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Written by Sarah Lucia
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Friday, 26 June 2009 22:42 |
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Last week we had afternoons in Gatenga, a site near what seemed to be a fairly large school. There were tons of kids of all ages. By day two some of the Rwandan coaches we have been training had many of the drills covered. During the first three days I had a great time playing soccer with the kids, teaching shooting drills and watching the Rwandan coaches take over. It has been interesting and challenging learning to coach using no more than three or four words (since thats all I know of Kinyarwandan that has to do with football!). Thurs, Fri and Sat we switched to basketball. Since there were plenty of coaches, Olivia and I mostly walked around chatting with different kids (using a mixture of Engish, Kiswahili and Kinyarwandan). At this site it seemed there were several activities after school available for the kids: Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Drumming, Juggling, Gymnastics...it was neat to talk to the kids about different things they were interested in. I met several older boys who lived in dorms nearby and were learning different vocations. I became friends with a boy named Thomas. He is a gentle, soft spoken kid. I'm not sure how to explain it but he had a perceptive side that not many I have met here seemed to have, especially with Olivia. Many gawk and grope at Olivia (because of her fair skin and light hair) as if she has no feelings or is not a person with feelings. Thomas would see this and guide us away from those type of people saying only, "I think she does not like to be disturbed right now." He was so right...much of the time she just plays with whatever catches her attention in the moment and when people are constantly prodding her and "disturbing her" it is uummm annoying. I hate to use that word, but it is hard to watch sometimes when she so badly wants to play with the kids and they just touch her and get right in her face and stare AT her rather than play ing WITH her. Anyways, Thomas told me he was left an orphan when he was just about Olivia's age and he was taken in by the Sister's of Calcutta orphanage. He is learning to cook at a vocational school nearby and has one year left to live in the dorms. When I asked him what he will do and where he will go after this year he simply replied "God will prepare for me." His heart is in the right place and I have been praying to God that He will prepare something great for Thomas.
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