[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text letter_spacing=””]This morning we woke up and had toast and hard-boiled eggs for breakfast. We then walked to TIRIJI where we worked from around 9 to 12:00. The two jobs during this work period included digging holes, which will be used for the base posts of the gazebo, and carrying large rocks for the foundation of the gazebo. The work tired us out quickly, but we were able to take a long snack break where we ate warm chapati, and hot chai tea. By the end of the work session our holes were so deep we had to sit inside of the hole to reach the bottom of it.
We headed back to KACH for lunch which was fried cabbage, and a plantain dish with a tomato sauce base. The plantains tasted almost identical to potatoes and were very tasty. Next, we left to visit a school that is for children who were born HIV positive. The campus was very big and had multiple buildings, a big playground and even a farm with cows, pigs and piglets!
In one of the building kids who were around the age of 4, 5 and 6 were all asleep together on the floor side by side. It was one of the cutest sights I have ever seen in my entire life! One of the rooms we toured had a shelf full of medicine for each kid, organized to meet their specific needs and the condition they were in. Next, we walked in the classroom of each of the grades while school was in session. We received a few blank stares, lots of waves and even a new version of “heads, shoulders, knees and toes.” It was so interesting to see how their classroom is set up. All of the kids were very professional with everything they did. The upper class girls (7th and 8th graders), performed a very powerful poem for us in front of the entire school. The synchronization was so impressive. Every mouth and every expression from each kid was the same at the same time. The volume they produced during the poem was very impressive as well.
Next, some younger girls performed a different poem as well which was equally impressive for their age. Then, the entirety of our group sang them the national anthem in honor of the Fourth of July. The kids watching us were trying not to laugh because they hadn’t heard anything like it. We socialized with the kids for awhile and then returned back to KACH. Once we arrived back we played with the the kids there for awhile. I am starting to pick up lots of the names. I spent about 30 minutes talking with one very sweet girl named Blessing. She was singing a song I didn’t understand while sitting in my lap. We colored together for a long time, and she played with my camera. I then went outside and played with about 10 other young kids. It was so much fun!
We had a laundry lesson because almost no one in our group has washed clothes by hand before. Soon it was time for dinner which consisted of fried cabbage, chicken stew, and a paste of potatoes and plantains with beans inside of it. We danced after dinner and did the electric slide and a name game. The dancing was so much fun, everyone had a smile on their face during this time. Afterward, we were surprised with a cake that said “happy birthday America!” We were so happy to celebrate a little and to eat something sweet before a good night of rest.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]