(Posts are almost in real time here...)Our time here has been amazing, the Lord has really made a space in my heart for the people here. Everyone is so kind and accommodating; and it constantly impresses me what giving hearts the people have. We have gone to eat places around the village, and they specially prepare a meal for us each and every time; giving up their best crops for us. One of the neatest things we have experienced here are the songs. Everywhere we go (particularly coming into the compound the first day) we are greeted with song. The kids from the program gather and sing beautifully all dressed in uniform... it really is something special to see/hear. This is my second full day in Sena as I type this (2:03 in the afternoon)...
The hotel we are staying in is really something. I won't even be able to fully explain it via blog but I will do my best. Nowhere in America would the place we are staying be considered "adequate accommodation."I laugh as I type this, but the room in total is about 15ft. x 15ft. (making a total of about 225 sq. ft.), with one bed, a shower, a sink and a toilet. The toilet has no seat, just the porcelain, and the running water has about a 30-45 second delay after turning it on. The shower has some mechanism connected to it that you can plug in and apparently it heats the water, but frankly it looks more like a torture device. I think you would have to be suicidal to plug it in... Laura tried once years ago, and the plug short-circuited and shocked her...you can imagine being electrocuted in the shower isn't the safest thing. She is surprised it didn't kill her. Literally. The best part about our hotel is that is the Sena equivalent to a 5 star hotel - 5 star! Insane...
The photos you see are of our hotel (8 rooms total), what would be the lobby (outdoor area with sheet metal, dogs, chickens, goats, and turkeys, program workers around the compound, and some village kids. They were so excited to have their photos taken - I ventured into the school house in the program (Kuwangisana) with my camera to try and sneak some photos in the back... big mistake:) The little kids immediately lost all interest in the Activists (teachers and program officials) and swarmed me and my camera shouting "Aqui!" "Aqui!"... translated "here, here!" I literally disrupted all of class and emptied the school house into complete mayhem. The kids went wild. It was quite an event...
*the kid you see sitting on the bins dressed in red - I spotted him at lunch yesterday and snapped his photo... later I found out he was blind.
these pictures are amazing!
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