Small Steps and a Missing iTouch

My walk to Rubona.    

     Monday was a reflective day. I thought a lot about the support that I need and where I can get it while I’m here, living far away. Still working on solutions, which I think will take some time. 

     For the first time this year I met with the Tutoring Club. Expecting to have only 16 students, I walked into a room of 30. Lots of people to get to know but I’m looking forward to getting to meet people in smaller, more intimate settings. When I walked into the room the students where sitting in rows, as if ready for a lecture. My style is circles, so I asked that we make a circle. A little uncomfortable with this, the students pulled chairs into a circle. We went around, introduced ourselves and said an interesting fact. I could tell the students were not used to this informal, intimate and friendly set-up. We talked about the history of the club, how it was run last year and ideas for this year. Most of the students sat in silence when I asked questions. However, there were a few that participated in the discussion. It was really refreshing to speak fluid English and not talk really slowly to make sure I enunciate every word. Some of these kids have better English than most of the staff. I hope that my time with them can help push them to be more vocal and explore the myriad of ways in which they can learn outside the classroom. And maybe this can start to be my intellectual outlet.

     Speaking of English, Yvette’s English has been rapidly improving. It’s really exciting to be able to have more varied conversations with her. Apparently she is one of the biggest challenges in her family: really closed off and sad. The cousin in her family recognized that Yvette feels really comfortable with me so she approached me to ask if I would be willing to find out more of her background in order to be better equipped to support her. Of course I told the cousin that I want to help and am more than willing to be a resource. It means a lot that other people have recognized the affect that I have on some of these students. I hope that throughout the year I can be a big resource and support for Yvette. It’s one of my big missions. 

     Tuesday morning I woke up to find my iTouch missing. Struggling to find ways to connect to people back home, I have become very attached to my iTouch and its ability to send texts to American cell phones. So you can only imagine, that I was quite a mess when I couldn’t find it. I spent an hour looking all over my room, removing my sheets, and looking under by bed and the house. Upset and freaking out, I decided to take a breather and head to Rubona to grab a cup of hot  milk and a piece of cake.

     When I got to Rubona the town was bustling. It was market day. Apparently the morning is the best time to get to the market. There were hundreds of people, all searching for the freshest fruits and vegetables. I bought some bananas, as per usual. I even found a beet! Not sure how I’ll cook it since I don’t have an oven, but I’m sure I’ll use my creative culinary skills.

     I went to my local hot milk store. I like to call it the “Bakery” since it has the most variety of baked goods. Not sure where it’s made, but they have lots of options. I got a hot cup of milk (this time with one scoop of sugar instead of the three that the woman put in last time), a ciapatti and an amandazi. I sat in the small store and read my book. Apparently you don’t stay in those places long because five different groups of people ate their food and left in the span of time that I was there. It sort of felt like I was in a coffee shop, reading and relaxing; it was very refreshing.

     After feeling like I may have overpaid my visit, I headed back to the Village. At the beginning of my walk back, a few young kids in their school uniform (green dress with a yellow shirt underneath) started to follow me. Quickly the number multiplied and 20 kids were following me. The kids must have been between the ages of three and five-years-old. As I was walking I ran into another one of the volunteers, Jennifer. She started laughing. She said it looked like I was leading a parade. Up until then I was still upset about not being able to find my iTouch so I wasn’t reaching out to people and talking to them. But after she pointed out how sweet it was that these kids were following me, I decided to breath and see the bigger picture of happiness. As I continued walking back, I decided that I would let them hold my hands. At one point I was holding three different kids hands. Along the walk there was an ambulance that raced by. Without thinking I pulled the kids to the side to get out of the way. I felt so motherly at that moment.

     As I walked back the number dwindled till I was down to four kids (kids went home as we passed their houses). People that were walking towards us to head to Rubona were beaming with happiness. They were so happy watching the kids smile with excitement to be walking with a white girl. When I got back to the Village the kids were sad that I had to leave. The waited as they watched me walk away with a big smile on my face. While I walked back to my room, I realized that I was wearing green and yellow sunglasses. I fit in perfectly with my new little friends.

     When I got back to my room I again looked for my iTouch. As soon as moved my bed I spotted it on the ground. Overcome with relief, I realized that my initial reaction to losing it might have been a bit extreme. Recognizing the little things that make people here smile, I felt spoiled. I am trying to learn how to be happy with the small things in life, but giving up communication with family and friends is something that will be the last thing that I give up.

     By the way, the woman in charge of Professional Skills loved my proposal! Looks like I’ll be running a program complete with leadership skills, empowerment and mentoring skills. Success? I think so. I’m really excited!