TV of the Kitchen

1/10/2012

The Youth Justice program started up again today.  It is every Tuesday and Thursday from 10-12 where we meet street kids down outside of the sports center, bring them food, and play soccer with them.  Not enough people showed up to play today, but Rein and I brought them food and sat with them in the shack for a couple hours.  The street kids range from ages 18-25, which surprised me – I thought they would be younger.  They were enthralled at the fact that they were sitting with “a person of Obama.”  They dream about going overseas and they described what they thought America was like: there are no problems, there is no dirt like here in Africa – it is all made of nice paved roads, people are happy, and there are shelves in the schools that you can put your stuff on and people won’t steal it.  After it was established that I was not married, they all agreed that Rein should not let ANYONE touch me.  One of the kids was asking about the type of food we would bring them and he started describing a machine.  He called it, “the T.V. of the kitchen,” – he was referring to the microwave.  We all got a good laugh out of that.

In the early afternoon Rein and I went for a drive through the inner city because we needed to pick a stamp up for the office.  It was dirty, crowded, and so eye-opening.  The streets were filled with people – the majority just sitting on the sidewalk hanging out. 

In the evening I went to the gym for a couple hours and when I came back it was dark.  I had a nice long chat with Mr. Frank who was working security while I attempted to cool off before showering.  He is worried about money and he was calling various people to see if they could lend him some.  He would like to buy a computer so that he can get a better job and possibly move overseas.  He does not drink or smoke and goes to church often. 

I opened my room up to not one, but two geckos crawling around my walls.  I’ve named them Jim and Connie because they’re always watching over me, just as my study abroad directors Jim and Connie will be doing in about 21 days (not that I’m counting).