We started work again on Tuesday, and I was placed in the Senior class - a nice relaxing start to the new year. It was great to see all the children again after so long and for half the day I listened to extravagant tales of what they'd done during the holidays. One boy swam with mermaids and a girl claimed that she fought off a dragon. Much more exciting than my holiday - I'm quite jealous.
There was a sad point to the day when we had to carefully explain to the kids that one of the girls in the Junior class passed away during the holiday. It's difficult for some of the children to understand the concept of death, but one boy in the Seniors has experienced death in his family so he understands that when you say 'she's gone to heaven' that they're not coming back. Over tea and biscuits we brought out a picture of the girl that died and recalled different moments that we had all spent together. It was a lovely method of closure for both the teachers and the children. Later on this term we're going to plant a tree in her memory.
Last term we said goodbye to one of the boys in the Lifeskills class because he was offered a place at drama school - a huge achievement! His absence meant that a new space opened up in the Enrichment Centre and we are now welcoming a new boy into the Lifeskills class. He'll be starting his first day on Monday and we're all really excited to meet him. Working with disabled children is fantastic not only because it's so rewarding, but also because each child is so unique. They each have such interesting and funny personalities and it amazes/inspires me that the children are always smiling and laughing despite their physical and mental disabilities.
In other news: last weekend we were invited to one of the teacher's 21st birthday party (it was toga themed). Kathryn, Zoe and I went on an expedition to the mall and purchased three white bed sheets
and then looked up online, 'how to make a toga out of a bed sheet'. Surprisingly, it wasn't a complete disaster and we managed to conjure up a toga-like outfit. The party was held at the pavilion, where we eat lunch, and everyone had set it up beautifully! Ivy was wound round all the wooden pillars, there were golden masks in the middle of each table, white table clothes and to top it off - a disco ball. Yesterday was the Hostel Fun Day, so we all took part in various games and team building activities as a fun way of introducing the new kids to the hostel. There was an egg throwing competition, an assault course and a capture the teddy bear game - we all got very competitive. For lunch we arranged to make our own pizzas (delicious) and for dinner we organised a Braai. I think I'm going to bring home some South African chicken seasoning because it's so tasty...
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