How old are you?

Sorry I haven’t posted all week.  This week has flown by!  It’s Friday here, which is like Saturday back home in that a lot of places are closed and most people don’t have to work.  It’s our day of rest for sure.

Sunday we had a very successful day of storying in another slum, and I think the women are really interested.  There’s definitely a couple that are seeking. Yarp for them. 

We’ve had a lot of fun this week!  Monday, we celebrated January birthdays.  Two of the teachers had birthdays in January, so we got them a cake and celebrated.  Most of the girls don’t know their actual birthdays (or even birth years!) so we give them ones when they begin at the school, and we had two that fell in January, so my partner made them apple crumb cake, enough for all the girls, and we decorated and had candles and little presents.  It was so much fun!

I never realized how much I take something like my birthday for granted.

It’s one thing to go somewhere else and learn to value your food, clothes, shelter, modern luxuries, even family.  But birthdays?  That put a lot of things into perspective for me.  Someone else I know here had to guess his age when telling me.  I can’t imagine not knowing my age.  We’re so used to that being part of our identity.  It’s got me thinking about identity in general.  In the west, we use so many different things to identify ourselves…  Age, region, state, city, job, income level, skin color, hair color, education, political party, religion, denomination.  I don’t really know what’s right.  I’m just trying to figure things out.  Maybe I’m being overly philosophical.  Too much cha in my brain =)

Anyways, Tuesday was my first day teaching, and we worked on the English alphabet.  Language class on Thursday, as well as storying again.  It’s been a crazy wonderful week.

I love these girls.

I also love you guys.  Keep yarping.  I miss you.