Friday morning i was already positioned at my table in the meeting room, sipping on some coffee by the time they got up and around. Ashley had asked us to clean Mathias' office. i had asked her Thursday night before i left the orphanage what we could do so the girls could accomplish some tasks for the organization while they were in Sakete and all Ashley could think that still needed to be done at the bureau was for Mathias' office to get a nice cleaning. houses and rooms get filthy quick due to the red dirt and all the other elements. i ended up cleaning Mathias' office alone while the other girls washed a little of their laundry out back. i didn't mind at all doing this. i actually enjoyed cleaning African style by mopping with my feet and a towel and jamming to my iTunes that i cranked up on my laptop! sweeping massive amounts of red dirt and dead cockroaches has become so normal to me.
once i got showered and everyone out the bureau door, i drove off on my moto toward the orphanage just giggling to myself. thinking about how i couldn't wait to tell Ashley about my morning! the kids were dwindling in slowly from school. they had been off school the day before and we had worked at the new house all day thursday moving dirt into the rooms.
thursday work day!
true friendship right here folks.
love these two.
jon was working African style. barefoot. beast.
the kids were tired but were anxious to get back to school following lunch because it was sports day at the primary school! there was going to be 2 games of handball (boy game / girl game) and then a soccer game (just boys) all afternoon at the school. i decided that it would be fun to go watch, if it were possible! some of our kids were playing and it's always fun to be the best aunt who shows up for sporting events, right?
so the older kids said it wasn't a problem at all for me to go to the school to watch. some of the older kids were actually planning on going to watch themselves. so the other 2 girls from Ohio were going to come with us. i drove my moto with one of them on the back and bernard drove Arbre de Vie's moto with the other one on the back to the primary school. jon had been sick that night / morning, so ashley and him stayed home getting him all taken care of. ashley met us at the school for the soccer game and we all created quite a spectacle, that's for sure!
adolphe ready for his sport day!
augustin and tata.
the primary school.
2 minutes after arriving.
trying to make my way to the field for the games.
charle!
femi tearing it up on the futbol field!
adolphe playing some defense.
i had been to the primary school once before to take pictures of our children in their school uniforms to send to their sponsors. many of the teachers recognized me and many of the children remembered me as well! it's always funny to me to hear all these other kids screaming "TATA JILL!" and running up to me! kids around the bureau who go to the same primary school as our kids all call me Tata Jill. always makes me smile to think about and hear as i'm driving the moto down the red dirt road!
ashley getting a ride from bernard.
driving lisa around on my moto! love that thing.
the kids all ran out. and we went back to the field to watch the games! it was such a fun few hours. kids hanging all over me.
screaming.
watching our kids play their games.
it was the best friday afternoon!!
kind of like an American version of Friday Night Lights.
only it's the afternoon.
and there are no bleachers.
and there is not a scoreboard.
and the goals are made out of tree posts.
and there is no concession stand.
but there are lots of kids!
and it's a lot of fun!
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