It's True

I've heard it before but didn't necessarily believe , but now there's no denying it. Africa gets under your skin and into your heart. I couldn't help but think  yesterday while driving around that this place in beautiful. The people, the landscape, the songs, the language, and the list could go on and on.

I spent the week just trying to get a feel for the routine and getting to know the kids. How can it be a bad day when there are 25 preschoolers and toddlers giving you hugs, fighting over who gets to sit in your lap, and endless smiles? They have asked me to come up with some sort of preschool curriculum in the mornings for our oldest kids. This week I just did the whole "fly by the seat of my pants" thing with no planning as I was getting to know the kids. And I will say, after I finish writing this I'm spending the rest of my day doing lesson plans. The kids need it, but mostly I do. haha! It went relatively well for the lack of planning on my part, but I'm going to spend some time looking for worksheets and games to help the kids learn the alphabet, numbers, and how to write their names. I'm going to start with those goals and hopefully get them accomplished. After spending the morning with the kids, we feed them lunch, they get a bath, and then its nap time. Each afternoon we have different things planned. I can already tell you that Tues and Wed are going to be my favorite days. On those days I get two hours to spend individually with any child. We can go to town, play, get a special snack. Just about anything so that for those two hours that child gets undivided attention. Its so important and they long for it! On my first outing, I took this cutie Zurita

I went with another volunteer, Amanda and Dembe. We had a great time going for a walk, eating ice cream. splashing in the pool, and relaxing. It was a really fun afternoon!

And this is Henry. I took him to town to get a sprite. He thought the carbonation was great and laughed after each drink! I have loved spending time with these precious children and can't believe that I get to do it for 7 more weeks!