Quiet Compound

January 15, 2009

Greetings everyone! Today begins our time in the compound alone because the missionaries and their families went to a conference in Fada.

All of us students begun our day leaving at 5:45am for the sunrise. We walked briskly across the field and climbed up the rocky slope of the cliffs and perched on rocks. We looked out to the horizon and the sky was pretty bright, with a little faint pink. I was a little worried that we'd missed sunrise, but 10 minutes later the sun popped up. It changed from light orange, to bright orange, to bright pink. The sunrise was quite nice, as was the starry sky last night.

The rest of the morning was pretty relaxing for some of us because school wasn't in session. It was market day (more on that later) so the Handicapped Center had apprenticeship (ie. the students working on sewing, weaving, wood cutting, etc.) but no real classes to visit. Dave, Jeff and Dan worked on the electric trike and I learned a little bit about the trikes by translating for Moussa and Dave. Several others went along with Katie Patton and Daniel to complete the last of the surveys.

Katie O and Aimee had a really good time (and some adventures) going on home visits with the physical therapists. They enjoyed riding mopeds, attempting to pound millet, trying an interesting powdery "fruit" (baobob), and holding young children. And what do you know...they BOTH got peed on! "Not just a little dribble....it took 15 minutes to dry," they say! Also they brought home a rooster who we named Herbert, to join our collection of a hen named Ricky (we didn't know it was a hen at the time) and a rooster named Franz. Sunday's dinner will be delicous!

The rest of us spent the afternoon outdoors as well. The boys tried playing hackey sack with some kids that were hanging around near our house, but we decided to switch to Frisbee. It went over quite well. A few children knew how to throw a Frisbee and we taught some more. We had a blast trying to dodge the clotheslines and trees, play in skirts/dresses (some of us), and encourage sharing.

We were then accompanied by Daniel again (our very helpful and knowledgeable guide and friend) to the market. Not only does traffic pick up on the road, with people of all ages riding on mopeds, bicycles, an occasional truck, or a donkey cart, but there are lots of people walking (usually with things on their head). We were 11 in total and were often getting in the way, especially in the market because we tried to stick together. Daniel led us through the market which can best be described as a crowded flea market and garage sale. They had heaps of clothes, buckets, various types of food, piles of flip flops and sandals, pottery, jewelry, bike parts, cloth for skirts, and much more. It was organized by what people were selling, but that didn't help us much. People were going everywhere, and it was quite interesting (for us to be there and for them to watch us).

Now we are settling down to a hopefully quiet evening in the compound. Keep us in your prayers as we reach the end of our time in Mahadaga, and for the teachers, students and people who work at the Center, as they have touched a special place in our hearts even in the relatively short time that we have been here.

Blessings!
-Bethany