Old Friends

So after arriving at the guest house, it was time to move that ton of material from the van into the common room (for those of you who have stayed at the guest house before, the dining room and the common room have been swapped; more room for eating, less room for suitcase storage) sort through it to find the "right" material to bring for our first teaching day (Friday morning), then repackage our supplies by type (crayons with writing and office supplies, paper, clothes, soccer uniforms and equipment, ...)

We made a quick trip to the mall for money changing (k5050 per dollar), shopping for school snacks and cell phone purchases. Later we hosted Molly and the SWAAZ team, Jane, and Dr. Chilanga for lunch. Dr. Chilanga brought 80 copies of his latest book geared for young adolescents concerning AIDS and HIV. No waiting at the printer's facility this year!

Off to Garden Compound where we were welcomed by Daniel, and as we walked through the gate into the school grounds, the school moms began singing and dancing to welcome us. For us there were many familiar faces, but the children especially remembered Amy and Maria who taught there last year. The younger children put on a performance to honor us before Dick presented each of the graduates with a certificate from CWB, and Dr. Chilanga presented each graduate with his book. The school moms put on a skit about a drunken unfaithful husband whose became sick and ultimately dies of AIDS; the good news is that their daughter is taken in by relatives who "must quickly register her in the local school so that CWB can help facilitate her education". A sad story with a good ending, and a lesson for the kids to in practicing good marital relations including save sex when they grow up.

Returned to the guest house in time for a quick walk around the block, dinner and sharing time. The suitcases are jam packed with school supplies ready for tomorrow's first day of teaching.