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June 3, 2005
I have been sick with the flu but am fine now and ready to go. Had a lot of fun with the kids today…I taught them to do the Hokey Pokey…a sight to see…I was playing with the preschool kids but before I knew it the older ones joined in….when we got to “First you put your BUM in, then you put your BUM out - then you shake it all about…you do the Hokey Pokey and turn yourself around” That’s what it’s all about…
I continue to be in awe of the younger volunteers here…one of them left yesterday -- her time was up…She is about 19 and I have only known her the past couple of weeks; she handed me a note with 200 Rand in it.(that is = to $30.00).
Maureen,
Please use this money to buy Sicelo a special cup and some stimulating toys/books or whatever you think would benefit him. (Sicelo is the severely handicapped 8 year old boy, who I told you about before – I work with him every other weekend on my shift, this volunteer did the alternate weekends.) I hope that you can get more involved with him because I think it would do him a lot of good and also I think that you’ll be great with him. Thanks, GemmaP.S. I’d love it if you could e-mail me and update me on his progress.
June 4, 2005
I have a story to share with you….it will probably make you cry as it did me. About a week ago a ten year old boy named Kwanele came and sat beside me while I was holding some babies on the steps in the front of the Crèche. Without realizing it, I began to scratch his back….I never thought anymore about it. Yesterday, after he got home from school, he came up to me and asked would I do what I did last week again to him. I was embarrassed because I did not remember; he reminded me that I scratched his back last week. I told him I would under one condition. I told him that he would have to take turns and do mine as well. He smiled and said, okay. I told him that I used to do this with my children. He wanted to know more about my kids…so I told him about them…he just smiled and continued to scratch. This went on for about 15 minutes then he asked how to spell my name and he wrote it on his hand, and he wanted me to write his name on the back of my hand. So I let him and he went on his way. Tonight at dinner time I was walking back to my house and he came running after me and handed me a note.
To: Maureen
I hope you are feeling better today and I hope God is with you and a very big hello you are so special to me. I hope you enjoyed the dance Lindsey and I did on Friday. I will keep you in my heart until I die and I won’t forget about you. With love from Kwanele Zulu
He included a hand drawn picture of us holding hands…the caption above the picture of him said, ‘thank you for being my friend’ and the caption above the rendition of me said, ‘your welcome’. (As you can imagine, I will cherish this forever).
June 5, 2005
We have a church service in the dinning room on Sunday mornings, all children are present. The service was in Zulu so I could not understand anything but I did enjoy all the children singing, there was a lot of hand clapping, swaying and movement, dogs walking in and out … I loved it all…hopefully I will learn the words and the movements while I am here.
I have been keeping a journal since I arrived here and when I read through it…I keep thinking….there is so much I still don’t know or understand …the only thing I know for sure is… God has a plan for me….. and He will reveal it to me on a need to know basis.
June 7, 2005
I am learning many new things, I now know how to give one of my babies in crèche a breathing treatment (Nebulizer) every day, she is real sick but doing better at the moment, they almost lost her a couple of months ago…she is precious, her name is Amanda…she is so tiny and frail for a two year old. The young staff buy extra food for her that they keep to fatten her up…it just warms my soul to watch their interaction with these special children. I am also learning to do physical therapy for the 8 year old boy I told you about who I keep every other weekend. We have added two more new volunteers to our house this past week…it has changed the house some but we will adapt I am sure.
I am still living out of my suitcases. We have very little personal space.
June 8, 2005
Just got in from work…I had a great realization of something tonight….the kids were a little on the wild side tonight …took a lot to give them all baths and put them to bed. I promised them a long story if they would calm down and be good….somehow after brushing teeth and getting them all in the right beds and cribs I read my story and they calmed down…they were being so good I stayed later and laid down with them and told the Gogo I would stay on a little later…I laid in the bed and sang every song I could think of…you guys know I could not hold a tune if my life depended on it but they seemed to love it…lights were out and I just laid there and sang and sang..Made up songs about Jesus loving them and me loving them…they atet it up. OK…I will get to the point…what I realized tonight was….there is no child here more or less needy…they don’t have to be real sick or have a real sad story…they are children just needing the comforting sounds of a mother…the simplicity of it all almost overwhelmed me when I realized this.
June 10, 2005
What a night! I will be working this weekend but today I worked the morning/afternoon shift …when I got off work I was able to hitch a ride with the locals that live and work here (it was payday for them) to the local grocery store…I got in the back of a very small pick up with benches and a cap with 6 other Zulu man going to do their shopping for the week. They were probably talking about me in Zulu but it really did not matter…I was going to a store…YES!!!
Another piece of heaven….for the first time I am alone in my house…this is three of my roommates weekend off and they are gone away, the others are working the night shift tonight….I am so enjoying being here by myself…I took a long shower, washed my hair and even cooked something to eat :>) I bought two red peppers and an onion and pasta at the store….oh, it tasted so good…even bought some potato chips for dessert…I have not had many snacks since I arrived…could not wait to get home and open the chips…my mouth was watering…but NO..I bought chips that were smoked beef flavor without realizing it…YUCK….so much for my snack.
Well it’s still early but I am going to bed anyway. I seem to be real tired at the end of the day and go to bed early here.
June 11, 2005
My weekends to work really wear me out….I keep the handicapped 8 year old boy on the weekends…Friday, Sat and Sunday…he can not walk so I have to carry him when I change his nappie (diaper) then if he spits up a lot I have to completely change his clothes…yesterday a physical therapist from the UK came to volunteer a day here to train volunteers that are working with special needs children, well I was included in that training. We were taught how to do therapy correctly and they had me sitting on an athletic ball holding Sicelo and jumping up and down…yes…I did not fit my big bum with his on this ball… we both went flying on to the floor…he very rarely makes any sounds and he actually laughed when this happened. I was quite embarrassed and told the therapist we would have to come up with alternative exercise when I have Sicelo on my weekends and leave that ball for the younger staff to do with him…..for an old lady like me by the time I get off work, I go home and crash…shower and to bed. He is a sweet sweet child… I love him, but he exhausts me.