I love field trips to the village.

One of our themes here is flexibility. This is something that is pretty close to foreign for a group of 18 nurses. Not that we are unwilling to adapt, but schedules are important to many of us and we are used to having things start on time. Well, here they are completely event oriented. Things start when they start and happen when they happen.  So keeping that in mind, I don’t think there has been one day so far that has gone according to what we had planned. Monday and Tuesday, for instance, we were supposed to deliver food to the villages. But they ran out of food and so we had classes on those days instead. Today, were going to go interview different vendors in the market, and those plans changed for a few reasons. Sometimes it is lack of transportation, but it can be for any number of reasons. And even more so, things sometimes happen but we may sit around and wait for hours before it actually does happen. So today was a little disappointing to begin with but we ended up planning a “field trip” after all. YES. I love field trips.

 

We have had a few of these this week that our history professor has planned. Library, museum, school for orphaned children, supposed-to-be market today. Not your typical field trips, but this is not really a typical semester in college either. So this afternoon we went to the village right down the road from our compound. A few of them had come over last weekend for a bonfire and they sang this beautiful song about the hardships of growing up in poverty. We went to the village to find out a little more “history” on this song and what it means.

 

However, when we got there, I forgot all about our assignment and fell in love with the kids. There were about 20 of us walking down the path toward their village and we could just see them running from their huts to come to play with us! There were probably about 150 or so...it was so precious! Many kids were playing futbol, but Rachel and I taught a small group of kids how to play Duck Duck Goose. A few minutes later, we had a group of probably 30 or so kids playing with us. They taught us a few of their favorite games, too. Unfortunately we could only stay about an hour. But it one of the best hours of my time here so far! I loved being around this many kids, getting hugs like crazy. They so badly wanted and needed that attention and they didn’t want us to leave. So needless to say, I will be going back there very soon. I hope.

 

This little boy followed us when we were leaving and grabbed my hand and asked me for a kiss. A piggyback ride is the next best thing, I guess. J

 Also, we did a little shopping this week. This is Haley, Lauren and I with the spears we bought at the museum. We speared limes with them and they are very sharp!