I retired from teaching a variety of levels of Special Education classes about 11 years ago. I've now been teaching for a few weeks in a class of physically and mentally disabled teenagers in East Africa. I've found that kids are pretty much the same all over the world regardless of the language they speak, or the challenges they face!
In spite of incredible poverty, ragged school uniforms, little food, and having to take turns using our broken and well-worn pencils in our class, there is still incredible joy as a child begins to learn (even a tiny bit at a time)! Yesterday, we were outside in the thick red dust of our playground, playing our version of tag, when a herd of goats was suddenly herded through our game. Of course "my kids" simply spread out and continued playing around the herd, but I found it extremely funny!
At times, I tend to forget how much different my life is while I'm living in Africa. I untangled from my mosquito net this morning (a daily ritual) and flicked on the bathroom light. Of course there was no electricity --Hakuna! I then TRIED to turn on the water in the bathroom sink, but no water either. Oh Well! Our kitchen is close by and outside (most of our life is outside), so I filled a bucket with water and returned to my room for a "luxurious" bucket shower before leaving for work.
It is incredibly hot and dry here right now (daytime highs often in the upper 90s)-rain clouds often appear, but are seldom productive, and then the hot sun beats down again. Bright yellow weaverbirds are loudly chattering beside me. I write as they strip off thin long pieces of sugar cane "grass" for their intricate nests. Lizards stop to stare at me and then hurriedly continue on their errands. Our colorful rooster struts about -- vainly hoping to find a hidden treat somewhere, and our cat continues his game of sneaking up and traumatizing tiny lizards.
Our maize is starting to tassel, even our tomatoes, garlic, eggplant, peppers, and much more are producing heavily. I've found that I'm not exactly skilled at hand washing my clothes (my goal is no longer to make them spotless, just less grimy than they were)! Much of our "groceries" are delivered in large plastic buckets gracefully balanced on the heads of ladies. Produce and other items come in large wooden boxes on the back of bicycles or motorbikes. I attempted (one time) to balance something on my head the way most workers do, but quickly decided to leave that to the experts.
I love people watching all over the world. In our village, I'm fascinated by the variety of goods for sale carried in huge flat baskets on their heads or shoulders. You frequently see raw eggs (no, not refrigerated), dried beans, all sorts of fruits and vegetables, and sugar cane bits. Of course there are also used shoes, socks, and clothing for sale almost everywhere as well as tiny stalls selling bars of laundry soap, bottles of Fanta, aluminum cooking pots and even coconuts. There are even a few rickety wooden butcher stands with a few huge slabs of raw meat hanging on nails (no refrigeration here either)!
