I split my time at the Therapeutic Day Care Center between the school, working in the therapy hall, the nursery class for special needs children and the workshop and vocational school down the road. While I have spent almost three weeks at this school, today was my first day at the workshop. There are about a 100 young people that work here. They are graduates of the primary school and have been allowed to continue on to the vocational school to be taught a trade. The hope is, that they will learn a trade (such as carpentry, batik making, sewing, weaving, hairdressing or other various skills) and be able to use these skills to make a living. Some day, becoming self sufficient. I am going to be devoting a large chunk of my time at the workshop to a young man with Autism named Arinze.
Arinze has a sad history. When he was young, his parents were interested in bringing him to this school. The drove several hours, from another state, so he could meet Hildegard and enroll in the school. They, like most people, fell in love and decided he would go here. On the way home they were murdered, in front of Arinze’s very eyes. He lost both of his parents in the blink of an eye, and his two siblings were sent to Canada to live with family there. Arinze was left behind, with no one to care for him, as is often the case with disabled children in Nigeria. Somehow, through the charity and good will of Hildegard, a place was found for him and he started school in Enugu. Now he is 24 years old, and developing his skills as a tailor. The going is slow, but he like all the others here, shows great potential and keep improving.
To be quite honest, Arinze reminds me of the character from Office Space, the one with the stapler. He is very funny, and through out the day has made me laugh so many times. He is very verbal and doesn’t want to stop talking. He is so afraid of losing my attention that he is constantly tapping my arm, for fear I will go somewhere else.
I worked with him for five hours today and this was the extent of our conversation,
“Auntie, I really like school. For Arinze is a hard working boy. Arinze is the hardest working boy here. Auntie headmis (the headmistress) says that she will get me some more sewing materials because I am such a hardworking boy. I came back from the holiday yesterday. I am so happy to be back in school, because I love it and Arinze is a hardworking boy. I love to sew. I want another pocket on this shirt I am sewing, can I have more pockets?”
Me: “Arinze, if there is time, we can start on another pocket.”
Arinze: “Ok. (pause) Is there time? Auntie, I want to teach you to sew because I like your watch. Arinze is the hardest working boy.”
Now add a dozen pokes and multiply the conversation by five hours and mix it around a little bit. That was my time spent with Arinze. One might think that I would not enjoy such time spent with this man, but he was hilarious! I think that such people have a lot to give to the rest of us. I am excited to spend more time with him.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Mail from home!
I was the happy recipient of a letter yesterday! Thanks Grandma for sending me my first piece of mail... I was so happy to get it.
Just in case any of you are ITCHING to send me some, (hint hint)I will post my address again here.
Malika Heiller
Sisters of Notre Dame
14 John Nwodo Close G.R.A
PO box 3777
Enugu, NIGERIA
If you are interested in sending packages, the best way would be to send in the small padded envelopes, under 5 pounds or so.
I hope everyone is well, I miss you tons, and Thanks again Grandma!
Just in case any of you are ITCHING to send me some, (hint hint)I will post my address again here.
Malika Heiller
Sisters of Notre Dame
14 John Nwodo Close G.R.A
PO box 3777
Enugu, NIGERIA
If you are interested in sending packages, the best way would be to send in the small padded envelopes, under 5 pounds or so.
I hope everyone is well, I miss you tons, and Thanks again Grandma!
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
A trip to Awkunanaw River
While Kerry and I were exploring the market on Wednesday, I received phone call from my German friend Anna, asking if we would like to go on a trip to the river with her and some friends. We immediately said yes, because Kerry, like me, has spent her entire life near the water, and it is hard for us to be away from it. We also will take any excuse to hang out with other people, and it is a bonus if they are Nyacha… So we said yes with excitement and looked forward to seeing them the next day.
They asked us to meet them at their house the next morning by nine, and we were trying to figure out how to do this, because Kerry has a rule: she will not get on an okada. I respect her rule, so we decided the only other way to get there would by on foot. When we got back from the market, we realized Christopher, the driver employed by the sisters, was at the house. This surprised us because we thought he was away for the week. So I casually dropped into the conversation that we would walk to Ofuobe (a center near the house) the next morning for an outing. I planned this carefully, and I knew exactly what would happen next. Chris’s eyes got wide and he exclaimed, “That’s impossible!” For being such a fit and healthy country, Nigerians hate walking. In my short experience here, they would rather take a dangerous okada or a small bus packed with 25 people than walk for 30 minutes. Both Kerry and I love to walk, so it has been difficult convincing people that we can walk and still be safe AND not die from exhaustion. As I expected, my plan worked perfectly, and Chris not only volunteered to take us, he insisted. We were glad, it would have been a very long walk, and we didn’t really know where we were going.
We arrived at the house (it is Hildegard’s house, she owns the Therapeutic Day Care Center. Anna, Melanie and Laura also live there) and Anna was standing outside the gate with nothing but her wrapper on, wrapped tightly around her torso. Chris’s eyes went wide as if saying, “This is who you are hanging out with? You better not come home dressed like that…” She explained the reason for the garb was because she wouldn’t be joining us on our trek.
She showed us where Hildegard was waiting, and she was so excited! She made sure our shoes were water proof, we had sun screen on and had enough water, because according to her, “it is a nice trek”. Kerry and I perked at those words, because, you guessed it, we like to walk. Melanie and Laura joined us at the car and we set off for the river.
Surprisingly, the river was actually quite close to where Kerry and I were staying previously (hence the name Awkunanaw River…), and we were bummed we didn’t know about it before. We drove through a village and passed the nomadic people of the area, called Fulanese. They were dressed in brightly colored wrappers around their waists, and had nothing covering their chests. There hair was different from the styles I had seen before, and their facial features were more severe, with tribal marks on them. They were all carrying huge amounts of water or rocks on their heads as they walked from the river. When we pulled up next to the river, I was so struck by the beauty of it. It was mostly dried up, because rainy season hasn’t really gotten going yet. But there was some water in it. The hills surrounding it knocked me over, the magnitude of the beauty was frankly, overpowering. We walked in the river bed, the feeling of the sand and water between my toes was too much, I simply wanted to lie in the river forever. We trekked for about 30 minutes, and passed many people collecting water and rocks to sell. There were grass huts in small formations along the side of the river, where the Fulanese lived. Finally, we climbed out of the river and put our shoes on again, walking into the woods. We hiked for a few minutes before I saw a small lake through a clearing. It was small, but it was enough to convince me that I need to live near water someday. It was lovely just to sit next to the water. Hildegard told us that there are crocodiles that live in the lake (She was with her husband and children and dog. The dog was swimming and she saw the crocks coming slowly through the water towards them. The dog was rescued with out any injuries…) But I didn’t seen them, which bummed me out! I would love to see a crocodile, from a distance that is…
We stayed there for a while, before heading back to the car. We stopped on the way for snacks and a water break. On the way back, we collected rocks for the school. There is a certain type that is good for chalk. So we all carried rocks with us, waving at the children and women in the stream.
Now I am back, sitting on my bed, thanking God that NEPA is finally on, and feeling very hot. I was also sunburned today, despite my repeated latherings of sunscreen. I try, I really do… I hope to go back again soon.
While Kerry and I were exploring the market on Wednesday, I received phone call from my German friend Anna, asking if we would like to go on a trip to the river with her and some friends. We immediately said yes, because Kerry, like me, has spent her entire life near the water, and it is hard for us to be away from it. We also will take any excuse to hang out with other people, and it is a bonus if they are Nyacha… So we said yes with excitement and looked forward to seeing them the next day.
They asked us to meet them at their house the next morning by nine, and we were trying to figure out how to do this, because Kerry has a rule: she will not get on an okada. I respect her rule, so we decided the only other way to get there would by on foot. When we got back from the market, we realized Christopher, the driver employed by the sisters, was at the house. This surprised us because we thought he was away for the week. So I casually dropped into the conversation that we would walk to Ofuobe (a center near the house) the next morning for an outing. I planned this carefully, and I knew exactly what would happen next. Chris’s eyes got wide and he exclaimed, “That’s impossible!” For being such a fit and healthy country, Nigerians hate walking. In my short experience here, they would rather take a dangerous okada or a small bus packed with 25 people than walk for 30 minutes. Both Kerry and I love to walk, so it has been difficult convincing people that we can walk and still be safe AND not die from exhaustion. As I expected, my plan worked perfectly, and Chris not only volunteered to take us, he insisted. We were glad, it would have been a very long walk, and we didn’t really know where we were going.
We arrived at the house (it is Hildegard’s house, she owns the Therapeutic Day Care Center. Anna, Melanie and Laura also live there) and Anna was standing outside the gate with nothing but her wrapper on, wrapped tightly around her torso. Chris’s eyes went wide as if saying, “This is who you are hanging out with? You better not come home dressed like that…” She explained the reason for the garb was because she wouldn’t be joining us on our trek.
She showed us where Hildegard was waiting, and she was so excited! She made sure our shoes were water proof, we had sun screen on and had enough water, because according to her, “it is a nice trek”. Kerry and I perked at those words, because, you guessed it, we like to walk. Melanie and Laura joined us at the car and we set off for the river.
Surprisingly, the river was actually quite close to where Kerry and I were staying previously (hence the name Awkunanaw River…), and we were bummed we didn’t know about it before. We drove through a village and passed the nomadic people of the area, called Fulanese. They were dressed in brightly colored wrappers around their waists, and had nothing covering their chests. There hair was different from the styles I had seen before, and their facial features were more severe, with tribal marks on them. They were all carrying huge amounts of water or rocks on their heads as they walked from the river. When we pulled up next to the river, I was so struck by the beauty of it. It was mostly dried up, because rainy season hasn’t really gotten going yet. But there was some water in it. The hills surrounding it knocked me over, the magnitude of the beauty was frankly, overpowering. We walked in the river bed, the feeling of the sand and water between my toes was too much, I simply wanted to lie in the river forever. We trekked for about 30 minutes, and passed many people collecting water and rocks to sell. There were grass huts in small formations along the side of the river, where the Fulanese lived. Finally, we climbed out of the river and put our shoes on again, walking into the woods. We hiked for a few minutes before I saw a small lake through a clearing. It was small, but it was enough to convince me that I need to live near water someday. It was lovely just to sit next to the water. Hildegard told us that there are crocodiles that live in the lake (She was with her husband and children and dog. The dog was swimming and she saw the crocks coming slowly through the water towards them. The dog was rescued with out any injuries…) But I didn’t seen them, which bummed me out! I would love to see a crocodile, from a distance that is…
We stayed there for a while, before heading back to the car. We stopped on the way for snacks and a water break. On the way back, we collected rocks for the school. There is a certain type that is good for chalk. So we all carried rocks with us, waving at the children and women in the stream.
Now I am back, sitting on my bed, thanking God that NEPA is finally on, and feeling very hot. I was also sunburned today, despite my repeated latherings of sunscreen. I try, I really do… I hope to go back again soon.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
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