colour your world.

This phrase is everywhere in Nairobi.  No, it’s not some famous saying.  It is an ad for some fabulous brand of paint that is painted on every wall and fence and gate: "Colour Your World."

This past week my world was colored.  By children.  My other journeyman buddies from this area of Africa and I took care of the little ones this week while their parents were in a meeting.  We had kids ranging from 9 months to 12.  

My week consisted of:

-hiding Easter eggs over and over and over and over again

-making cake with "cauli-flour" 

-changing dirty diapers

-throwing leaves in the air

-smacking my face with a big leaf repeatedly to keep the babies laughing

-playing, teaching, and learning different hand games

-a little tennis (with a tiny racquet), basketball, volleyball

-lots of "Four Corners" and "Telephone" and "Hot Potato" and "Musical Chairs"

-cool crafts like beaded cross necklaces and bookmarks

-good ol' Kenyan tea time at 10 and 4--praise the Lord!

-swinging crying little ones back and forth in my arms till they fall asleep (maybe)

-"Veggie Tales" and "Tom and Jerry"

-helping the older ones learn Bible stories by memory (and being surprised by the 6 and 7 year olds!)

And I am exhausted.  And a little sick with a cold (but that's altitude and cold weather and children all combined!).  And I even now I keep hearing kids cry or run really fast by my door or scream loudly to each other and sit up in my seat ready to discipline or shhhhush or come up with some way to get that baby to sleep.  Ha.

But the week was so much...{oh just I have to use the word even though I've outlawed it in the classroom}...FUN.

It was crazy and exciting and interesting and a major learning experience and so so so fun!!!  Glad I got to be a little part of these kiddos' lives for just a week!

Today consisted of taking Nakumatt, the local version of Walmart, by storm, getting almost everything on my restock lists, and then selecting, buying, washing, blanching, and freezing fresh veggies!  Tonight/This morning I hope to join the Lewis family and other m's to get up around 4am to watch the college football national championship!  Can't wait to see a football game on tv--I've learned it's not that important and it does not matter very much at all--but it's part of my culture and something I love to do!