First day of Swahili & the orphanage

Habari gani, ndugu?

This is a common greeting in Swahili: What kind of news, friend? Today we had our first day of Swahili class. The language is fun to learn, but very difficult to grasp as it is unlike anything any of us have ever learned. Our main instructor is Chuma, and our individual group leaders are Hanslloyd, Saloma, and Jackie. We first learned about the origins of Swahili: Bantu spreading all across Sub-saharan Africa and the many variations throughout. We started learning the various verb classes (there are 15) and some vocabulary before we split into smaller groups. This was the pattern throughout the rest of the day, among lunch, breaks, tea, etc. While everyone seemed mildly frustrated at times, we were able to laugh through our mistakes. I haven't learned a new language since Spanish in high school, and I forgot how much I love it... aside from exceptions to the rules.

At 4:00, we were done with school for the day and we had tea/coffee before heading to the orphanage. It was an absolutely beautiful walk there, where the sky seemed to go on and on and there were plants I have never seen before. We also passed several people along the way, the children greeting us by screaming, "wazungu!", which means "European" or "white person". We arrived to the orphanage and were greeted by a young boy about 3 years old sticking his hand through the gate and screaming for us. They were so excited we were here. Everyone walked in and started approaching children to play with them and hold them. I saw six toddlers on a double-bench swing being pushed by Monica. I figured I might as well bust out the bubbles, which led to an eruption of screams and giggles. With such a language barrier there, it was amazing what a good time we were all able to have playing. My bubbles were eventually carried away by two young enthusiastic boys and were never seen or heard from again.

While being at the orphanage was a lot of fun, it was very eye-opening as to the conditions orphaned children may face in countries less fortunate than ours. Many of them had cuts on their arms and legs, which flies landed on yet the children didn't even notice. While we often batted flies away from our face, they didn't even notice when one landed on their eye. From the beginning, one young boy insisted that I hold him. I never figured out his name, but I hope to see him again the next time I go back. He, like many of the other children, had wet their pants. This will definitely be one of the most rewarding but at the same time heart-wrenching parts of our stay.

Tomorrow, we have Swahili class in the morning but we are all pulling for the afternoon off so we can travel to a nearby village. We will be digging a hole for an outdoor bathroom for an HIV positive couple who have moved outside the village to live.

The computers here are ornary and we're having a hard time with laptops, but I'd like to try and post often and possibly upload some pictures while I'm over here. Everyone is healthy and well so far! Until later...