First Taste of Mission Work

So today we went had orientation for our placement. There are a lot of options to volunteer out in the community and I am very excited for a few of them. Next week we are going to be starting a jigger campaign where we go out into the slums, sanitize homes, disinfect jigger wounds, and help out with other deworming. I'm pretty excited to start that next week, I'm sure there will be a lot to see and to share.
This morning we went to a local feeding program. There were tons of old women there getting food for themselves and their families. We also went into a small school, not bigger than the common room of my freshman dorm, where kids were learning their ABC's. It was definitely a humbling experience. Everyone seemed so grateful for what they had and were so nice.
After that, we went to a special needs school on near Mt. Kenya. The ride up was bumpy, but the view was beautiful. African driving is definitely something you have to get used to haha.
When we got to the school, we helped them write their ABC's. They really didn't have a clue how, at least the children I was working with. After school work, we went out into the field and started to play with the children. One girl, Joyce, who is autistic loved to be thrown up into the air and caught. After about 5 times I got pretty tired, but she kept coming back for more...and who am I to say no to the heart of an African child.
We played soccer, jump rope, and tag the entire afternoon. The children loved to take pictures! I seriously didn't know where my camera was for a while because they took it and started to photograph things.
We go back next Wednesday, so it should be exciting to see what we do.
Tomorrow we go on a tour of all the sites, so we can choose what we want to do. Friday we head to our weekend Safari, needless to say I'm VERY EXCITED.

I'm learning a lot while I'm here, and not just about African culture. We are volunteering with other nurses from England who have shed some light on their culture. Didn't expect that at all, but its a nice surprise.

Anyway, I'm pretty tired...again. Looking forward to tomorrow, we learn Swahili...or will try to ha. Until next time...