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Hey everyone I'm sorry it's taken me so long to update my journal again-it's been a hectic few weeks! You wouldn't believe how fast time seems to fly by here...
Things are going really well at the orphanage (i'm still the worst teacher in the world but you soon realise that just speaking in English helps them learn and giving the kids hugs and attention makes them so happy that I really feel I'm doing my bit!) Last week i was teaching Standard 0 in the mornings (the babies!! So cute!) and then Standard 2 in the afternoon. Although the kids are all lovely and amazing the combination of those two classes nearly drove me mad! Haha! With standard 2 i'd explain something and say to them 'put your hand up if you understand' and no one would put their hand up so then i'd say 'put your hand up if you don't understand'..again no hands...'ok put your hand up if your listening to me' and suprise suprise.. no hands!! Oh well! I think they were just bored of me! so on friday i decided to play hangman with them which they loved and were really good at and then we played Alice Says (Basically Simon says) which they were really rubbish at but found absolutely hilarious... especially when i said 'Alice says do a dance' and then attempted to shake my booty like an African.. they were all hooting with laughter and kept saying 'teacher dance dance!' So that was good fun! Have realised that standard 0 absolutely love Dr Zeuss (is that how you spell it) but we only have the green eggs and ham book so we read that everyday and i think we all know the words off by heart!!
Unfortunately some of the kids haven't been very well recently.. there was an outbreak of mumps that seemed to hit most of the kids and then a batch of malaria and urinary tract infections. It's really hard to see the kids poorly because they're just made to get on with it.. going to school and doing their chores. Some of the really ill ones went to the hospital with Patrice from the orphanage and one of the volunteers. she said all the doctor did was look at them across the table and then take blood, urine and stool samples, he didn't even take their temperatures which just seemed crazy! So we're not really sure if they actually do have malaria or if the test is just showing up an infection from before.. the little ones have really bad snotty noses all the time and have started crying alot for no reason (which they never used to do) so I'm starting to get quite worried about them. I just want to put them to sleep because they only get about 7 hours a night and nothing during the day! Crazy! But I was talking to a German doctor doing his internship at the hospital and he says it's the same there.. the culture's so different it's frustrating but there's not really alot you can do about it, you just have to fit in! So that's what we're all trying to do!
Our house is still not brilliant, we don't get electricity between 6.30am and 6.30pm but that's the whole of our village not just us and there's often no water in some of the houses (mine luckily hasn't had that problem yet so I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping it won't happen!)
The mwanza social scene is alot different to what i expected.. plenty of parties and nights out and yet nothing ever seems to cost much at all! Most of the parties have free food and alcohol and there's always music and dancing which is what i love the most about all the people i've met here.. everyone just wants to have a good dance! there's a funny mix of people ranging from teachers (paid) at the international school, volunteers, pilots, drillers/miners and medical researchers! So it's cool to meet lots of different people! Have made good friends with some pilots who have a really nice house on the other side of town (hot water, electricity, tv!!) and they often have kareoke nights which are great fun..just feel sorry for the neighbours!
Anyway I best be off... I'm trying to find out information at the travel agencies about safaris, flights, gorilla tracking etc and they close over lunch (typical!!) so should run! will update the journal again soon!
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