pre-school / Dar es Salaam

Jambo!

I know I'm starting almost every blog entry with that phrase 'Time is flying!'. But time IS flying! I can't believe that the 1st term of pre school will be over in just 2 weeks. We are already in the middle of our exams. But more about that later.

The last 2 months I have been working with Top Class at Hope Land pre-school. My children are all between 5 and 6 years, or at least they should be around that age. Apparently its not very common in Uganda to have a birth certificate so we don't really know the real age of most of the kids. But anyways, they did a great job! The focus of the last weeks was to teach the children how to read. We did about an hour or two every day where we practiced to read short words. It was sometimes hard for those little ones to concentrate for such a long time but most of them were so eager to learn. At the beginning my co teachers were teaching those reading lessons because I was just responsible for the bible time in the morning and for health and social development. But just because I didn't like how they taught the children I tried to do those lessons for one week and since the children improved a lot during this time the teachers wanted me to teach reading for the rest of the term. I can't tell you how I loved those lessons. It was so amazing to see how the children could read more and more words each day.

Besides reading we focused also on art. We made little books out of paper so the kids could draw in them. Its just ridiculous that you can't find exercise books without lines for drawing here in Uganda. But anyway, every day after the bible time we give them time to draw what we talked about. So its not just art it's as well helping them to remember all the important things I teach them about God and his wonderful creation.

Most of the children that come to Hope Land pre-school are sponsored by people from the west. So some are just coming from very poor family and others are orphans who live with relatives or other people who 'take care' of them. But the money that comes from the sponsors just covers the school fees (100.000 Ugandan Schillings per term, that is about 30€). But there is so much more in life than education. For most of those children, there is nobody who is really taking care of them in the sense of providing enough food, providing clothes and shoes or just loving them and taking time for them. I can see it every day that those children suffer. Some come dirty to school, some without shoes, many come starving and almost all of them come with a hungry heart for love. So it didn't take me long to figure out what the children need even more than someone who can teach them how to read or write - someone who really cares about them. It means so much to them when I just hug them and ask them how their night was. I know there are some children who don't get food from home so I always share my food for break time with them so that they get some extra bread and tea. Its so cute but heartbreaking as well how much gratefulness they show me for this little food. Some of the children have never seen plasters. So one time one of the boys hurt his leg while climbing a tree during break time. When he came crying to me I gave him a plaster. As soon as it was stick on his leg he stopped crying. He was fascinated. Now every time when someone gets hurt they come to me for the 'brown thing'. It just takes a second and they smile again. Then they have to show everyone what they got from me. It just shows me how little things can make them happy. I guess I will buy a bunch of plasters for them before I go home.

Every one of my 34 children has its own sad story. But one boy really captured my heard. His name is Marvin Ssenyonga. He lives in a tiny village very close to Hope Land, about 5 minutes to walk from the pre-school. In his village he is well known as the son of the crazy mom. The crazy mom actually is his grandmother and she is mentally ill. He lives as well with his grandfather. Apparently he is a soldier and is working 12 hours a day. Nobody knows his father and his mother died some years back because a venomous snake bit her. So it seems like that Marvin is just living on his own. Every morning as soon as the sun is rising he is coming to school. On his own. Without shoes or school books. When ever we gave him school books his grandmother was using them to make fire. Before I knew his story it was so hard working with him. It was so difficult for him to be attentive and to do what I told him to do. He would always beat other children and steal their stuff... I just didn't know what to do with him. All the other teachers were complaining about him and telling him that he is stupid. It was hard not to do the same. But all Marvin needed to chance was love. One day I just started to give him attention. I listened to him and tried to sit next to him when we did activities in the circle. I just smiled at him and told him that he would be a clever boy. From that day on Marvin and me became friends. Because I showed him love he gave it back a 100 times. Whenever a child is sitting in my space now he comes and cases it. When someone has taken my pen he is the one running from child to child to find it. When I tell him now to keep quiet and participate he is trying his best. I could not believe it. He has improved so much. He is even able to read some letters now and he learned how to copy from the blackboard. He always tries to be the first who finishes the work. My co-teachers where both asking me what I did to him. When I told them that I just started to be nice to him they could not believe it. Even the teachers he had last year saw the big change in him. Some weeks back I began to invite Marvin to stay longer after class to do homework together. I thought giving him new books all the time would not be the best thing to do. It turned out to be a very good idea to do homework together. Since he didn't have to do work on his own any more he managed to do homework without any mistakes. And it seems like Marvin loves this time we have together, just us two. Almost every day he is trying to get the other children out of class before school even ends just because he wants to sit with me alone and do homework.

At the beginning of this entry I mentioned that we are in the middle of our exams right now. Isn't it weird that 5 and 6 year olds have to do exams? But I have to tell you even in baby class where kids are between 2.5 and 4 years they have to do exams. It is just ridiculous! I haven't done that amount of exams in a week in primary or secondary school. And they have to do it after each term (there are 3 terms in a school year). Last week we had exams every day for 2 hours. Each day we had another subject. I really don't know how they all managed to concentrate for such a long time. Most of the children did great! There were just a few who struggled seriously. I tried to help them as much as possible so that they would pass the exam in the end. Because my co-teachers have been sick since last week I was marking pretty much all the exams. I can't tell you how exhausted I was at the end of the week!

My boyfriend Ben, who is still busy with working on the webpage, visits me and my children whenever he gets free time. He is a great help and the children just love him. I'm always so grateful to have him in my class because then I'm not the only white person in the school anymore. When Ben's father, Peter, came to visit us in Uganda, about two weeks ago, he joined us as well for one day. The children where so excited to have 'Father Ben' around and when Peter gave them some presents they just ran around in class because they were so happy. For children in Africa it's just so special to see white people and when they even get gifts – that's almost to much! Even Peters visit is now some weeks back they still ask me how 'Teacher Peter' is doing and if he is coming again to visit them.

this are some colour pencils my kids got from Bens father

When Ben's father came to visit us we traveled to Dar es Salaam (a big town at the coast of Tanzania) for some days. Some of Ben's relatives from Canada are Missionaries there. Ben's cousin and her husband are working in a christian school there since September last year. It was very nice to get to know them and to hear what God is doing there. Because Dar es Salaam is very hot (about 40 degrees during day time) we went to the beach almost every day. It was amazing to see the Indian ocean and to get refreshed during that hot time. While we were there I missed my class so much! It was so good to come back to them after all and to get away from that horrible heat on the same side.

After the 1st term in pre-school will be over, Ben and me will travel to Soroti. I loved my time there last year so I can't wait to see all my friends and especially the children I was teaching back then again. The base leaders of YWAM Soroti asked Ben to help them with their webpage as well so that's the reason why Ben will join me this time. But besides that he is very curious to see the very place I miss so much.

After our trip to Soroti the time to go home will be almost there. We are going to reach Vienna, Austria, on the 1st of June at around 5pm. I am very exited to see all of you again soon. But I know it will be so hard to leave Africa. Therefore I'm planing to come for a short visit in December, just to see my class graduate and to be at my friends wedding. If you are interested to see 'my world' just for some weeks please contact me for more infos. I would be more than happy to have some of you joining me. It would be a life changing experience for you! 

Before I end this blog entry I want to thank all of you for prayers! I managed to get another visa so now I don't need to think about that any more! Thanks to God! Even though I got a cold twice it has not been too bad, I could recover quickly, so thanks as well for praying for my health!

Much love from Uganda,
Rafiki

P.S.: Most of the pictures have been taken by Peter Falk (Ben's father). Thanks a lot!