update from yesterday. today was our day of break, but we went to the crisis nursery which is a nursery for orphan babies.

1/24/09

finally learned the name of the school. balongombe full primary school. we finished our third and last day of camp there today. once again, i was working with the teachers. yesterday they were pretty quiet and reserved, but today they were filled with questions and comments and i was happy to do what i could to answer them adequately. i sometimes feel out of place answering questions for the teachers because they are older than i am, and they are also actual teachers, whereas i am but a volunteer who learned all this material in two days.

as a teacher facilitator, we help our coordinators serve lunch to the children, and let me tell you, it is quite an experience. i have never had the experience of being a lunch lady, but this is as close as it gets. first of all, we were overwhelmed with the number of students that showed up that we didnt have enough food for everyone. when the kids get on line for food, we give them a helping of nsima, and a ladel of relish for the nsima.

many times the kids say "give me more" or "more nsima" or "more relish" and that is pretty much the only english phrases they know. and its so easy for me to get pissed and tell them to go away or stare them down. and because of that i am so quick to make generalizations about malawian children, or even malawians as a group.

i hate myself for doing this but it is almost human nature for me. and it's so unfair to all of the malawians that my mind is programmed to judge others so easily. maybe the courtesy of these children exist but is lost in the english translation. maybe that is all they can think of when there is a cooler filled with food and we are only giving them a meager portion. if a kid is living in poverty and he sees a bunch of white people, why wouldnt he beg for food and money?

whats more is that i've met some great people here. all of our translators are amazing. they are dedicated, hardworking, earnest, and fun. and sometimes i wonder what my opinion of them will eventually unfold into.

like i said before, i am learning as much as i am teaching here. and i feel that i am learning even more about myself and my regard to people and cultures.