African Adventures, Day 21
I am starting to miss home more now. Although, now that I am here..I realize how much I have changed. I don't even know who my friends are anymore.. They don't contact me much, and I don't contact them so much either because I don't have much time. It seems the people I least expect to be close friends with I am starting to be closer to. I kind of feel as if I am alone in this whole journey because no one understands how different Africa is from home.( I have made friends here of course, but I am not sure if I will be able to contact them in Canada)Many people who haven't been here don't understand how much need there is to help, and how bad the poverty and drought is. We don't have water still..and it makes me saddened to see them thirst, but have to drink swamp water. Some people back home on my Facebook I see complain, and act all tough and or wine about something.. And it bugs me so much. They don't have a clue.. I know they don't know because they can't see it.. so it is hard for anyone to imagine because there's so much more in countries like ours. I don't mean to act as if I am some great person now because I am here to help, because I am really not. I don't mean to put other people who don't see all this and who don't have opportunities down either. Because every person is capable to do something like this if they really tried. I have become a better person and I know this will change my life.. but it's is the kind and loving people here that are changing my life.. not anything I am capable of doing on my own. I have a few friends back home I have been contacting constantly and I miss the comfort of home and people, but... maybe not so much the weather! And now that I am pushed outside of my comfort zone, I know it is for the better. I have been doing so much here that I would not feel comfortable to do at home. A lot of people would just judge me.. and I hate it. It's not like I would care if someone did .. it's just that it doesn't really make me want to because you don't feel too great when people just want to put you down. I wish I could bring everyone from Canada to come and experience this life, because then they would actually understand. They would be thankful for things a little more. I am not saying that everyone is selfish and shouldn't have so much stuff .. I just think it would be nice if the people who aren't thankful for what they have right now would be after comparing the poverty to our nice homes with... SHOWERS!
I woke up this morning to a wonderful..(not) sight. My mom was waving a cockroach in front of my face ! Oh ..what a mother ! I then got up because well, those things aren't pretty! The morning then was to begin!
We don't have to work hard to get food back home. Some do maybe in the summer (they don't need to )but I am kind of glad in a way that we don't .. ! Sounds pretty lazy of me, but I am not a gardener. Since I am in this agriculture class we started on our crops ! I was hoeing and shoveling the orange dirt in the hot sun.. AND I SUCK AT IT! (Not gonna lie here!) I play sports,music and the other kind of stuff , rather than plant, dig, shovel.. AND HOE. I was being laughed at but hey! At-least I tried ! The guys and girls taught me how to do it right , and so I will be doing (or helping) with that further on. I have taken some notes and we learnt a much better way to grow plants and food here. After they are grown they can sell them if they have the right amount and make a little money to help with the orphanage, or they will be used for food to feed the kids. The plants in the field we had to dig up were all wilted , and the banana trees were dying. The thorns that are there to keep the elephants out were fine though... I even got one in my foot ;) Dandy! We had gotten a lot done thanks to the hard workers ! (You wouldn't even believe how hard they work..) And soon it was lunch ! Since today is a warm day I was happy to be inside and cooled a bit. After I ate I had to go outside to see the signs being put up on the water tanks that my school had bought. We got some pictures so I can show my school the good they have done!
At 4 we went to church and had a service there. My mom had a little girl fall asleep on her, and since she is injured I had to pick her up and take her. She slept on me for awhile.. cuddling me and just being so peaceful. She has white spots on her head from the deworming medicine given to her because she has worms. She has wounds on her head and they are pussing out. The open sores might be aids. I could smell the odor of her. She smelt like spoilt milk.. mainly because we don't have water and she probably hasn't washed in a long time. But once all of this has hit your heart, you do not care anymore. You just hug the child tighter in your arms so they can feel love for once. When she woke up I could see that she hasn't been sleeping much. That could be due to their bedding is torn up old, musty, brown foam with nothing on it..along with the noises ,the children must not have a good sleep . The sadness in her eyes makes you want to cry. Who knows what she has been through. As it was time to leave I had to put her down , and she did not seem to want to let go.. :( Oh man.. How am I going to leave this place without about 10 kids?!?!..
After church it was time to watch a play one of the teachers had made about our classes that we had taught since we've been here. We taught about planting a good seed , lighting up your world.. things like that. The play was filmed and was very entertaining. After the play I left to go plant the new crops we had started today. I stuck my hands in the manure and put it in the holes where we had dug and put plants in. We had to poke holes in the ground with a stick, fill it with water, let it sink in and then put the plants in and put manure on top. I would put the manure on top while everyone worked together . We got the beds done fast and planted about 200 plants. (And that's only the beginning.) The beds are 5 by 20. We dig with hoes and shovels down 1ft then make the square beds one meter. We do a whole process of that and by the end of it we have nice soft soil. It's a way to plant a healthy crop and it will grow back fast . Without doing a double dig. After a whole day of a lot of agriculture, I have learnt a lot and how to maintain good crops!
At 4 we went to church and had a service there. My mom had a little girl fall asleep on her, and since she is injured I had to pick her up and take her. She slept on me for awhile.. cuddling me and just being so peaceful. She has white spots on her head from the deworming medicine given to her because she has worms. She has wounds on her head and they are pussing out. The open sores might be aids. I could smell the odor of her. She smelt like spoilt milk.. mainly because we don't have water and she probably hasn't washed in a long time. But once all of this has hit your heart, you do not care anymore. You just hug the child tighter in your arms so they can feel love for once. When she woke up I could see that she hasn't been sleeping much. That could be due to their bedding is torn up old, musty, brown foam with nothing on it..along with the noises ,the children must not have a good sleep . The sadness in her eyes makes you want to cry. Who knows what she has been through. As it was time to leave I had to put her down , and she did not seem to want to let go.. :( Oh man.. How am I going to leave this place without about 10 kids?!?!..
After church it was time to watch a play one of the teachers had made about our classes that we had taught since we've been here. We taught about planting a good seed , lighting up your world.. things like that. The play was filmed and was very entertaining. After the play I left to go plant the new crops we had started today. I stuck my hands in the manure and put it in the holes where we had dug and put plants in. We had to poke holes in the ground with a stick, fill it with water, let it sink in and then put the plants in and put manure on top. I would put the manure on top while everyone worked together . We got the beds done fast and planted about 200 plants. (And that's only the beginning.) The beds are 5 by 20. We dig with hoes and shovels down 1ft then make the square beds one meter. We do a whole process of that and by the end of it we have nice soft soil. It's a way to plant a healthy crop and it will grow back fast . Without doing a double dig. After a whole day of a lot of agriculture, I have learnt a lot and how to maintain good crops!
I told you so, about the whole friends thing. ;) I love you guys, Jordan and I are praying!
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