living in a different reality

africa is real. it's the only way i can describe it. the people here are absolutely incredible. the stories they have, what they have experienced and witnessed, is all more then i can comprehend. i have so much respect for them.

i feel as though i am living in a completely different reality. most of the women here are abused and although there is a law against it, many men don't know that. most of the girls over 9 have been raped more then once. we had a baby, patrick, who was found when he was only a few days old. he was on the railroad tracks. it is normal for women my age to have a child who is a few years old, i can not imagine what this is like for them...the opportunities lost is unbelievable. and there are actually 160 (not 116) children here in a very small space so they dont have any opportunity for privacy.

even though the suffering here is so great there is also so much hope. the children have the most contagious smiles...their enthusiasm for life is unmatchable! they appreciate the little things, they help eachother with everything, they make games with what they find, they always have a hug and a smile for you first thing in the morning. i think it is impossible to be in a bad mood here!

there are 8 german volunteers here who stay for one year, most of them have been here 4 months so far. in the other flat is david, knut, jana, hannah, and sophia. their flat is where we do our cooking and general living. in the other flat (called the AVIVA flat because there are often temp. volunteers from an organization called AVIVA living there)it is thomas, marlon, and my roommate marieke. our room is ridiculously small...enough for a bunk bed and a bed at the end of it a desk (no chair) and thats it. its way smaller then dorm rooms and i love it! we have laundry hanging everywhere and it looks a little like a bomb has exploded...its amazing =) the germans are all incredible! we have so much fun with the day to day living. cooking for 9 is always an adventure and we usually blast music during the evenings. i love these guys! last night we celebrated christmas...we made a huge meal and then lit a bunch of candles and turned off the lights. we have a small christmas tree (about 1.5ft high) set up and had a secret santa. a couple of the girls made cards for everyone with our favorite childs hand and feet prints as well as a candle that was decorated by them. it was the best present i could have received! we had some wine with dinner and then after they sang some german christmas songs which was awesome.


i've only been here a week but have done so much!! one of the big things was marieke and i had to go to the hospital with someleze. she is 4.5 months old and so so sweet. we had an appoinment for a checkup(she had really bad diarhea and was throwing up a lot) at 7:30 in the morning. we ended up waiting there until 1pm and then after a five minute discussion with the doctor went to the pharmacy, another 1.5 hour wait. we didnt end up getting back until 3pm!!! someleze is one of my favorite children...her smile is infectious! one of my other favorites is mama. she is 7 years old and quite the trickster. she also has a wonderful smile. shiny is another. he is about 4 and i spent about 6 hours with him one day just walking around, balancing on things, playing on the monkey bars, playing hand games. he is really cute and i love hanging out with him.

we have been working really hard the last week because of christmas holidays. all the children are off from school so we have been trying to keep them busy with different activities. i always feel tired but i wouldnt have it any other way!

i love this! i wish i was staying longer...africa is changing me in ways i never imagined. i can't wait for the coming weeks!!

i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas and i will try and write again soon!

much love and light.