A little bit of everything

Sorry I haven’t blogged in a while! …I’ve been pretty busy and the power is always out at my house..Like all the time.  So last week I volunteered at an orphanage because the school I’m at was on holiday. It was really hard but all in all a really great experience. Picture a commercial from world vision…the kids without shoes, the malnourished belly’s, the small dirty broken homes, that’s what it looked like at the orphanage I was at. Teaching the kids was a real challenge. They didn’t know the difference between the letter A and the number one. By the end i think I got through to a couple kids but it was a slow process.

The orphanage I was at was the one I visited in the first week, so I had already met a lot of the kids. I didn’t expect that they would even remember my name because I went with a group with more than 22 volunteers..but as soon as I walked in without missing a beat a bunch of children came running to me screaming my name ..I was so surprised! One of the little girls showed me where she lived and it was in a small little dark room…that she shared with 4 other children. It was so sad to see…they shared 2 single sized beds between the 5 of them…it was crazy. She showed me her little teddy bear that she seemed to really cherish…it made me think of how I had piles of stuffed animals and how lucky I was to be able to fully experience child hood and keep my innocent perception to the world. These kids have not only seen suffering, they have lived it.

So my placement at the school finishes at around 12:00 because that’s when they finish school so I’ve decided to do some projects of my own.I’ve started painting an entire orphanage which is so awesome…everyone is so excited that we are doing that!  Yesterday the children joined in to help us and we were all jamming to music..it was amazing.

Side note…in the past couple weeks I have accepted that by the end of every day I will be filthy. The kids love using my skirt as a napkin. One kid the other day wiped his boogers on my face! In the same day I had a kid on my shoulders and he let one rip…on my neck! To top it all off a little boy fell in dog poop and ran into my arms for comfort. It was everywhere! In all honesty at the beginning it sucked…but I have realized that these kids need to be loved…dirty or clean, I am going to do that.

A couple days ago at placement I found out the background story of all the kids at the school. Let’s just say I’m in tears just thinking about it. There is so much need for help…so much to do. I feel a bit helpless but I know it’s not about how much you do but how you do what you do. The teacher at my school told me that when we die got isn’t going to ask us how much we had or how good our job was..he is going to ask what we have done for our brother and sisters in need. There is a little boy named Living at my school that is actually the cutest kid…he was burnt extremely bad a couple years ago and spent a whole year in the hospital…his parents have no more money to get the surgery to fix his legs that still cause him pain and extreme agitation. Please pray for this little boy. It’s crazy how such a little kid can go through something like that and be more happy and smiley than most kids I know back home.

By the way. I met this amazing 16 year old girl at the orphanage im painting named Lilly…she makes clothes and bags and I got her to make me a skirt and a dress so I can support her…it turned out amazing so I was thinking of having her make a bunch of bags and skirts and then selling them back home to give her a source of income..i would love to hear feedback about what people think of my idea. If anyone thinks they would want a bag or something please let me know! I found out just 2 days ago that Lilly has been infected by HIV since birth…I took it pretty hard for only knowing her for such a short time. For someone with such an illness she really has an incredible outlook on life.

I’ve been so busy lately but I’m going to put in a solid effort to blog more because there always stories to tell!

Miss and love you all!!

Monica!!

Live your life with arms wide open.

I know i just put up a blog post...but I just needed to tell you guys about what happened this morning. I have tears in my eyes while writing this (happy tears of course).

I walked to my placement this morning and to my surprise no kids came out to jump me..I found out from someone that school was cancelled for the rest of the week...so I think I'm going to be volunteering at an orphanage this week...which is extremely exciting!! Anyways...so I had 4 hours of free time and so instead of walking home i decided to explore a bit..I found this amazing spot that is so beautiful. There was a big rock overlooking this river that was breathtaking...its hard to explain what it looked like but it felt like i was living in a post card. I was able to really reflect on what I had seen so far and just be silent for a bit. I realized more than ever how beautiful life is in that moment. I wish i could take out these feelings i have and put them into words but it is simply to indescribable. I realized that I have my whole entire life ahead of me...and I have the freedom to whatever Id like to. I feel like I have a book that's completely blank in front of me and I get to decide whats put in it. Which is a little terrifying..but mostly incredible. I am shaking with excitement right now. How beautiful life could be if you put aside your fears and went after your dreams. The possibilites are endless.

Ok sorry for the ramble...moving on... So I left the rock and started walking back home...of course i got a little lost...typical monica...but thats ok...getting lost is half the fun. and out of no where a little girl from my nursery school runs up to me! Her names Coletta and shes an absolute doll. She brought me to her home where the rest of her family was...she has a sister named lucia, and brother named james, and older sister named anna, her grandma named anna and her mom named Janet...they were so welcoming! They brought me into their house which was made of some sort of mud i think...It was small, it had no doors, no washroom, nothing fancy at all...but yet it felt like home. The language differences was a big problem...but I figured things out. The grandma changed Coletta into her Sunday dress to show respect towards me and I taught all the kids English. I gave all of them bracelets...and the grandma was freaking out and repeatedly thanking me...they kept looking at them with such gratefulness...it brought me back to all the gifts i had received and how i had received so much more than them and yet they were more grateful...for a little bracelet. Man, I have a lot to learn from these people. I made the kids little origami paper cranes and they loved it...they didn't put it down once. They gave me chai tea...which i have to admit was extremely hard for me to drink because it didn't taste like tea...and i have a sensitive gag reflex...but i got through it. As I was leaving the grandma gave a bag to Coletta and spoke Swahili to her...Coletta gave the bag to me and looking in it i found 8 chicken eggs. In that moment I was very touched and thought about how little they had and how they just shared everything with a random stranger. But it was not until I got home did i realize just how big that gesture was. I told the director what had happened and he looked so surprised. He got really excited and told me that receiving eggs here is a sign of ultimate respect and love. He explained how those eggs were meant to be chickens but since that family was so touched by me they chose to give the eggs to me instead. How can a poor family like that be capable of such love and generosity? How can they be so kind to a stranger? How can they give not only what they have but what they need to someone they just met? I'm so touched.

Sorry for such a long post! I just had so much to share!


LOVE!
Monica

Monkeys, sketchy bridges and lasting memories.

This passed weekend has been so great! Me and a couple friends went camping at the hot springs a little bit more than an hour away from us. We went on a walk and saw a ton of monkeys and a huge lizard (it looked like a baby crocodile), these birds that looked like toucans and other crazy stuff! We went across the sketchiest bridge ever.. so there were a couple things a little frightening about the bridge...first the planks of wood were thin and not sturdy, second at parts of the bridge there was barbed wire on the side so you couldn't even grab onto anything. It was awesome! The springs were so beautiful...the water came from mount Kilimanjaro and it was so clear that you could easily see the bottom of the springs!

On another note...I am really starting to appreciate the things that i took advantage of before i came here. Firstly Hot water. I think in 2 weeks I have only had 2 warm showers..and it really makes me realize how blessed i was to be able to have that. majority of people do not have such a luxury. Secondly...Laundry. Oh My. Hand washing clothes i have learnt can be quite the mission. It doesn't seem that hard but when you have to wash the nice dark African dust and dirt off of all your clothes it takes a long time! Not to mention its back breaking work. Oh and of course i need to iron all my clothes because there are these lovely bugs called mango flys that lay eggs in your clothing which then hatches on you and goes into your skin. Dont think Im complaining though! I actually like it. I want to live simply..I don't want to have luxury's..i want to experience how other people live...and to be honest i like it better than how i usually live in Canada.

I think I could picture myself living in a third world country some day. I love the lifestyle and culture. So happy, layed back, so grateful for what they get and so generous with what they have. Peoples attitudes towards life here is so beautiful. Ive seen the poorest people with the biggest smiles. It shows that having material objects does nothing for your happiness..in fact i think if you get to caught up in it..it can have the opposite affect. anyways i could go on rambling...but I have a lesson plan to teach.!

Love you all!! :)

Monicaaa!

Reasons why I can't stop smiling.

Ever since I got to Africa I have been so happy. Of course there has been some days where I really felt so heart broken because of some of the hardships i see people going through on a regular basis..but the joy i see these people have is so special and the hope that I have in my heart for a brighter future for these people fills me with peace.

reasons why I am so happy (there are so many i thought making a list would be easier.)
-I am in Africa. :P
-The new friends i have made
-Everyday is a new adventure
-I love how everyone is so grateful for what they have
-people are so kind and friendly
-I haven't had to eat fish once
-I was able to have a warm shower today
-I haven't caught malaria.
-I am constantly around people who have the same passions as me
-the kids are ridiculously amazingly adorable (i think im going to adopt them all)
-Im constantly learning new things
-I always have an opprotunity to help people
-the weather is perfect
-I had grilled cheese for lunch today.
-nothing makes me happier than helping someone.
-the fact that i could write tons more.


I could go on but I never get much time on the computer. Really quick i will tell you about my last 2 days. Yesterday was great! I learnt how to make a batic painting...which is so amazing. I made one (with some help) and it actually didnt turn out that bad! In the evening we learnt traditional african dance...which was super awesome...im always down for a dance party.
Today was great though! at my placement I got strips of paper and got the children to draw what they wanted to be when they grew up...from soccer players, to a stay at home mom..I realized that these kids had big dreams just like me...these kids are all so inspiring. After they were done i make them into links to make a paper chain for classroom decoration...the teacher was fascinated by the concept :P
ok, I gotta get off the computer..ive been on too long as it is!

Love,

Monica..

Crazy shenanigans

Jambo! (hello!)  It is absolutely crazy how friendly everyone is. By the end of the day my mouth hurts from smiling at people so much. We have weekends off and i had a great relaxing weekend. I did the most epic thing the other day! I went motorcycling around the base of Mount Kilimanjaro!! Me and this friend I met went through little paths, and villages and went to a local restaurant that had a crazy amount of food. Guess how much it costed? 60 cents. And the food was actually pretty good! I also bought fabric because we met this little girl at an orphanage that makes clothes...and shes looking for business so I'm going to get her to make me some stuff! Its pretty amazing.

Today at placement was amazing. The kids were awesome! I taught them a bunch of songs and i brought my speakers and we had a dance party! Its crazy how different the culture is here. A kid got a cut on his lip and I jumped up right away to help and the local teacher told me it was fine and just wiped up the cut with the kids shirt :P ...no bandaids...no washing...it was crazy.

Theres this little girl named brenda...and she is adorable. She sat on my lap for the longest time...she lives next door to me. She likes to eat rocks, and run around naked...haha, she ma girl.

Miss y'all !

First day at eliroy Nursery school!

I had my first day of placement yesterday and it was amazing! I'm teaching the kids English, math, crafts, games, songs and more! I was supposed to only be observing the first day but the teacher asked me to teach a lesson of some kind...so i had to think on my feet! I taught them a counting song and played Monica says to teach them different verbs...they were actually getting it by the end! The kids are AMAZING, I drove in on the first day and all the kids were chanting "teacher teacher teacher" and they had a welcome song and signs for me...it was so cool! The kids were so cute it was unreal. By the end of the day i had kids that were pretty much attached to me by the hip...as i was leaving i had kids singing goodbye for about 5 minutes! I could tell that all these kids wanted was to be loved. They just wanted someone to pay attention to them, to hug them, to care about them...and that is what i am planning on doing.

In other news! I met a local friend named Duncan...and he said something that was pretty neat the other day..he took my arm and took his arm and put them together and said we may be different colors but if we get cut we still bleed the same. I thought that was pretty neat. Its crazy that Ive only been here for a week, Ive already met so many amazing people and made a lot of new friends.

Hope everything is good for everyone back home! you guys are in my thoughts and prayers!

Monica!

The moments that take your breath away.

Today was absolutely unbelievable. We went to this tribal village in the middle of no where. The tribe was called the Maasai tribe. They are an extremely poor tribe and they live in an area that has absolutely nothing around it. No water, no hospitals, no proper roads..they live off just animals. drinking their blood and milk and eating their meat. About only 3 people had any form of education and the rest didn't speak any English...which was brutal because my Swahili sucks! They lived in small mud huts. One of the villagers showed me where he slept and it was the smallest hut..you wouldnt even be able to spread your legs out fully.

After another villager brought me into a hut where a baby had been for just a couple days before...and before i knew it the baby was in my arms. Looking down at that beautiful baby I couldnt help but think about how innocent and precious it was and how such a little thing had been thrown into a world that me and so many others will never be able to understand. the suffering, pain and hardship that that baby will probably have to endure...i will never be able to comprehend. That baby will have to grow up way faster than i can even imagine..it makes me feel so blessed to have had such an amazing care free childhood.

Its crazy how the villagers still managed to be happy. They greeted us with smiles and joy...how can someone in their situation have such a happy out look on life? These people have changed me. Appreciate all that you have because someone somewhere far or close is appreciating life with a lot less.

To end on a happy note...I got taught a local tribal dance! They asked me to come up and they put this thing around my neck and i was in the middle of all of them...and we started dancing and singing their traditional dance. It was absolutely incredible.

My first day at the nursery starts tomorrow! I will be teaching children from the ages 3 to 7 ...Im a tad bit nervous so wish me luck! :)

Love you all!

Monica!