I'm back in good health. After that small battle with malaria(?)or bacterial infection I've been back on my feet since Friday. Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) was a great success. The girls all seemed very changed by the end of the week. It was really inspiring to see them become more outgoing and confident. They had toured a radio/ television station, visited a university, heard talks from professional women, health workers, environmental workers, done crafts, played sports and many other great activities.
I was so proud of how well my girls from Ouedeme behaved. In fact one was so impressive that out of the 50+ girls in attendance she was awarded a "spirit stick" because she was always so involved, on time, outspoken, and well-behaved. She is one of my best students and I'm glad I was able to help her have such a unique experience.
Saturday was my day to spend all day and night at the center. Another volunteer and I were in charge of girl-wrangling and running the various activities. There was a recap sessions about their goals and motivations. We discussed what they wanted to do and how they were better equipped to achieve their aims after the week's sessions. It went pretty well.
Next was a closing ceremony where we invited many of the participating ONGs and contributers from the community to come meet with the girls and see a slide show presentation I put together of everyone's photos throughout the week.
The afternoon was a great session. We had four hours of crafts. There were friendship bracelets, crocheting, making little pouches from FanMilk bags, and I manned the tie-dye station. Each girl made a head wrap and dyed it.
Saturday night we had a candle ceremony then a dance party. After that it was lights out. Upon returning to our room I noticed my wallet was left open sitting on the bed. I know I hadn't spent any money all day so it struck. Anxious, I opened it only to find my money missing. The door had been locked all day and was locked when we came back to the room. Also missing from the room was another volunteer's brand new digital camera. I spoke to the security guard who explained that it was not possible for the camera and my money to have been stolen as there is only one person with a key. Frustrated we went to visit the person who keeps the keys only to find him not answering the door. Cleaned out, my biggest concern was that I now had no money to get my girls home the next day. There was nothing that could be done so I went to bed.
The next morning I spoke with the volunteer who organized the camp and she managed to squeeze a little money out of the remainder of the budget to get my girls back to village. It was nice to finally have some downtime so another PCV and I rearranged some of the furniture in the workstation. I'm looking forward to this week as my first true week of vacation.
3 comments:
Too bad about the theft. We take is for granted that theft is an aberration in our culture, and it is shocking to see how accepted it is in others. Of course, you are a well known target of thieves, now gaining an international reputation. I am thinking of a movie like those Cary Grant international jewel thief movies, or the Thomas Crown Affair, but with the protagonist an international thief target.
Glad you recovered quick. Hope no more recurrences. Take pills, use nets. Don't get sick, please.
It is nice to hear how the GLOW camp went. Do Beninese like hokey acronyms too? Funny, everyone seems to. The Mnemonic Effect. Could be another movie title, like a Ludlum thriller.
Your pride in your charges is touchingly human, it is good to see that. Remember, real change in behavior starts with the teacher who can make a philosophical change live. Grasshopper.
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