learning patience.....and enjoying it here

To travel anywhere in this town you need to carry with you a copy of your passport.  Yesterday I received a notarized copy in full color.  This must be with me anytime I leave the house.  The passport itself is kept in a safe place.  For all the travels I have enjoyed, this is the first time I have needed to carry a copy of the passport.  Interesting….

I would love to take pictures of the people here but this is also something that cannot be done.  I don’t know if it is because so many come across the river from the democratic republic of Congo or if it has some other meaning but I can take pictures of the fish in the market but not the woman selling them.  Now in the schools where we volunteer, the kids love the pictures and we show them after taking them.  So hopefully the next generation will allow photos…..but I won’t be here…..

Today we are going to a school that is much closer to our homes.  This is also a Catholic school and we will teach crafts.  Thankfully the woman leading this effort, Mary Ann, is a retired 1^st grade teacher so very capable of making a plan that will help develop something new in these kids.  We are also going much later today so it will be much hotter.   I’ll let you know when we return…….

Back home and it was like a sauna in the classroom.    The kids were great and the craft was making a kite….coloring, cutting out, gluing and adding the tails…..took the full hour.  Some have such difficulty using the scissors.  They love the result though.  And the drivers have so much fun helping the children. 

Afterwards I went shopping for fruit and veggies with one of the ladies.  Found a squash, some type of melon, coconut milk, and lasagna noodles…..  Don’t even want to think of the cost.  At least we found these.  It is enjoyable getting to know the women here and learning from them as they have been here longer and know the ways to make things work best.

Still waiting to hear back from the woman re: community outreach….  One thing I am learning….and apparently not totally absorbed yet is patience……but there are things to do to keep busy and help out.  This is so much slower of a pace here than in California.  I always seemed to be racing around there…so in some ways this is very relaxing…..and good for a while…..Just hope the medical work can start soon.