African Life

African life is starting to feel normal to me. Its hard for me to remember if things that happen are unusual or not. Something that will never get old is being treated like a celebrity. We went to a school on Friday and we each had at least 10 kids holding onto our arms and stroking them. They couldn't believe we were real, they looked at us like they finally met Santa. The kids know very little English but all scream "mzungu, mzungu how are you?!" perfectly.

We went and explored a slum called Mooni after work last week and all the kids were running out to follow us on the street and hold our hands. Not everyone is a fan of mzungus thought, the baby's usually start bawling because we are so scary. Ha Its going to be a major adjustment when I get home and don't get the same response.

I had some crazy experiences this week. I volunteered in the maternity ward at the hospital and watched two live births. The room we were working in had 8 women lying on tables in labor. They were all dead silent not even a grunt from any of them. I was cleaning a wall next to one of the them and i look over not even 2 minutes later and she has a baby on her chest. She delivered right in front of me and I hadn't even noticed. I was stunned. African women are tough.

I have also started working at an orphanage where children go after their mother dies and their father leaves them. The kids are 2 weeks old to 2 years old. It is so hard to be there but I have fallen in love with some of the kids and somehow end up going back again and again.

Godfrey is a 6 month old who looks as if he is 2 months old. They have very little staff at the orphanage so he sits on a mat most of the day and sucks his thumb while shaking his head side to side to comfort himself. The are so starved of love and I wish so badly they could find good homes. The babies are not as responsive as other children and many are very sick. They don't have diapers so they sit most of the day in a soiled towel. It is a devastating situation but makes me want to do all i can to help prevent this problem.

Africa is amazing, I have moments where I look around and realize where I am and can't help but say a prayer of gratitude that everything worked together to put me here this summer.