Two in One

Junior Week

As you know, last week the internet wasn't working properly so I decided to wait and see if it would sort itself out. It turns out it hasn't, so I'm just going to write a post without pictures this week. Hopefully in the near future I'll be able to share some images with you all.

The week before last I was in Juniors and it was very enjoyable. On Thursday - the day we do art - we decided to take the children round the Enrichment Centre garden and collect various flowers and leaves  that they could then stick onto a painted tree. The outcome was beautiful and is now stuck up on the classroom wall! On the Friday - our assigned cookery day - we all made chicken burgers which tasted amazing... The only problem was that this was at 9am so most of the children didn't want to eat their lunches afterwards (I can't blame them). 

On the Saturday there was another sports festival, but this time it was for the Junior Phase of the Mainstream school. The Enrichment Centre held a food stall at the event so Zoe, Kathryn and myself went along to help. We assisted in the kitchen by frying chips and battering corn dogs (very American). The corn dogs actually tasted quite good even if they didn't seem particularly appealing... But everything sold extremely fast and I think we made about £300 from the event which is fantastic!

In other exciting news from a fortnight ago, we got boards put up above out doors - yay! Up until that point there was a massive gap above each room's door, which meant it was quite noisy and the hall light could shine in. Talking about rooms also reminds me that I now have a confirmed place at Queen Margaret's Halls in Glasgow - so I think I'm all set for September!

Senior Week

Last week was quite a strange one because it only lasted three days. We had a Monday holiday at the beginning of the week and then Friday was another holiday, all the children were a bit confused when we started telling them on Thursday that it was the end of the week. Some even threatened to come in on Friday. Autistic children usually find it very difficult when their routine is disrupted in some way, so we assured them all that next week would be back to normal.

It was an emotional Tuesday because one of the boys in the Senior class had his first big trip away from home. When he arrived at school all the kids in the Senior class walked him to the bus and waved goodbye. It may not seem like much going away for only one night, but when you're handicapped with cerebral palsy it's a huge achievement - we're so proud!

During our cooking class on Thursday we made omelettes - I am now equipped with a mean set of omelette making skills... The same thing happened with the children's lunches but we all agreed that it was worth it.

Over the weekend our volunteer friends from a nearby town called Matox paid us a visit. They brought a boy from their class with them because it was his birthday and they wanted to treat him. We took him to see the new Fast and Furious film (testosterone overload) and then went swimming in the school pool. Both of these experiences were completely new to him as he'd never been to a cinema or a swimming pool before. I think it really reminded us how lucky we are to have access to such things. He was almost in tears!

Overall it's been a great couple of weeks, and not just because of the two long weekends! Sorry about the black and white appearance of this post, hopefully by next week I'll be able to post pictures again. I would also like to quickly congratulate my cousins, uncle and my dad for taking part in a half marathon this weekend. I haven't heard from them yet so I hope they've survived. Super proud of you all - wish I could have been there as well!