1st Impressions

Today was our first day at Olives Rehabilitation Center. Liz & I have been assigned to Grade 5 of the school. We are the primary teachers of English, Science and Maths. We will also be doing Art & PE classes.

When we arrived, the kids were full of energy and enthusiasm and couldnt wait to meet their 6 new volunteers/ teachers. Liz jumped right in and started getting to know the kids and learning their names. As with Peru, I relied on my size and before long I had kids swinging from both arms.

We met the founder of the school, who is a really remarkable man. He was quick to thank us for what we are doing for the school. But to be honest, it is us who should be thanking him, as he has dedicated his life to making a difference every single day. He said to us "its all about Ordinary people doing Extraordinary things" -- and we think he is definately an extraordinary person.

Before long, we entered our 1st class. Ours was a simple Maths class, although 2 of the other volunteers were greeted with 15 mins of Swahilli song. The 5th grade normal teacher kicked off his class, but within 15 mins handed over the reins to us. We noticed a huge gap between the top students and the ones trailing behind. One of the great things about this volunteer placement is that it affords one-on-one time for struggling students, and we are keen to be involved in that.

There is a real energy in the classroom - and there are a couple of real characters too! But, the kids are also very respectful. They call me Mr. Chris and Liz is "Madam Liz". Tomorrow we are teaching our 1st full lessons. We have double classes in Maths and English, and are also teaching the Respiratory system in Science. Thankfully, its all in English (not Swahilli).

Chris