I'm not going to lie, I'm having a hard time remembering what I did this morning. I definitely remember not wanting to wake up. We did preschool, which apparently I'm teaching tomorrow - because both Tina and Sandra are gone. So this is a maybe, I might recruit someone else to do it. Let's see, during my break after preschool, I read my Bible and made a sandwich. (Wow, boring day - I apologize) Afternoon playtime was pretty calm as well, I only had a couple of the boys cling to me. I love when that happens because then I'm able to just sit down, and have them content on my lap. I then read my Bible some more, and then I had to go downstairs to watch the boys nap. The Mama's have been doing bible study (I think I mentioned this), but since they're doing that - they need someone in the room with the boys. They were great when they were sleeping, but as soon as they woke up - all of them.. no one felt the need to listen to Auntie Laura. However, we're never down there during that time, so I had no idea what to do with them. But, half of the volunteers got to go on a boat ride yesterday, and the other half got to go today. So instead of doing the late afternoon playtime, Becky, Lauren, Emily, and myself went on a boat ride on Lake Victoria. Other visitors, and people who work with Amani came with as well. We walked down to the lake, which seems like a really poor community. The people's clothes were very tattered, they were dirty, the buildings/houses were kind of shanty. It was interesting, because almost the entire time I've been here, I haven't really seen poverty in this sense. I mean, I've seen poverty, but not a community full of it - at least not yet. It was definitely an area that depended on fishing though, there were plenty of wooden boats docked along the lake. The boat we went in was originally made for fishing, so apparently that's why it's so deep. Literally, more than half the boat was in the water, so when everyone was in it there seemed to be maybe only a foot and a half that was above water - a little freaky, especially when the boat was leaning more to one side. We stopped on a little island, which was located at the source of the Nile River - which is pretty cool. Never would I have ever thought I'd see the Nile River in my life. Sitting on this island was extremely relaxing, I would have been perfectly content just pulling out a book and reading there for hours. But, once we departed from the isle, we popped by another one to get a closer look at some birds, and these giant lizards. Then we saw some little gray monkeys, which was really neat. I always get really excited about seeing animals in the wild, even though I love zoos more than I probably should. There's just something about seeing an animal in its natural environment that pulls on my heart. Naturally though, I didn't bring my telephoto lens because I knew that we were going on a rickety boat, and I didn't want to risk anything. So, needless to say, I don't have awesome photos of the wildlife - which I'm kind of upset about.. anyway, once we got back to land and were heading back to Amani, we had to pass through the little community again and Lauren and myself got sidetracked by all of the local children. As I've mentioned before, they just love cameras, so we were taking tons of photos of all of them, and I seriously could not believe the amount of laughter that came from these children. And that, right there, made me fall in love with them a tremendous amount. Seeing where they lived, and seeing everything I would consider them to lack - but hearing their laughter and seeing their smiles does wonders to someone's heart. As dirty as they were, they were beyond beautiful. I'm just in awe every time I come across an experience like this. I'm so blessed to have this opportunity for God to open my eyes and heart to new things, and new perspectives like this. All I can say is, thank You. Take a look at what I found there, the environment and the children obviously (because I can never get enough of them):
(@ Jinja - local child)
(@ Jinja - the lake community's doors)
(@ Lake Victoria - massive sky)
(@ Lake Victoria)
(@ Lake Victoria Island - our boat)
(@ Jinja - beautiful girl)
(@ Jinja - shops and homes)
(@ Jinja - the children and myself)
(@ Jinja - the children)
(@ Jinja - the children)
(@ Jinja - little boy)
When we got back to Amani around 6.00pm, they were already getting ready for the bonfire we were having. Every single visitor/team came on over for a bonfire and rolex. Mama Cook's rolex definitely beat every other rolex I've had in Jinja. I told Becky and Megan that I'd love to bring Mama Cook home with me - then Megan mentioned bringing her to school, which would be lovely! But, one of the teams brought new shoes for all of the kids, which is absolutely awesome.. however - these shoes have squeakers in the bottom. So, every time they take a step, it sounds like someone is playing with a dog toy. As cute as they may be on the kids, I'm not sure I'm really a fan. I at least know I would never buy those for my children, just for the sake of my own sanity. Especially because they know exactly what they do, and they take total advantage of it. All I could hear all night was little squeaks running around outside, it was kind of funny. Putting the kids to bed today was not a fun task. There were no Mama's, so the kids were completely out of control, not only because there were no Mama's but I think being spoiled all day had something to do with it as well. It took 4 people in my room to get the boys in bed. I can't even begin to imagine having to deal with that on my own! What a scary thought - honestly! But, it's now 12.35am, and I still have to shower. I hope you all enjoy the photos I've posted tonight, I wish I was able to upload more, but it would just take forever ): I also wish I could edit them before posting them on my blog. I decided to make them a little bigger, that way you're able to see them a little better! Have a good night! By the way, I'm almost 100% recovered from my cold, thank you for your prayers! (:
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