Is It Funny or Are We THAT TIRED??

Tuesday, July 23, 2012

Somehow this place is always filled with a combination of fatigue, frustration, a lot of belly laughing, and moments of pure joy with people.  Sometimes it feels magical.  Other times it just feels plain irritating. 

We are almost halfway through week 2 of camp at Passe Catabois.  This week we have kids ages 9 to 12; the best group by far in my opinion.  But there is at least, reason for more fatigue, since this week Leah and the workers and some people from the community have added an afternoon portion to the camp:  Workshops that are a little more advanced that will teach the older kids some sort of crafting skills.  They have three going this week, which are “Bwodri” (embroidering tablecloths), “Artisana” (weaving dried grass into bags or baskets), and “Makrame” (weaving string to make belts or ropes).  It was a little leap of faith to even try this because we put a lot of responsibility and trust of the community members to teach on their own, plan their supplies and budget.  And so far so good.  It’s working and after some initial frustration and complaining about how hard the weaving was, it seems like the kids like it.  I think the plan is brilliant; it communicates to the community that we respect them and have trust in what they can do.  I really hope they can feel that.

And yes, I feel like I’ve been belly laughing a good amount this week.  Usually it has to do with our plans on how to catch and kill rats, and the bat that flew in our kitchen on Sunday night, and joking with Lou and Wilfet about how you can really barbeque eggs in a fire and what they do to you, and how I bought a machete at the market yesterday and had a group of women laughing when I told them it for “making my garden” even though I was trying to hide it, and just the general absurdness of Leah and Ryna’s lives.

Sometimes I feel like I’m not doing much here or should be doing more, but seeing how relationships with people here continue and grow over years is so rewarding.  My favorite times here by far are just when I am able to sit and talk with the kids.  Sometimes we are just joking around or they are making fun of me washing my clothes or I’m making fun of them, but other times we get to talk about harder issues in the world and in their community.  About how we get along with people or how church can be superficial or what they want for their lives in the future.  You think a lot is just said and forgotten, but I’m beginning to think they remember everything.  More times than I can count they tell me a story about something I said or did that I have no recollection of anymore.  It’s encouraging.  Maybe, just maybe change for better is in the hands of the children in this community and maybe, just maybe it is happening so little by little that it’s hard for just anyone to see.  I’m praying that’s God’s way here and I can be a small part of that somehow.  Plus I’m pretty sure these kids have no idea how much joy they and those times give me.  They are pure gold.