So I was going to do a blog about how great it was to have arrived back Upendo... However, I’ve procrastinated so much that I’m actually leaving in 3 days, so it’s now more of a general summary of my 3rd visit! Obviously I loved seeing all the kids again and they seemed excited too. Well, apart from Edina who ignored me for at least 2 hours before acknowledging my existence. It’s all part of her charm, I suppose! It’s also great to see that their English has significantly improved again. Although they have developed the ability of using sarcasm now - not sure how I feel about that! Joice and Ema both seem very settled now that they are living back with their families. Fortunately they are still very much involved with Upendo though.
We’re making very good progress at site. I’m clearly not capable of the hardcore manual labour, so Kat and I have been allocated the role of interior designers. Despite Eric finding the mere suggestion that I could be trusted to paint absolutely hilarious, I'm actually quite proud of our artistic masterpiece!
Chris and I have also been helping out at Under Umbrella City, which is Joshua’s primary school. After a somewhat rocky start, we are actually being very productive and hopefully making a positive contribution to their school. For entertainment purposes, I will just clarify that by ‘rocky start’ I mean that I was left alone, completely unprepared, to teach a class of about 50 4 year olds that couldn’t speak a word of English. To make it even more agonizing, it was only their second day of school ever, so half of them were crying. The other half nearly joined in when I mistakenly picked up the cane thinking it was a prop that I could use to point to numbers on the wall! As a result, we have decided that it would be more beneficial to teach the older children who can speak some basic English! We have also been helping the teachers develop their English and giving them some advice on teaching techniques. Needless to say, alternatives to the cane have been suggested and were actually quite well received. I actually have a lot of respect for the Headmistress there. She has a very difficult job and unfortunately her dreams for the school exceed her budget. I also like her because she shows her appreciation by giving me a random meal like boiled eggs, biscuits and cold, black and sugarless coffee!
I’m all wali maharage and konyagi’d out for now, but a 4th visit to Upendo is definitely on the cards!