Reaching out to the outskirts

We have spent two mornings doing outreach this week and each occasion has made me realise just how magnificent yet vulnerable these villages are. In the western world it is just that much easier to get to a clinic or hospital to get the vital vaccinations for your bundle of joy. On the last two occasions we went into two different villages. The one village was about 20 minutes drive away from the clinic in Lifuwu…not too far away, but the other one was 34km away which took us an hour on the rough road which is REALLY FAR for these Mamas if they need to get to the clinic to see a doctor.

At these villages, we were approached with about 25 to 40 children from a few months old to under 5 years. As it holidays the medical assistants are slim so the assistant manager and I found ourselves weighing the kiddies and jotting down the figures ourselves.

It was absolute mahem only because you need to work so quickly. Once the scale was attached to the tree I had a long line of Mamas with their little ones on their backs being swung around and handed to me within seconds at a time. And just as quickly as I received the babies I had to quickly hook them onto the scale, hoping that wouldn’t squirm like worms so I could read the weight, and hand them back into their Mamas hands. There was this one toddler that screeched, in what I assumed was fear, and was not happy being hooked from inside a little hammock (closest idea I can come to). I could not for the life of me read the weight because the needle was jumping all over the show…epic fail so we had to wait for the toddler to calm down before second attempt. There were a few of those and as much as I tried to calm them down and hush hush them, it was quite the challenge.

That wasn’t even the worst/best of it…There were three “little bags” I was handed during the hour it took to weigh the kiddies. I couldn’t believe how light these babies were and it broke my heart. I remember weighing one little baby and it came to a whole 2.8 kg! I thought the baby had to have been born the day before or something because he was so TINY to say the least. There were about 3 babies between 2.8kg and 3.8kg and in those moments I felt so helpless. A baby is already so vulnerable in the early months and now underweight too…but what could any of us do? It was really sad to see to be honest and I can only hope and pray that those little people gain weight quickly and be blessed with incredibly strong health.

Once I was finished weighing I walked over to the vaccination area and you can only imagine how these little babies are crying in agony as the injection pokes their soft, gentle skin. It really is heart breaking and obviously necessary but you just want to take their pain away. Vaccinations are not fun AT ALL!!! After one of the little “bags” had his vaccination he was crying so much and when I looked at his Mama she gave me the gesture to take him which I did…and just hushed and rocked him to sleep. It was so beautiful just watching this little person calm down and fall into a peaceful sleep…I was in my element…I got a little baby to sleep!! I was so happy holding him that I was a bit reluctant to give him back…I just wanted a few more minutes to hold this wonderful gift of life.

In saying that it has been amazing to be involved in this system that is setup here and help where I can. It really is something else! I believe that the more medical awareness and need that is drawn on these outskirt rural areas and the priority placed on them health wise…it wont be long until there is more support and help given to them. These little people are the next generation and their health is crucial in every respect. This part of the voluntary program has been an eye opener of note and I recommend any medical expert, nurse or assistant to consider becoming a part of this …even if it is only for a week.

Every hand makes a contribution and that is something we need to always remember.

Merry Merry Happy Holidays

Up until September this year I was planning on going home to South Africa for two months. There was the main reason which was the wedding of my beautiful sister and of course for the festive season. There has only been a handful, not even a full hand, where I have not been home in December. It has always been a special time with the family where everyone is on vacation and we just embrace the time we have together and absorb a few sun rays. I have some of the most amazing memories during festive times and I find it’s because everyone is so happy and full of joy. The atmosphere is simply contagious and the kindness and compassion overflows…

However, after the seed was planted to do a voluntary program in Malawi and some encouragement from my elder sister I decided to do it over the festive season including the merry merry and new year. My sister’s wise words were that I would share it with amazing children and it would be an incredible experience.

When I woke up on 25 December, the atmosphere was slightly different to what I am obviously use to. However I decided to take what I had and make the most of it…and we all did for sure. In the morning we all slept in and collected out energy for our exciting plan, and that was to spend the afternoon with the family I have mentioned before; Anna’s family. We walked over to their home around noon only to be welcomed by the most joyous and happy faces. Her little dumplings ran over to the one volunteer with so much excitement to see us and grabbed his hands as he lead the way. We were not only welcomed to spend time with them, but invited into their home…which I found as such a privilege. We removed our shoes and walked to one of the rooms to play none other than the craze card game that all the kiddies over here love. I have never heard of it nor played it until I arrived here but let me tell you it is SLIGHTLY addictive. So the cards have animals and numbers on them and you have to match the card played or draw a card…sounds simple BUT there are a few other rules that took me a while to catch on to.

There were about seven of us playing to begin with and it kept rotating. It was such a pleasure to spend time with these loving, friendly and playful children. At one point the braiding of the other volunteer / assistant manager began and kept two of the kiddies busy for QUITE a while and they did such an amazing job…always asking me to look at her hair, with a bright smile, to see how far they had gotten. The feelings inside me were indescribable but in a nutshell I felt so blessed and my emotions were exploding with joy and fulfillment. My attention was soon distracted with another game of cards with one of the older sons and it was so much fun. I felt like a kid again and couldn’t help it. With all the joy, laughter, jokes and smiles flowing around, the atmosphere was filled with nothing less than absolute love.

After a few hours of playing with the kids we thought it was best to leave as we also did not want to intrude of their family time. So we gathered the whole family outside to hand over a small token to each one and their faces absolutely lit up. The one volunteer realised that they weren’t too sure what I had handed them so showed the one little girl how to open up the gift…and within minutes everybody had opened up a candy stick and little badge. Words cannot explain how happy and grateful they were to receive a gift…something so small but meant something so big to them. It was such a beautiful moment that I will never forget.

When we walked home I just reflected on the incredible opportunity I have had here and will still hold until I leave. I felt so much gratitude and overwhelming joy in my heart to have shared that special afternoon with the Anna family…

We all took some time out when we arrived home to relax before our festive evening began. I spent some time in both the morning and afternoon to message my family and friends. It was all so different to our usual happy holidays as the family this year was all in different cities or countries. There were definitely a few moments where I really missed them all and reflected on our previous memories together. But soon thereafter I reminded myself of where I was and of the once in a lifetime experience I had right in front of me…

 At around dusk we all started getting our dinner ready…yummy steak, vegetables and mash. We finally sat down and enjoyed our meal together; four strangers that had the same passion found in the same place and the same time. We enjoyed a wonderful evening of conversation and even found ourselves playing the addictive card game the children had taught us…and just had a laugh.

This is by far one of the most cherish-able festive seasons I will carry close to my heart…forever and always.

*Names have been changed.

Beautiful Malawian Souls

On Friday morning and this afternoon I have had the privilege of spending time with one specific family and their beautiful souls. This particular family includes eight children between 3 years and 23 years, of which I have met six and they are absolutely incredible. These children are all unique in their own way and are playful, friendly and an absolute pleasure to be around. The one daughter however has really taken my attention…

This beautiful young girl has the biggest smile, loves to chat to us and play cards with her younger brother and sister when we around her. Her name is Marcy and she is a tender age of 10. Marcy is so gentle and loving to her younger siblings and really helps out where needs be. Now I am sure most of you can relate to this role of looking after your siblings and stepping in as the eldest child with responsibilities, generally speaking. However, the reality is that most kids today just get on with their own thing, play with friends or with their latest gadgets (Forgive me if I am being extreme but it is to get my point across).

I have never heard of a child this young, or even younger, in my environment doing the washing or taking care of younger siblings while the parents are out at work. Here is another example: At home in Arusha, Tanzania I often see kids easily under 10 walking their siblings to school next to the manic roads full of cars, bikes, pedestrians, cows, goats…you name it. And it breaks my heart to see how young they are doing something so responsible. These kids in rural areas and living I poverty just have to grow up so much faster to help the family, which I totally understand and can appreciate. Yet, is it a bit sad because they miss out a bit of the care free childhood that most of us have experienced.

Now Marcy now is the THIRD YOUNGEST out of these 8 children and has an absolute heart of gold…she is simply always smiling, hand in hand with her younger sister of 3 and brother of 7. I love being around these dumplings and they truly make my day! The three of them actually did a little dance for me whilst Marcy was singing and it was just so pure. It lifted my soul to see such “happy go lucky” kids in quite challenging circumstances, yet it never holds them back and that I can truly appreciate.

My main point is that this girl who I think is a touch of a prodigy is 10 and in Standard 6 / Grade 8 (4 years her senior) AND…wait for it….TOP student of her year!!! If that isn’t inspiring, then you have got me because I am just blown away by her personality and achievements. When I learnt this, and after spending time with them I was so curious to meet the mold behind these children…which I was privileged to today.

I was honoured to meet their wonderful Mother today, who was lying cuddled with her children while she was on lunch break from farming. Just to quickly give some observations from here and East Africa, the women’s labour is pretty much equal in level of difficulty as the men’s (or so I have noticed) and they will be found doing hard labour including most agriculture work from digging to planting and harvesting. You should see their arms…toned like any woman’s dream and these ladies are fit! So anyway, here we arrive at their house to see two kiddies and their Mother cuddled up outside having a light nap (Marcy was bathing). They woke up as soon as we approached them with smiles from ear to ear welcoming us to sit down and chat. Her name is Anna and what a lovely woman she is; a woman who has brought up 8 remarkable children. I really have to take my hat off to her in ultimate respect especially due to the circumstances of not only them but everyone in this village, which have been a complete eye opener to me.

Things in this village are of course so different to what we know. The children look after each other (no matter what their age) whilst the parents are working. Most children don’t have toys, a SECOND change of clothes, flip flops, running water, electricity and the like. Yet, you never fail to see this community greet you with a smile and ask you, “how are you”…This makes me think back to my blog on “Embracing Life and Lives of Others,” as these people continuously show compassion, kindness and love for each other. And this we can really learn from…

These Malawian people really bring on a new meaning to being happy with the ULTIMATE SIMPLICITIES of life. I always hear the laughter of the kids here and them playing either at the lake or around the village. I mean sure don’t get me wrong they do ask us for flip flops and clothes or money to help them out but isn’t that such a small token in giving compared to how most of us live every day? They do have days where they not jumping around in ultimate joy and have something that is bothering them…they are only human with the same emotions and desires as us all. BUT that doesn’t stop them from LIVING and working hard.

After spending time with this amazing family and being in this small little village, I just have a whole new appreciation for what I have in my life. I am so grateful to the moon and back for the clothes I have, the bed I sleep in and home with furniture that I live in…because they unfortunately don’t have these items that are somewhat basic to us, but what would be a privilege to them. I only wish I could do so much more and give them wardrobes of clothes and flip flops just to make life that much easier for them.

The Malawians truly have beautiful souls and I am so grateful and proud to meet them and be a part of Lifuwu, even if it is just for 4 weeks. It has been life changing up to now and full of adventure. I really am getting a better perspective of the lives in rural areas and how they just make it work…and its truly a beautiful story.

*Names have been changed.

Embrace Life and Lives of Others…

On 21 December 2005, an unexpected tragedy hit my family. Our Mom, the incredible woman who bore us and cared for us so deeply had passed away. Two days before that she had gone in for a standard procedure operation, yet she didn’t recovery as expected…and the actual cause is still a mystery to us.

However, this post is not about my mourning or our mortality…but something much greater than that, which is embracing life and the lives of others each minute while you still have the chance. What we tend to forget is how fragile and gentle a life is when we living in the fast lane (this isn’t directed at anyone specifically, but I am hoping we can all relate to this in some way). Sometimes in life we become so absorbed in our own lives, families and concerns, but to the extent that we forget about OTHER people around us. We are so focused on what we want and where we need to be that we don’t even notice the homeless man on the side walk that simply needs a smile to make his day. We have become so rushed in life, trying to climb the ladder and get the work done in our 12 hour day that we don’t even notice the pain of a colleague due to circumstances in his/her life. We have become so exhausted from the rat race that we forget to give our partner or children an embracing “bear hug” with all the love in the world.

What it comes down to and something I have been recently learnt is “Appreciate the journey and not only the destination.”

The human race has become so goal orientated, which is fantastic don’t get me wrong, but in saying that it comes at the sacrifice of the simplicities in life like family time (and not around the tv), appreciating  the beauty of the flowers in our garden or the breath-taking sunset, telling our family we love them - and not just out of habit - giving a colleague, friend or stranger a complement…just being kind and compassionate no matter what we are feeling inside and taking the time to do so. I feel incredibly strong about these two characteristics, amongst others, and strive to show them each day. Trust me I don’t always get it right. I know that there is an abundance of love, compassion and kindness in the world; I just wish we would take the time to show it and embrace it each day…

I learnt kindness and compassion from my dear blonde hair, green eyed beautiful Mommy. She was filled abundantly with these characteristics and of course her love overflowed for us. I no longer mourn her passing; however I will never get over her no longer being around and will MISS her presence until the end of my time. It’s been an overwhelming 8 years and the longing for her still remains and that will never change. I was a tender teenager of 18, so naive and innocent, and the journey to this day has been beautiful yet tough. In saying that I have grown, become slightly wiser and stronger which is something I would like to believe carries me every day. 

I have had undying support over the years from my loving family, abundance of close friends and partner, but most of all the support and boulders in my life are my two darling sisters. Their love, kindness and support burst at their seams and it is due to their motivation and belief in me, that I am where I am today. And I can only thank them from the bottom of my heart for what they have done in my life and pray for an abundance of blessings on their dear lives.

Our parents, who Yahweh has tenderly picked to be with him, (our father more recently) taught us something each in their own right. Our father taught us to appreciate the beauties of life and take time to simply observe. I believe that they are watching down on us with pride of who we are and will forever be within us.

So my challenge for us is a 30 day trial of being kind and compassionate to someone EACH day…making someone smile or laugh, being patient and loving to your partner, running a bubble bath for your wife, cooking your husbands favourite meal, giving a complement to a stranger, helping an older man cross the street, lifting a child to reach something on the store shelf, buying a sandwich for a homeless man, visiting an orphanage and sharing your love or whatever the case may be.

Let us simply embrace life and the lives around us while we still have the chance…

A Day with a Special Message, Outreach and Final Painting

If you had to ask me how my day was I would say absolutely diverse on three accounts; my morning quiet time, the outreach program and finishing up the classroom without looking like a Smurf or Shrek. We planned on leaving before 9am to a village to weigh the babies and children, as well as give vaccinations. So before we left I had my prayer time and an interesting message came across…join a missionary! I immediately opened my eyes wondering if it was a thought of my own or if Yahweh (Hebrew for God) had spoken to me. So just out of curiosity I researched missionary programs in Africa and the first website I entered showed an abundance of work opportunities throughout the world and I was blown away. The job opportunities were not only for evangelism, but for my exact trade and interest including writing, design, publishing and the like. I couldn’t believe my eyes and had a trickle of excitement knowing that I could use my skills and talent that I have been so graciously blessed with to spread the Word/Truth. But I Ieft it to simmer in my mind as I had to focus on our morning project…the Outreach Program.

So we left for the clinic to fetch the doctor and vaccinations and after a 20 minute drive or so we arrived at a little village with all the Mama’s ready with their bundles of joy. The children were quite curious about us and just starred, with some even crying as I imagine they haven’t seen “Europeans” before. After everyone started to settle and the materials were ready the Mama’s took all their kiddies to a BIG tree… First up was the weighing of the babies and toddlers and let me tell you this method was definitely a novelty to me. Picture the image of a stork carrying a baby wrapped in material in its mouth. Now picture a scale hanging off a tree with a hook that the child, wrapped in this type of material, is hung on which pulls down on the scale resulting in the needle moving to the relevant number. 

I was amazed! There were about 40 children weighed this morning and of those, 25 were under 12 months and were given their vaccinations. So our task was to write the weight value in each child’s book before the Mama’s took their babies to the doctor and assistants for the vaccinations. It was such an incredible sight to see how this system had been put into place. I was simply in awe that I could be there to witness all of this in the middle of the bush in a little village. We spent about 2. 5 hours before we headed back to Lifuwu for lunch driving beside large rice farms and through other villages with heaps of kiddies waving hello / goodbye frantically as the car drove past. I just smiled to myself feeling so grateful for this journey and experience in Malawi.

After we had lunch we packed the car with all the last materials we needed to complete the class and headed off. There were only a few last drawings on the wall dedicated to “Things” that I spoke about before and the wall of the “body”. The other volunteers had drawn a Mama hand in hand with her son and were busy painting while I finished the items on the “things” wall including a sun, hut, flower and a few other pictures with their help in between. All I can say is that the classroom looks freaking fantastic and we all did such an awesome job in 3.5 days. It was a very rewarding moment!!

This class will be used for the older kiddies in the age group of pre-school and I can only hope that it will make their learning experience an absolute pleasure, sitting in their new desks that have also been sponsored.

I will take this time to reflect on the mind blowing, exciting and rewarding week I have had and ponder a little more about the message I received this morning and the meaning behind it...

Bright Green and Colourfully Marked

When I woke up this morning I honestly felt like I was on cloud 9, you know when people are incredibly happy and they use this unusual term to describe what I imagine is their head in the clouds. Yip that one. Anyway back to the point is that I didn’t have a worry in the world and was exploding with excitement for the day ahead. Today was the day that all our creative inspirations and any strand of arty personality had to surface because we were finalising all the sketching with COLOURS!

Above that we also had to sketch one dedicated wall to “Things” that the village kiddies can relate to like hut, fish, boat, tomato, sun, football and the like (but I will elaborate on that another day). So we gathered all the material we needed including a ton of different colour paint tins and brushes and headed off in the car. Did I mention I was given the privilege of driving this huge 4x4 through the village to the nursery school…For those of you who know me pretty well I love cars and racing games so as I was driving through the dusty roads and most of the time sand, the car started drifting (sliding) to the sides and I imagined I was racing a little rally between the huts and village at a lightning speed of 30km/h. IT FELT AMAZING!

When we arrived the same beautiful little eager birds were ready for nursery school and today was all about days of the week and calendar months. The one volunteer suggested using a ball when a child needed to answer to keep their attention but most of all to keep them in the class with me and not in the classroom that was being painted….as you can imagine how exciting that must be for these dumplings to see a new class and all the activities going on in there. So after about 10 minutes I finally had all four in the class and decided to take a new approach of asking them how they are and they all answered “Bo”, which means good in Chichewa their local language.

I spent the next hour going through the days of the week and months of the year and it was incredibly fun and obviously not taught in the traditional way where the kiddies are on the carpet or at their desks taking part. No, it wasn’t at all…picture a session of throwing the ball from me to the child while they are going through the specific topic or better yet KICKING the ball to each other (this was the only way I could find to have the little boys full attention and he actually did pretty well – well it was the only way I got any information out of him). Yes, I am definitely in Africa and it is just a heap of fun and the four kiddies really practiced well and I think that they will now remember that Thursday is the day before Friday as they were skipping that completely in the beginning…I guess I will find out soon enough.

After nursery class I just about ran to the other classroom to see what had already been done and how much was left for me to help with. I could not wait to get to get my hands dirty so I started mixing colours to reach the those needed for the logo; needless to say within minutes my hands were covered in bright green. The logo for Kids2Us is the globe with Africa and figures around the top half holding hands. So as soon as I had the green and blue I jumped in to start painting…it was on the outside wall and a touch too high for me but I somehow managed to paint it reasonably well.

Next up were the dots for the numbers which we all worked on in a few bright colours and the shapes, which involved another colour concoction on my behalf to reach navy blue. Yes, I know sounds pretty simple to just add a touch of black to blue, which I got right BUT I was actually trying to get purple. Funny I know, but I didn’t take art at school and my acrylics at home have ALL the colours I need so it definitely was a bit of a DUH moment. By lunch time, and after all the concoctions I had made I really looked like Shrek…with a multi-coloured decal on my clothes. To top it off, I realised that I was the ONLY one with that amount of art on me. But it was totally worth it.

The sponsor of the classroom, her daughters name is Ella Grace

After all our grafting to get all 3 walls complete, the classroom looked stunning and we were all very happy with the outcome and how we had converted the room within 3 days to a nursery class.

Just to say that I won’t be able to save the last touch of material on my clothes…and I will be colourfully marked for always.

Mended Pieces of a Broken Heart

This morning I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, so to speak, and unfortunately I was not exploding with energy or motivation for some reason. I just didn’t feel myself and my mind was simply distracted. However, I brushed it off as we had a lot to get done today at the nursery school including all the sketching and painting of the alphabet and numbers. So after breakfast off we went to the nursery and found four little dumplings ready to learn and as election registration was being done today the teachers were not available.

So I decided to take on the lesson which was about learning the numbers 0 to 10. There I was with the stick in hand pointing to each number on the wall as we went through them all, and then asking each child to count on his/her own and so on. The challenge of the day was learning how to count on their hands which went really smoothly until number 6, as the kiddies just counted from 1 again. How I take my hat off to teachers because teaching can be quite tough especially when some kids catch on completely and others have no idea what is going on. In saying that it really was quite the eventful and slightly challenging morning, which is quite funny as I was only teaching FOUR kiddies.

I understand that the challenges I faced are very different to those of qualified teachers obviously. My challenges of the day were the kiddies walking in and out of the classroom, lying on their backs instead of sitting some of the time and obviously at times not paying attention. Keeping in mind I do not know their native language made it even harder. I really tried to keep the learning fun and smooth by singing songs in between, asking them to shake their arms and legs with a little dance to get the blood flowing and break time. Overall it wasn’t too bad for my first attempt; It was definitely an eye opener, learning curve and I did see some improvement which was wonderful.

After nursery school I went to the classroom we preparing and helped the other volunteers with the sketching and preparation of the elements that we started painting today. We really making progress and it feels incredibly rewarding.

At around 11 when all the sketching was done we headed home for a break and lunch time. It was around then that this unfamiliar distraction came back. I couldn’t focus on reading or take a nap…until finally it all became clear and a huge void filled me. I missed my Dad… and my whole being suddenly withdrew from what I was doing and I went to my room to just process it all. My heart broke down…

I had also not spent any time with Yeshua in the morning as we were preparing all the materials needed for the nursery…So it all made sense as to why such a heavy weight was lying on my shoulders. After lunch I went for some much needed quiet time and unexpectedly cried in prayer; the tears streamed down my face whilst I handed over all the pain and emptiness that I felt. Suddenly my emotions slowly started to pull together and my tears dried up. It was an indescribable moment and I truly believe that He was with me and is with me at every part of this journey. I have Him walking by my side and to turn to at any point and that will be always. He mended some of the pieces of my broken heart because I believe and have faith that He will help me.

I realise that this is a long journey to walk and that moments like these will happen over and over again, but I know that He will always be with me and wrap His loving arms around me in comfort.

Yeshua filled me with strength today so I can continue this path in Malawi with all the passion in my heart to dedicate to this cause…fully focused on this project with His love pouring through me.

And I know I am going to be OK.

Let’s Get the Smurf On and Roll

I woke up this morning way before my alarm clock with a SLIGHT coughing attack, as I have been recovering from the flu (thanks to my darling sister) for a week now. Yet, my energy was booming and I was ready for what the day had install for us. After our yummy eggs on toast breakfast we headed over to the nursery school (which is about a 1 km from the house and did I mention it was a scorching 32 degrees) not expecting to find many students as the holidays began last Friday. However, we were pleasantly surprised to find four eager little kiddies ready to learn the alphabet along with their teacher. As this was my first time experiencing the classroom, I was more than happy to sit in and listen to them shouting out the letters as the teacher pointed to them and oh were they so proud when they got the animal matching the letter right.

This one little girl that I found a bit shy when I arrived at the school glowed gorgeously and had a smile from ear to ear when she got the question right. It was a beautiful moment and I was in my element. Thereafter we sang a few songs with an abundance of enthusiasm and the only one I recognised and could sing along with was “If you happy and you know it clap your hands” with all the gestures. I felt a tad old as I would like to think I didn’t finish school or nursery school “thhhaaat lonnnggg ago”, but anyhoo at least I remembered one song.

So the children in the nursery school are learning in English and forming the foundation so a lot of effort has been placed into the curriculum and working with the locals who volunteer to teach. I was very grateful to have had the chance to see all this in action. I only had a small amount of time with them before us volunteers had to put our thinking caps on and plan the painting of the second nursery classroom and the layout of all the educational elements we need to paint. These include the alphabet, shapes, colours, numbers, the body and creative drawings that the kiddies can relate to.

Lifuwu Village

We spent most of the morning planning and getting all the materials ready and soon after lunch we headed back to the nursery and began preparing the paint. We had a bucket of white paint that we had to mix with a blue tint and a stick – true African style…Nevertheless after heaps of stirring and spilling we got it right and ended up with a light Smurf blue and began rolling away.

It took us about two hours to paint the entire nursery, including some help from a young little boy who just wanted to be in the environment and wow was he eager in painting. It was quite refreshing especially when he started singing a song that I have no idea where it comes from but it added a touch of playfulness to the room. My experience painting, however, seeing as it is one of my fortes (mmm don’t think so) included moving around on my knees, rolling the paint in all different methods and kind of getting on with it only for me to realise after a while that I ended up splattering paint everywhere and ended up looking like a Smurf myself.

It really was a magical day of blue and I enjoyed it with all my heart. This is the kind of picture I had when planning on coming here involving playing with the kiddies as well as calling on a creative streak for the new nursery. The other two volunteers and I had the entire day to spend together and got on really well. In saying that I feel we all connect in some way, have a passion for the cause, enjoy the company of little kiddies and the next 3.5 weeks are going to be really fun and interesting.

So let me move along to the shower and try save whatever material is left of my clothes and be off. 

Before and After

Until next time let’s get the Smurf on and roll...