All Alone...

           Today was my first full day on my own… but really, on my own!  Sara is on her way back to Chicago for Grace and Carlos’ Wedding and today my teacher didn’t show up, AGAIN!  I am starting to think that something is up because my teacher does not come to school very often or so it seems.  When I woke up this morning, no offense to Sara, I really enjoyed my morning.  I hit snooze from 5:45am until 6:18am when I finally rolled out of bed and got in the bath.  Then I took my time getting ready, reading, the bathroom was open at any moment I wanted, and wandering because NO ONE was home.  Humphrey left before I even got up this morning, Savour is gone at school as well as Marvin, and mama Sylvia never greets us in the morning because it is to early for her. Then I made my lunch and had left over noodles for breakfast.  I went to school to find my great morning not so great any longer.

            For the first 5 minutes I freaked out because I was left alone again and then I remembered back to the other days I have been left by myself and realized it is not that big a deal.  I survived once, yes with tears, but therefore I can and will survive again except today was tear free.  After the initial shock of being by myself, not having Sara there, and not having our “head teacher” or principal there, things got better and we had a good day.  Today I made up a music lesson on the spot where I played the students all different kinds of music.  We listened to Dolly Parton and The Dixie Chicks to Aerosmith and Bon Jovi to Kanye West and Usher to Justin Bieber and GLEE to Mary Mary and Kirk Franklin to Michael W. Smith and the North Park Worship CD, and then ending with Slap D and Mackey II, which is Zambia Dance music.  The kids sang and danced; they even gave me blank faces and asked me to switch the song on a few.  It was really fun to hear them identify instruments and voices as well as simply sing English songs.  Who would have thought that Justin Bieber would make it all the way to a little village in Africa! Ha.

            After school today, I sat with the teachers and did a short training.  Once we finished that I got to spend a good hour and a half at the orphanage with Joanna, Jane, Patricia, and Mavis.  I am in the middle of teaching them a few new songs for church.  Jane is the one who leads the Praise Team and so they picked out a few songs like: I Call You Faithful, All The Glory Belongs to You, Revelation Song, and My Life is in you Hands (or as Joanna called it today, “My Life is in Your Land”)!!!! Haha.  We all started laughing soooooo hard when Joanna said that and then we started making jokes about it!  Those girls…  they are just too funny!  The day started well and it ended well!

UPDATES: 

-       *     Praise Em!  We finally got water today after not having it for 6 days!  We have not been able to feed the students at school because we have not had water all week but the men came after school today and fixed it so tomorrow we should be all set!  FINALLY!

-       *     Tuesday we had a tickling match of Joanna, Jane, and myself against Mavis, Patricia, and Sara.  When I was chasing Patricia, I slipped on the rug and hurt my hand.  Today, the bruise on the lower part of my thumb is going away and the swelling has gone down! Ha.  Better me hurt than someone else, and yes, I probably deserved it! ;o)

Love, SLE