A Day at the Swimming Pool
Saturday was a great day. MB organized a pool party for about 350 kids at the local swimming pool which is absolutely gorgeous (Pictures will be up soon) Though only about 250 or so were actually affiliated through the BNC (Bernard Nordkamp Centre.... again, I WILL explain about this centre in a post soon) an additional 100 or so stragglers came along to the pool. In the morning we made 0ver 300 butter and bread sandwichs, packed apples, lollipops and chips and loaded the tiny Toyota pickup truck with all the house members and an additional few volunteers then drove off to the BNC to meet the children.
As MB's pickup turned down the road, the kids had already gathered outside the gate of the BNC and at the sight of MB's truck turn and ran in unison towards the truck screaming "MaryBeth, MaryBeth!!" It was if a horde of teenage girls were waiting outside Madison Square Garden for the Beatles. The sight of 300 screaming kids running towards the truck and running along side of it is a memory I will never forget.
MB is blessed with patience and an uncanny ability to organize 350 children in an orderly fashion. She marked each kid's hand with a marker and they walked the 1/2 mile to the swimming pool through weeds and along a dirt trail in their bare feet with smiles on the faces. These children are so beautiful and being around them makes me happy. I have developed my own favorites already, but each just wants to feel loved.
The pool was refreshing and the day was not too hot. I did get a suburn on my neck and upper arms a bit but all things considered I escaped relatively unscathed. My chest hair was a popular attraction in the pool, but fortunately I was not tugged at too much. The pool has a huge olympic pool side and then another equally huge kiddie pool side. I laid in the kiddie pool side on my belly and within seconds had about 10 kids ontop of me splashing, laughing, and smiling. One really fun thing to do in the kiddie pool was to spin the kids around and around with the legs outstretched. The big pool was fun too doing handstands, lifting the kids in the water and throwing them, and putting them on my shoulders and walking around. They are like barnacles- once I had one kid on me, literally five or six more latched onto me as I carried them through the water.
For many kids this was the highlight of their month... if not year. They were all so well behaved and at lunch sat quietly (350 kids silently sitting and waiting to go through line!!) Though we were at the pool from 10am-5pm, that still was not enough time for some kids who looked a little somber heading back home. I can't blame them.
One funny moment came when at lunch MB was trying to figure out who to give chips to and who to give a hard boiled egg to. So she asked who wants an egg... 350 little hands went up. When she asked who wants chips, expecting only those who didnt want an egg to raise their hands, 350 little hands went up again. She should have seen that coming...
I have been introduced as Scooter to the kids (my nickname from the Deli) and it was always nice to hear a little voice get my attention from the pool by shouting "Scooter!"
These kids really do make this trip worthwhile and I already look forward to getting to see them again.
Last night MB, Suzie and I were invited over to her Australian friend Barbara's house for dinner. She and her husband have a beautiful home in the hills which overlooks the sunset and the mountains and the city of Windhoek. She made a fondue-like dinner with potoes, and all sorts of toppings. It was very delicious and though I was by far the youngest person there, it was nice talking with her husband (a german) and his austrian friend. The other great thing about being here is experiencing other cultures and hearing other people's views on the world.
That is about it for now... a little long winded, but believe me, it would be longer if I did not have to get ready to leave for Etosha National Park. I willbe gone until Thursday so I will not be updating this until Thursday or Friday at the earliest. Thank you all for your emails- it is so nice to hear from home... I am having a great time but do miss home. Have a good week :-)
As MB's pickup turned down the road, the kids had already gathered outside the gate of the BNC and at the sight of MB's truck turn and ran in unison towards the truck screaming "MaryBeth, MaryBeth!!" It was if a horde of teenage girls were waiting outside Madison Square Garden for the Beatles. The sight of 300 screaming kids running towards the truck and running along side of it is a memory I will never forget.
MB is blessed with patience and an uncanny ability to organize 350 children in an orderly fashion. She marked each kid's hand with a marker and they walked the 1/2 mile to the swimming pool through weeds and along a dirt trail in their bare feet with smiles on the faces. These children are so beautiful and being around them makes me happy. I have developed my own favorites already, but each just wants to feel loved.
The pool was refreshing and the day was not too hot. I did get a suburn on my neck and upper arms a bit but all things considered I escaped relatively unscathed. My chest hair was a popular attraction in the pool, but fortunately I was not tugged at too much. The pool has a huge olympic pool side and then another equally huge kiddie pool side. I laid in the kiddie pool side on my belly and within seconds had about 10 kids ontop of me splashing, laughing, and smiling. One really fun thing to do in the kiddie pool was to spin the kids around and around with the legs outstretched. The big pool was fun too doing handstands, lifting the kids in the water and throwing them, and putting them on my shoulders and walking around. They are like barnacles- once I had one kid on me, literally five or six more latched onto me as I carried them through the water.
For many kids this was the highlight of their month... if not year. They were all so well behaved and at lunch sat quietly (350 kids silently sitting and waiting to go through line!!) Though we were at the pool from 10am-5pm, that still was not enough time for some kids who looked a little somber heading back home. I can't blame them.
One funny moment came when at lunch MB was trying to figure out who to give chips to and who to give a hard boiled egg to. So she asked who wants an egg... 350 little hands went up. When she asked who wants chips, expecting only those who didnt want an egg to raise their hands, 350 little hands went up again. She should have seen that coming...
I have been introduced as Scooter to the kids (my nickname from the Deli) and it was always nice to hear a little voice get my attention from the pool by shouting "Scooter!"
These kids really do make this trip worthwhile and I already look forward to getting to see them again.
Last night MB, Suzie and I were invited over to her Australian friend Barbara's house for dinner. She and her husband have a beautiful home in the hills which overlooks the sunset and the mountains and the city of Windhoek. She made a fondue-like dinner with potoes, and all sorts of toppings. It was very delicious and though I was by far the youngest person there, it was nice talking with her husband (a german) and his austrian friend. The other great thing about being here is experiencing other cultures and hearing other people's views on the world.
That is about it for now... a little long winded, but believe me, it would be longer if I did not have to get ready to leave for Etosha National Park. I willbe gone until Thursday so I will not be updating this until Thursday or Friday at the earliest. Thank you all for your emails- it is so nice to hear from home... I am having a great time but do miss home. Have a good week :-)
posted by Jim | 4:20 AM
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