But Madam, why do you love me so much?

How are you?
Friday, 23 April, 2010

HAPPY VACATION LORI!!!

Today we gave out reports! It feels so good to not have an responsibilities at school until the end of May. I’m tired! Kids are draining, but teachers are even more so. I got to school around 7, finished the little bit I had, helped another teacher who’d made a mistake on a stupid document that we can’t use white out on. But then I made a mistake too. Finally everything was done and we gave the reports at 11. That only took 3 hours of sitting around and waiting.

So after that long and boring morning, I took a nap. It was great. I got up an hour later to a wonderful phone call from Kerri and a walk to Nicky’s house. Of course she was the first person I went to visit on my vacation. We sat around, saw the very flooded river and then finally went to find Diketo who’d been sending me messages all day wanting to come visit. I just wanted to hang out with Nicky!

We got to Diketo and he was unusually quiet so I knew something was up. I sent Nicky to buy us each 2 fresh rolls and Diketo told me about the problem he’s having with his best friend.

After we walked Diketo home, I was walking Nicky home and she told me, Madam, people ask me why you love me so much. So why do you love me so much?

How to explain that one… You don’t have unrealistic expectations of me when so many people do. You don’t need things from me when so many people demand them. You want to help me and you just do it, when everyone wants to help me but makes a big deal out of it. When I’m with you I don’t have to act a certain way. I can say whatever I want and you know if it’s a joke or if I mean it. It’s easy to hang out with you. You ask me questions that really make me think, sometimes just in how to explain it to a 13 year old whose second language is English, but it really makes me reexamine whatever the topic or issue is. You teach me more about the village and how things work than anyone else does because you’re always paying attention to my facial expressions and reactions so you know when I get something and when I’m totally lost. I trust you.

Apparently this came up last night when she was watching tv and a visitor came and sat next to her. First he asked how I know Nicky. From school. And then he asked why I love her so much. She told him to ask me. But it got her thinking. I’m going to miss her like crazy this holiday, knowing she’s bored and wants to be hanging out with me.

We don’t even have to be doing anything. One of my favorite things to do is to get fat cakes with her and just sit for an hour or two and eat them. It only takes about 5 minutes to eat the two I let myself have, but then we just stay there in the shade of a tree or the shade of the building Mary helped build. That’s when I get good stories from her.

After leaving her with the promise to go to her house tomorrow morning so we can find somewhere to pound together (I haven’t pounded in so long and want to eat freshly pounded mahangu before my vacation!), I ran into Vinny while I was trying to avoid walking fast enough to catch the EXTREMELY drunk man in front of my on the path. Vinny noticed what I was doing and we had a good laugh. We talked for at least 45 minutes about the need for discussion about gender equality, safe sex practices and prevention of teenaged pregnancy at school. He has the right vision for the future of the village. I just hope he doesn’t get tired like I have and follows through even after I’m gone. So we decided to sit down before the end of the holiday and try to decide what we want to discuss with the learners next term.

Then I got home and it was dark. Most of my neighbors have gone already for the holiday, but Sihope and his family are still in the other half of the house we share. I washed my dishes from lunch outside while Rosemary was washing some of theirs. Pope (not pronounced like “the Pope”, but poe-pay), short for Sihope, whose real name is Savior and is only about 14 months old, came outside calling “Ayi!” which everyone knows to mean Lori in baby talk. So I started calling him back. It’s been a recent development that he likes me and calls me and doesn’t run when he sees me. So that’s been exciting. I asked him, “How are you?” expecting to hear the only response he knows, “Huh?” He gave me that one, but about 10 seconds later, with his mom still outside washing dishes, he asked, “How a you?” We both gave a startled sound and I asked if he’s ever said that before. Nope. First time. And he wanted to be like me!

So now I’m making some chocolate chip cookies for the long trip I have ahead of me and not watching

Happy vacation, me. Enjoy it!