!”
Sometimes you don’t know how much you mean to some people. I never forgot how genuine she was that day. She is coming with me March 17.

~~~~~ ** ~~~~~

I get to play with the BNC U-18 team. I’m 24. Shh! These are by far the best bunch of boys I have come across. Sydney. Brian. Lucky. Eric. Shema. Jerome. Romachell. All good souls. Eric and Jerome are amazingly nurturing around little Jaden, Romachell’s toddler brother. If only every father in this country was half as loving to their own kids.

~~~~~ ** ~~~~~

Sha had another up and down day.
“One day, Sha! Give me one day where you are an angel the entire day!”
She is hurt on the inside, with scars on her body as a reminder of the struggle that life has already been- and will likely always be. She is angry. They say her mother is a drunk. She punches her sister- hard- because she took a bite of her fudge. She can’t let anything go. She is angry.
MaryBeth puts kids like this in the “Hug-Machine.” With Sha I have taken it one step further.
“Are you angry, Sha?”
She nods.
“Then give it to me, don’t hold it in. Give me a really big hug and squeeze all of your anger into me, I will take it from you.”
She squeezes me tight.
“Let it all out,” I tell her.
I pretend it is inside of me and with a shake of my hands I throw the anger out.
“Is that all your anger, hun? Give me one more hug to be sure.”
She smiles.
Other times I just sit and hold her in my lap. We sit quietly while she cools down.
“I love you, Sha.”
I repeat it like a mantra.
“I love you, Sha.”
I do... and I feel for her. Something happened somewhere at sometime by someone to damage her. She is too quick to run her mouth and exchange verbal jabs with anyone and everyone.
“Ignore them Sha, they are just words. If someone curses you, just smile. If someone calls you ugly, just smile... do you know why?”
A pause.
A shy grin.
“Because I’m beautiful.”

~~~~~ ** ~~~~~


The afternoon is winding down and the yellow and red pinnies are being collected from the final two teams. Some of the girls are giggling and talking about a boy.
“Remember the rule,” I tell the girls over my shoulder.
“No boyfriends until you’re 30,” they respond like a choir of hens.
“Don’t even talk to them until you’re 25!” I add.

HIV
I remember first hearing about HIV when Magic Johnson held his press conference in the early 90’s. There was a stigma then, as there is today. International teams were wary about competing in the Olympics against a man who was infected by HIV- what if he got cut on the court? What if his sweat dripped onto another player? What if he sneezed on someone else? There was paranoia. There was ignorance.
The paranoia and ignorance continues today, and I too worry sometimes when I shouldn’t. I can remember holding Rundu and he had a sore on his head with puss and my finger touched it and I worried about what it might be.
We know so little about HIV. They always advise to not share needles and to avoid unprotected sex. More than twenty years after HIV first became a global crisis, there is still a mentality among many people that people with HIV are users or are promiscuous. Junkies have HIV. Gays have HIV. But there is another side to HIV that many don’t see- children with HIV.
Marla is about 11 years old and she is suffering from HIV. Her hair is thinning, she is putting on weight from the ARTs, and she is constantly tired and low on energy. I always suspected she might be sick, but it’s not something that comes up in casual conversation over soup at the BNC.
Then one day MaryBeth drove her to the airport to pick up a volunteer and, unprovoked, Marla offered an open, honest glimpse into her life. Raped as a little girl by her father, she has an abusive stepfather, and an alcoholic uncle. She has suffered more than most yet she survives. She sleeps on the dirt floor of her mother’s room with just a few dirty clothes and cardboard boxes keeping her from the ground. She is dying. Is life fair? Why is a defenseless child being subjected to this? What is the higher purpose? I pray that there is an eternity of peace and happiness waiting for her

~~~~~ ** ~~~~~

Everyone wants to be loved. Everyone wants to be hugged and to feel special. There is a term, apparently, for the psychological effect of touch. I hope I can stay in touch with these kids for many years.
“But there are plenty of needy children closer to home,” some have said.
Yea, but I know these children. And so I will come back.

Goodbye, My Dear Friends, I Shall Never Forget You!

I just got off of a loooonng bus ride from Windhoek to Cape Town. I took the Intercape Sleepliner which is as comfortable as any bus, I suppose, but after 22 hours I was ready to strangle everyone on the bus, especially the guy next to me who had no problem leaning over to take pictures every 20km.

On to the update…

After an awesome time on Saturday night with the boys, Simon and I brought some of the “old timers” to Zoo Park in downtown Windhoek for an afternoon picnic on Sunday. We picked up Milandri, Bonita, Romencia, Esme, and Denzel from Katutura, dropped them off, then I drove over to Concordia High School to pick up Salome, Jennifer, Meroldi, and Susmitha. The volunteer Moretta met us over there as did Nangula. Simon and some of the girls went to Pick ‘n Pay to buy chicken, bread, water, chips and a cake. We stuffed ourselves on three chickens then played cards in the grass. As the time passed we played a soccer game, had a water fight, then watched the sunset. It was a really special time to say goodbye to the kids that have meant the most to me over these four trips. On the ride back to Katutura Denzel was in the front seat I and taught him how to shift gears- he loved it!

Friday night’s concert, Saturday night with the boys, and Sunday afternoon with the “old timers” are what hooks me into coming back to Namibia and why I feel that I will come back again. Being here at the BNC and developing relationships with the kids gives me a chance to immerse myself in their lives and develop deeper relationships. I would love to do these activities with my students in the Bronx but there is such a taboo on a teacher being more involved with his students beyond the final school bell. Volunteering at the BNC is so special because of the love that exists there.

Monday was my last day and I spent the morning running errands and packing. At the center grades 5 and 6 had publisher parties to celebrate their hard work and some of the children shared their pieces with the class. We then had cookies and as I gave each kid a piece of candy I hugged them and said goodbye. I really will miss working with these two grades. There was a real sense of purpose teaching and completing a writing unit together. As I was saying goodbye to the 6th graders MB came marching into the classroom with her guitar and 40 kids in tow singing “Goodbye, our dear friend, we shall never forget you.” (She plays it over and over again for every volunteer that leaves “until you start to cry.”) The day before at the park Denzel and I were sitting alone and he told me he was going to cry when he said goodbye- and he did. Denzel has always been special but I could really tell this time around how much it meant for him to have a friend to come and see every day. More than any other time here, I really connected with the boys at the BNC.

Reflecting on this trip I would have to say it was the most successful, most rewarding, and most entertaining trip so far. The volunteers I worked with were strong, my roommates Simon and Timna were a lot of fun, and sharing time with Katy was special. My housing arrangements were very comfortable, the weekend trips were exciting, and life in Windhoek was at my speed- the right mix of quiet and crazy. Working at the BNC has never been as rewarding and engaging as it was this time around- Grandma Cathy really has worked hard to make the academics a success. MaryBeth has continued to inspire me as a mentor and a friend. I have been blessed in so many ways by her presence in my life and she has a lot to do with where I am at in life professionally and who I am as a person.

Then, of course, are the kids. New friends Bonsekie, Lediana, Wendemi, little Sentia, Giovanni, Rabon, Ronaldo, Simson, Elias, Tia-Zia, Lebby, Ebba, Rivaldo and so many more mixed in with friends from years past have made this trip incredibly fulfilling. You know it is a special place to be when you are sitting in the shadows of Table Mountain, watching elephants cross the road, or riding up the sides of sand dunes and all you keep doing is glancing at your watch and wishing you were back on Hans Uirab Street at the BNC. I have written so much through the years about the BNC… I encourage any of you to consider taking a few weeks to come and volunteer with me (next summer?) to experience it firsthand.

Every time I leave I say “check back in a few days for another post about the rest of my trip” and I have never done it!!! There is more I would like to write about my experiences… so check periodically over the next week or two for other potential posts. Thank you so much for reading along… I look forward to sharing more with all of you in person in the coming weeks. God bless you!

NFA Dinner, Mommy Soccer, and Guys Night

Simon and I were driving home tonight from Shaun’s house (more on this later) and we were talking about how special the last few days always seem to be on a trip to Namibia. I don’t know if it’s that we tend to do more fun things in the end to savor every last moment, or whether we just appreciate every little memory more in the end. Whatever the truth may be, these last few days with the kids have been a blast. Get ready, I’m about to gush some more…

Friday afternoon I met with Debbie, one of the women from ladies’ doubles, to help her brainstorm ideas for a child she is tutoring. As it turns out, the child is 10 years old and just moved to Namibia and only speaks Spanish… my specialty! We met for about an hour with the girl and I modeled a lot of different ESL strategies she could use to help the girl. It was fun talking Spanish with the girl, too. She seemed happy to have someone to talk to for a bit. (I just can’t remember her name!!)

At the center it was Friday Fun Day- the kids were running around playing four square, reading, playing legos, and just being kids. The last of my students were finishing up their stories and I decided to take the opportunity to clean up the classroom I had been using so I recruited about ten kids and we scrubbed the room down. Tables, chairs, floors, windowsills, shelves- everything! The room looked sparkling when we finished. What’s amazing is that the kids CLEANING were having as much fun as the kids playing… they just love being at the center.

Friday night MaryBeth was invited to a going away dinner for a man who had been working for the Namibian Football Association and women’s soccer for the past year. Naturally, MaryBeth invited ALL the Pumpkins (the girl soccer players from the center) and they sang some songs for Kevin. I got a few videos of the girls singing. We brought Denzel along and on the way home I pushed Denzel’s wheelchair while giving tiny Beula a piggy back ride. The whole walk back I was pretending like Beula was choking me while swerving Denzel’s chair- he was laughing hysterically the whole way!

Today was soccer day. MaryBeth has the girls playing on a beautiful grass field these days and today the mothers were invited to play as well. About eight moms showed up and played a few games with the girls. The entire soccer program has grown so much and MaryBeth (along with the NFA) has done so much to empower these young girls. The girls are so polite and joyful when playing. Some of the girls that started with MaryBeth are competing on a national level and two are on the women’s national team!

I invited the 6th grade boys to hang out on Saturday afternoon to say goodbye and have some “guy time.” Rivaldo, Simson, Ronaldo, Rabon, and Elias have been so much fun to rough house with, joke with, and teach this summer. I wanted to show my appreciation by spending time with them. I also wanted them to spend some time with Shaun. He is the 27 year old Namibian guy who owns a house a few blocks away that many of the volunteers stay at. He is young, cool, and respectable and I am hoping he will mentor some of these boys on a regular basis when I go. There is such a need for these boys (and all boys) to have solid, reliable, moral, male role models. It is something that I am becoming more and more passionate about and something I want to start back home at PS 103. Having read John Eldredge’s book, “Wild at Heart”, recently has inspired me even more. One of Eldredge’s main ideas is that masculinity breeds masculinity and that boys need to be shown how to be men. I highly recommend the book.

Anyway, Simon and I picked up some pizzas and sodas and the boys around 4:30pm then headed over to Shaun’s. The boys were amped up and ecstatic to be hanging out. It was such a cool evening. We pulled up to Shaun’s house (about 2km from the center) and the boys jumped right into his freezing cold pool! Then we popped open the pizzas, shot some baskets and ran around outside until the sun went down. Afterwards we went inside and watched The Incredibles. By 8pm the boys were back outside running around and rough housing with me and Simon. We just dropped them off and got back home a few minutes ago. The experience was so rewarding- for the boys and for us. It’s a great memory for all of us.

Simon and I are meeting up with Nangula, Scobi, and one of Simon’s german friends for drinks tonight. Tomorrow is another jam-packed day… full of good memories, I’m sure. I hope you are well … God bless you!

The pix are of Mommy Soccer, Singing on Friday night, Cleaning the center, and tonight with the boys.

Etosha and Katy's Last Days

I just dropped Katy off at the airport a few hours ago and she should be on her way across the Atlantic. She was really impressive as a volunteer- she was always up for anything they needed at the center and she made a lot of rewarding relationships with the kids. On top of all that it was nice to have her here as a roommate and travel companion- she is a wonderful young lady.

So... on to the update...

Saturday morning we loaded up the car and the four of us set off for the North. The car was packed with camping supplies and our bags. Simon and I split the driving duties through the wide open country. Our first stop was Okahandja, an hour north of Windhoek for more souvenir shopping. Then we drove 2.5 hours towards Omaruru where we stopped for a few hours to hike and see prehistoric rock paintings at Ai-Aiba Lodge. It was pretty mesmerizing to stand in front of such old history.

Late in the afternoon we drove up to Etosha Safari Camp just outside the park and camped there for the night. The lodge had a lot of character but we were too exhausted from a long day of travelling to take advantage of it.

We awoke before sunrise, packed the car in the dark, and headed the last 10km to get to Etosha. Etosha is a HUGE game park known for its variety of animals and good animal viewing- especially this time of year. I had been there in 2006 but then it was the rainy season so there was not a lot to see. Different story this time! The idea is to drive from water hole to water hole looking for game. Some prefer to pick a water hole and stay for hours others hop from one to the next taking their chances. We did a little of both.

Early in the day we saw a herd of elephants (two babies!) crossing the road right in front of us!! They are the most enchanting animals to watch- they are absolutely massive! We continued to drive seeing zebra, springbok, wildebeest, giraffes and many other animals. Around noon we pulled up to a watering hole with lots of cars where two lionesses were sitting in the grass hunting springbok and zebra!! We sat for about an hour hoping to witness a kill but it never happened. Still, just watching "the dance" between predator and prey was fascinating.

The rest of the day was spent between different waterholes where we saw some hyenas which are somewhat uncommon. At night we camped at Halali Camp which is in the middle of the park. It was unimpressive but a place to rest our head. There is a water hole there and after sunset we walked to check it out where 5 rhinos (2 babies!!) were drinking.

The next morning we got up early for the 6 hour ride back to Windhoek. On the way out of the park a leopard walked right out into the middle of the road!! It was an amazing (and rare) sight to see. The leopard showed no fear and sauntered slowly to the side of the road where it sat in the bush and stared at us. We got very lucky to see lions, elephants, leopards, and rhinos in such a short trip!!

The ride back home was long and uneventful but we got back quick enough to spend the day at the center. As nice as the travelling is, there really is nothing better than a day at the center. Monday night Tara and her boyfriend and Nangula came over for hamburgers. Tara is a Namibian girl who has been involved with the center through the years but she now runs her own program in the northern region. MaryBeth joined us after her rotary meeting finished. It was a nice evening but we were pretty exhausted from the long weekend.

Tuesday was Katy and Timna's last day. Katy, Simon and I went into town to have breakfast and to get Katy some last minute souvenirs. At the center the 5th and 6th graders are almost done publishing their pieces- they should all be done by tomorrow and we will celebrate their work on Monday. At the end of the day at the center, the kids gave 1,000 hugs to Katy and Timna as the said goodbye.

Tuesday was my last evening of ladies' doubles. They have been a lot of fun. Afterwards I met Simon, Timna, Katy, Amoretta (a volunteer from Maine), MB, Shaun and Scobi for pizza.

So that's where I've been these past few days... all good times! Now that it's just Simon and I in the house, things are pretty calm and quiet. There are a few days left here... I catch a bus Monday evening for Cape Town, leave for Amsterdam on Wednesday, and fly home on Friday... it's gone so quickly!

I hope all is well with you... God Bless you!

Amani Lodge

Katy, Timna, Simon and I are leaving for Etosha National Park tomorrow morning and we will get home sometime on Monday. It is six hours to Etosha, plus hours of driving in the park, but it will be worth it to see an elephant or a pride of lions.

Thursday night we brought Katy out to a club to go dancing. We met Nangula and some of the volunteers there and danced until early in the morning. It was cute to see Katy out on the dance floor- but not so cute when dudes tried to dance with her! Fortunately most people here think we are dating so the guys were respectful.

Today Katy, Simon, and I went to Amani Lodge which is about 30km southwest of Windhoek. Our friend Shaun recommended it to us and it was amazing! It is situated in the mountains with stunning views of the horizon. Oh, and they have cheetahs, leopards, and lions!! We took the “Sundowner” game drive. The drive starts with the feeding of 5 cheetahs. The cheetahs are being raised to be released in the wild. Next we saw the leopard. I saw cheetahs and leopards at another lodge in 2006 and the leopard has always impressed me with its agility, beauty, and strength. It is amazing to see them scale a tree to get food. Finally we saw the lion and his lioness. The male lion is incredible- truly the king of the jungle. He walks with purpose and we could hear him roar for kilometers. All three animals are absolutely stunning. The drive ended back at the lodge which is a luxorious African retreat, complete with a warthog hanging out by the bar. The sunset was beautiful (as they always are here) Pictures and words don’t really describe the experience … I would definitely spend more time at Amani

Have a wonderful weekend… God bless you!!

A Perfectly Normal Day

Today, like most days lately, was a day that was perfectly pleasant from beginning to end. As usual I was out of bed early, I grabbed some Cocoa Puffs and spent the morning editing the 5th and 6th graders’ writing pieces. It’s a lot of work editing all of their stories and, given more time, I would have had them do more editing and revising on their own, but with time winding down I want to make sure they publish their stories before I leave. I am excited to get the stories finished and help the children create beautiful books.

Around 11:30, MB showed up with the car to drive us to the center. She is soooo full of energy and constantly running around- this morning she was going school to school dropping off applications for a Rotary event for youth in Namibia that she is running. At the BNC, Bonita and I had a great tutoring session… we studied mountain folds in Geography, the rise of nationalism and political opposition in Namibia, and the circulatory system. As the best days tend to go, we joked and teased each other along the way.

We finished around 1:30 and as usual Denzel was hanging out in his wheelchair and I spent some time with him- hugging him, sharing my Clementine, and making him laugh. Denzel is 19 and he has a disability- I’m not sure what it is, exactly, but he has the cognition and maturity of a young boy. As I was tutoring Bonita, he was sitting with us and whenever I’d get up to write on the Dry-Erase board, he’d grab my back pocket and “trap me” from getting to the board then he would let go, sending me “crashing” into the board while laughing hysterically!

During lunchtime, MaryBeth usually reads a few stories to the kids while they eat their sandwiches and fruit. Today she brought 10 kids to the dentists (for FREE!!) so Cathy asked me to read the little rug rats a story. I read them “Guess How Much I Love You” (one of my favorites) and “Mia Hamm: Quitters Never Win”. The kids love being read to- even the big kids.

In class, the 5th graders were totally engaged in writing their second drafts and they worked so hard and efficiently! We talked about how all authors make mistakes and how good writers are constantly fixing their mistakes, whether they are the author, or me, or someone famous like Kevin Henkes. (We have been reading Kevin Henkes’ books as a mentor text for their writing… kudos to Mr. Toro for that idea.) I was able to conference with a few kids and continue editing their pieces.

The 6th graders were just as engaged. This group has really been a blast to work with- they all have spunk and personality. I’d love to take the boys in this group (Rivaldo, Rabon, Ronaldo, Simson, and Elias) and make a Guy’s Club with them if I had more time. I was not able to finish editing their work so we just read “Chester’s Way” by Kevin Henkes.

Near the end of the day, Meroldi, one of my all time favorites showed up from the boarding school she is staying at to get some extra help in Math. She is in grade 8 with Salome and Jennifer at Concordia which is on the other side of Windhoek. (Susmitha goes there, too- see the pix below) She needed a ride back to school so Timna, Simon, Katy, and I drove her back to the school and surprised Jennifer, Salome, and Susmitha. They were very excited to see us and we hung out in the parking lot until past sunset. These are the kids I fell in love with in 2006 and who still have my heart!

At night I made dinner with Katy- pasta with meat sauce- then we went with Timna, Simon, and Nangula to a Spoken Word performance at the art college in town. The poems/verses were enjoyable and it was a nice cultural experience. I particularly enjoyed a poem by a young Namibian who talked about the pride of being a father. (“There’s pep in my step, a slide and glide in my stride, a grown man, my son’s yellow teddy in hand, a father’s pride…”) I also liked the title of another guy’s: “Why walk when you can fly?”

Today really was nothing special- it’s a typical day for me but I feel like I have been in more aware of each little moment lately. I truly enjoy the day to day routine, be it here or back home. There are so many little moments to be grateful for if we just stop and see.

“Earth’s crammed with heaven
And every common bush afire with God;
But only he who sees takes off his shoes,
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.”

Aurora Leigh, Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Thank you for reading… enjoy your day… God bless you!

The pictures are of (1) me tutoring Bonita, (2) me reading "Guess How Much I Love You?" during lunchtime, (3) me and Salome, (4) me and Susmitha, and (5) Jennifer, Meroldi, Salome, and Susmitha at their school