Orientation

Day 1 is given over to figuring out where we are and what we do.  All I know is we are a long way from Chicago.

The house has a wonderful garden and open areas. It is actually 2 houses - the front one is for staff and cooking. The back one is for volunteers. We spend our time between the two in a huge shelter covered with a tin roof. There is a palm tree growing through the roof (I bet the tree was here first). At one point during orientation we all jumped when a sound like a cherry bomb when off. Then a coconut rolled off the roof....the locals laughed.

They laughed harder at our attempts at Swahili. I mispronounced the director's name with a word that means "brown bat."

I am teaching 4-5 year olds: English, maths, science, art and Swahili. I imagine I can come up with some ideas for all but the last. That hour I'll sit on the floor and learn along.  I wonder if they moo and baa.

If the locals ask who has been to Africa before, South Africa  and Morocco Do Not count. They say TAB - "THIS Africa Baby!" Certainly the jungle surroundings are authentic. It is  not too humid here now, but the rain season is just ending and everything is green and booming. 12 foot hedges around the houses. In our yard alone there are trees for mango, palm, oranges, Avacado, banana. All producing fruit.

The roads back to the compound are pre-primitive, and I can't even imagine what they would be in the rainy season.  We drive on the right side. Or the left. Or the middle.  With an amazing number of speed bumps!

Tomorrow the teaching begins!