Hakehanna... Or however you spell it
Yesterday was a full day that started slow but by the end turned out to be a great day.
I went with MB in the morning to Hakehanna which is an elementary school of about 30 kids on the outskirts of Windhoek. The building is essentially one walled in open area with all the windows broken out. As if that is not depressing enough, the kids are not that well behaved and it seems more like a holding cell half the time than an elementary school. MB played some songs and we did color and shape bingo- a game half the kids did well with and the others were lost. The problem seems to be they lump 4 and 5 year olds with 7 and 8 year olds making for total chaos as the younger ones are unable to keep up and lose interest. At one point there was a 15 year old girl there with two toddlers who apparently she has been placed in charge of against her wishes. When one of the toddlers peed his pants (that's what toddlers do!) she smacked him in the ass, making him cry, then yanking him outside. No one except MB and I batted an eye at the situation and the pee stayed on the floor until it evaporated. Another kid, about 7 or 8 had a bloated belly- the first I have seen of that here. He has absolutely no energy to do anything and just sits around. He can't really eat but no one seems to care enough to get him help. At the end of the day (noon) they were handing out donated clothes and when the kid tried on a button up shirt but couldn't get it buttoned around his belly, the kids laughed. Overall, it was a depressing experience but when she goes back next week I will try it again, maybe things will change. All the morning programs we do are just a way to pass the time until we go to the BNC.
Speaking of the BNC...
We arrived there and had a blast! I got some great pictures from the day and the kids were awesome. Charlotte gave me a letter she wrote me which was very sweet. Thursday is soccer day for the boys when we go down to the dirt and pebble soccer field for the afternoon. Yesterday the girls got to go too which was great. I made Wendy and Ricardo captains and they chose sides. Wendy was made captain because she is so mature for an 11 year old and always smiling and Ricardo was made captain because he has an attitude problem and I wanted to give him some responsibility and boost his self-esteem. It is always chaos at the beginning but after raising my voice to show that I mean business, they fall in line and the game begins. I remembered sunscreen this week and avoided a sunburn. Wendy's team ended up winning 5-4 on a penalty kick.
When we walked back to the BNC Sophie and Sandra were there and it was their last day in Namibia after six months so they were crying holding kids. But the energy in the place was electrifying. MB and Tara (the chorus leader there) were both playing guitar and singing songs with the whole room packed full of kids dancing and singing. Denzel, Mersha's older brother who is in a wheelchair and mentally challenged, was singing along and sooooooo happy banging on the table. At one point, he held himself up between the table and his chair and danced around. It was very touching. All the kids really got into it. Many began to cry because they say Sophie and Sandra crying and wanted the attention. Pretty amazing actually... they just turn on the tears when they want. Many were not as sad as their tears may have appeared.
Everyday at a quarter to 5 I walk them to the gate and try herding the kids out of the center. Not because I want them to leave but because Tina, the supervisor, has asked that the kids be out of the center by no later than 5. As the kids walk out I slap them five, give them hugs, and lift them in the air. After 5 I usually just hang out in the street with them until MB is done and drives out. These kids will hang out in the street until dark instead of going home. Their guardians don't seem to care where they are or when they get home since to them, the kids are often a burden.
After the BNC, MB and I were going to play tennis when word got around to about 20 of the kids who wanted to go so we packed them in the truck and drove down to the courts. MB and I played tennis for 2 hours. The volleys were really good but when we played a match, she kicked it up a notch. After being down 3-1 in the first set, I told MB that I had given her a head start since she was a girl and that now I was really going to start trying. I ended up losing the match 6-2 6-1.
Finally, last night Sophie and Sandra stayed at our house since they were leaving for the airport with MB at 6am. They invited some of their girlfriends over for a slumber party. It was another nice evening with the housemates, et al. Sophie and Sandra were here doing volunteer work and were very enthusiastic about it. Both want to come back to Namibia and actually would have stayed if they had been able to get visas. It was great meeting them and spending a little time with them. Like Suzie, their presence will be missed.
This post was long, but a day like yesterday turned out so nice that my fingers kept typing!
I went with MB in the morning to Hakehanna which is an elementary school of about 30 kids on the outskirts of Windhoek. The building is essentially one walled in open area with all the windows broken out. As if that is not depressing enough, the kids are not that well behaved and it seems more like a holding cell half the time than an elementary school. MB played some songs and we did color and shape bingo- a game half the kids did well with and the others were lost. The problem seems to be they lump 4 and 5 year olds with 7 and 8 year olds making for total chaos as the younger ones are unable to keep up and lose interest. At one point there was a 15 year old girl there with two toddlers who apparently she has been placed in charge of against her wishes. When one of the toddlers peed his pants (that's what toddlers do!) she smacked him in the ass, making him cry, then yanking him outside. No one except MB and I batted an eye at the situation and the pee stayed on the floor until it evaporated. Another kid, about 7 or 8 had a bloated belly- the first I have seen of that here. He has absolutely no energy to do anything and just sits around. He can't really eat but no one seems to care enough to get him help. At the end of the day (noon) they were handing out donated clothes and when the kid tried on a button up shirt but couldn't get it buttoned around his belly, the kids laughed. Overall, it was a depressing experience but when she goes back next week I will try it again, maybe things will change. All the morning programs we do are just a way to pass the time until we go to the BNC.
Speaking of the BNC...
We arrived there and had a blast! I got some great pictures from the day and the kids were awesome. Charlotte gave me a letter she wrote me which was very sweet. Thursday is soccer day for the boys when we go down to the dirt and pebble soccer field for the afternoon. Yesterday the girls got to go too which was great. I made Wendy and Ricardo captains and they chose sides. Wendy was made captain because she is so mature for an 11 year old and always smiling and Ricardo was made captain because he has an attitude problem and I wanted to give him some responsibility and boost his self-esteem. It is always chaos at the beginning but after raising my voice to show that I mean business, they fall in line and the game begins. I remembered sunscreen this week and avoided a sunburn. Wendy's team ended up winning 5-4 on a penalty kick.
When we walked back to the BNC Sophie and Sandra were there and it was their last day in Namibia after six months so they were crying holding kids. But the energy in the place was electrifying. MB and Tara (the chorus leader there) were both playing guitar and singing songs with the whole room packed full of kids dancing and singing. Denzel, Mersha's older brother who is in a wheelchair and mentally challenged, was singing along and sooooooo happy banging on the table. At one point, he held himself up between the table and his chair and danced around. It was very touching. All the kids really got into it. Many began to cry because they say Sophie and Sandra crying and wanted the attention. Pretty amazing actually... they just turn on the tears when they want. Many were not as sad as their tears may have appeared.
Everyday at a quarter to 5 I walk them to the gate and try herding the kids out of the center. Not because I want them to leave but because Tina, the supervisor, has asked that the kids be out of the center by no later than 5. As the kids walk out I slap them five, give them hugs, and lift them in the air. After 5 I usually just hang out in the street with them until MB is done and drives out. These kids will hang out in the street until dark instead of going home. Their guardians don't seem to care where they are or when they get home since to them, the kids are often a burden.
After the BNC, MB and I were going to play tennis when word got around to about 20 of the kids who wanted to go so we packed them in the truck and drove down to the courts. MB and I played tennis for 2 hours. The volleys were really good but when we played a match, she kicked it up a notch. After being down 3-1 in the first set, I told MB that I had given her a head start since she was a girl and that now I was really going to start trying. I ended up losing the match 6-2 6-1.
Finally, last night Sophie and Sandra stayed at our house since they were leaving for the airport with MB at 6am. They invited some of their girlfriends over for a slumber party. It was another nice evening with the housemates, et al. Sophie and Sandra were here doing volunteer work and were very enthusiastic about it. Both want to come back to Namibia and actually would have stayed if they had been able to get visas. It was great meeting them and spending a little time with them. Like Suzie, their presence will be missed.
This post was long, but a day like yesterday turned out so nice that my fingers kept typing!
posted by Jim | 12:29 AM
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