Last night Jessica explained her schedule to me and my jaw dropped all the way to the floor. She usually wakes up briefly at 6am, but then will relax and sleep in until at least 8am, moseying into school at 12pm, and working for a few hours before returning home. Jessica said we would be going in earlier than normal and I was thinking seven or eight in the morning. Mope, we would be going in at 10am. I slept in until 6:45am which was still the latest I’ve slept in for quite some time, and it felt wonderful.
When Jessica finally came out of her room she announced that there was no water. This is something I will have to get used to when living in the south. We made bacon, scrambled eggs with feta cheese, peppers, onions, and lots of spices. Minus the lack of water, it was almost like we were in the United States based on what we were eating.
A slow morning and we finally left for Chi Chi Junior Secondary School. Jessica showed me around while we waited to meet with the deputy headmaster, Rra Baadjie, to discuss her projects. We spent some time in the computer lab taking pictures in order to help promote and raise money for new computers and chairs. What first seemed like a complete and adequate computer lab suddenly changed once children came back from tea break. Of the nearly twenty computers in the room, only four of them actually worked, and while we were taking pictures another one stopped working. More than ten children were gathered around one computer, sharing seats, sitting on each other’s laps, and attempting to see the screen.
The meeting with Rra Baadjie was relaxing and brief. It was nice to see someone so involved and invested in the success of the children. Before Jessica’s PACT club we at lunch and enjoyed the chickens roaming across the campus. PACT, standing for peer approach to counseling by teens, is held during an hour long study period in school for children who want to learn about HIV, become more self confident, work on study skills, and promote healthy lifestyles. We started PACT by giving a pretest to gauge what the kids already know and think about HIV. We then played a guessing game where two teams stood in a line across from one another and passed a rock behind their back. The teams took turns guessing who had the rock when Jessica called “stop.” The second half of the game, Jessica announced that whoever had the rock would have AIDS for “pretend.” This was followed by a conversation about HIV and stigmas associated with the disease as well as debunking common myths. It was an enjoyable afternoon that continued to spark my excitement about getting to site and starting projects of my own.
I have never been complimented so much by middle school girls. I hardly made it five feet walking around without someone saying hi, introducing themselves, or calling me beautiful. I didn’t know how to respond. It didn’t occur to me until later that I should just say they are beautiful right back. Many middle school girls are self conscious about their changing bodies and every girl needs to be told she is beautiful. Girls should not have the notion that you have to be white or skinny to be beautiful. Everyone is beautiful just the way they are.
After PACT we walked home and got ready for her fitness group. This group of women gets together to workout using different videos Jessica has on her computer. We did a zumba workout where I was reminded how much I like to dance, but also of my lack of gracefulness. It was still nice to get up and move. We ended the night by making potato salad with chicken and a garden salad. The veggies are never going to get old.
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