Headlamps

Well it’s Tuesday night and again we sit here in the dark. Ok, ok, not complete dark…we have headlamps on and our computers. So there is some light… but since there is no electricity there is no internet, thus I will just type this up on word and hope for a chance to post it later. Every time the lights go out we hear a chorus of screams go up from the girls dorms at the secondary school which is just across the road. We all just laugh and scurry around for headlamps. Last night we had no electricity and so Jaime and I were in bed by 7 and I’m pretty sure I didn’t last much past 8 but the rest was needed so I’m not complaining.
This morning at the Haven it seemed that every baby was sleeping like a log and I couldn’t bring myself to wake them especially since they’ve all been so sick with the stomach bug. So I hung out with the Aunties. Ida and Pauline (I could have sworn she told me her name was Powering haha and with babies named Gift, Memory and Bright who knew?!) let me tag along with them. We sat around the kitchen and they wanted me to try their breakfast which consisted of tea, cold baked potatoes, and some sort of fried bread that looked like you could get it at Café Du Monde (Ida called it a fritter). The potato was sweet, but not an orange sweet potato. I asked if they made the “fritter” or bought it. They bought it for 500 Kwache, which Ida declared, “It’s expensive!” I told her I didn’t think it was that bad, way less than what food costs in America. 5,000 Kwache is roughly 1 US Dollar, I went to my wallet pulled out my 1 dollar bill and 1 5,000 kwache and explained that they were equal. Then said 1 Coca Cola cost 1 US dollar. Then I pulled out some coins to have a lesson about pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters. They really seemed to enjoy learning about American currency and I teased them that I’d give them a quiz over it all tomorrow. I also let them keep the $2.40. Ida did a happy dance around the kitchen and hugged me over the dollar bill but I told her to keep it to remember me by.
They often speak in Tonga around me. I’m learning some of the basic words which makes them eager to teach me more. When I don’t understand I say, “English! Speak English!!” they laugh and tell me it’s too hard before translating for me (they say I speak too fast). So far I’ve mastered the word “diaper” in Tonga which has come in pretty handy considering we run through tons of them daily. I’m better at recognizing words they say than I am at pronouncing any of them but they are patient with me.
The Zambian women carry their babies or pretty much anything else for that matter strapped on their front or back with a beautiful piece of “chitange” (spelling?) cloth. Our whole group has been anxious to know how it’s done so we were all thrilled today to learn how. Marja, Jaime and I walked around with Kelsey, Meagan, and Lushomo strapped to us for the better part of the morning. This is something that the kids here at the Haven miss out on for the most part. It serves as an important bond between child and mother and the child gets to be exposed to language while going anywhere the mother goes throughout her day. We’re seeing firsthand how underexposed to language the kids at the Haven are so we’re trying to give them as much exposure as possible. They also don’t get a lot of one on one time with the Aunties so having one strapped on gives them that snuggle time they desperately need while freeing your hands to help one of the toddling ones across the room. The process of throwing a little one on your back while tying the cloth is a bit tricky but by this afternoon I would say I was becoming quite skilled. I’m sure there will only be improvement from this point on, I teased the Aunties that I think I would handle more than one at a time in the case of twins such as Kelsey and Kelly or Bester and Elias. Ok, maybe not Bester and Elias they’re little chunks but definitely the “K’s” they’re tiny little girls. All in all I’d say it was a wonderful day.