It's been a long time since I've felt this way. I wish that weren't true but it is. I feel like my soul is full. Last weekend I went to a boarding school in Natovi with members of my host Rotary club, Suva North, for a work day . The day was part of a project that's been going on for quite some time now. The club started out by making repairs to dilapidated buildings around the school's campus - installing mosquito screens in windows, putting up dividing walls in dorms, cleaning up rubbish built up over the years, and touching things up with a fresh coat of paint. I could tell a lot of work had been done already, not just from the project coordinator's words but from comparing places that had been improved versus ones that would make projects to come. Almost all of the work prior to Saturday's was done entirely by Rotarians, with little assistance from the school faculty or children. The purpose of going this weekend was to change that - we wanted the kids to take ownership over where they lived and teach them to care for it. To start this process, we thought we'd teach them how to paint, work with instead of for them, and emphasize taking pride in their home.
When we arrived on-site the beds and personal items were already removed from the dorms and everything was placed outside under overhangs in case of rain (it rains almost daily here). There were about fifteen kids there to start out, aged eight to twelve give or take. The others were making up classes missed during the flooding that took place a few months ago. We began by having the kids clean up the remaining trash and odds and ends on the floor and shelves; it's all part of the prep process. Next was scraping the walls to remove old pealing paint, stickers, tape, sticky-tack, etc. to get ready to apply the first coat. I could tell the kids were going to do great job already, they were attentive and hardworking. We put down newspapers as drop clothes in the center of the room with trays and drums of undercoat spread out for the them to use. I explained the importance of being careful not to splatter onto the nice hardwood floor (which were in remarkable condition by the way) and continued by demonstrating how to use a roller versus a brush. We had a kid pour paint into the trays and off they all went!
It was really cool to see what a good time they were all having just whitewashing walls. Soon the older students joined us and the process continued as the crew painted the insides of three or four other buildings, two coats each. After leading the youngsters all morning, I had a following by mid-day. I walked around with a group of little ones doing projects. It seems that all my experience in youth work was reflected in how the kids responded to me. I taught them how to clean the brushes and trays and how to store them properly and they worked incredibly hard. A couple Rotarians commented on my way with children, they were impressed by my ability to teach the kids how to do things and how much fun they had in the process. One later asked, "Hey, can you go do that thing where you get them to do everything themselves and maybe have 'em clean these brushes up too?!?" I said I would and told them how I'd always believed in the 'learning disguised as fun' philosophy. I was thankful for all the training experience I had in camping and youth work; thankful for Suz's* emphasis on participatory learning. More than that, however, I felt blessed to have the opportunity to use my skills and training here. Many of the children were from small villages and had never seen how a room is painted, let alone been able to do it themselves! It was great to be a part of such a unique opportunity for them. The day had it's hitches but we accomplished much and were exhausted by the time we headed out. It was worth it though.
I have to say this was the best time I've had since I have been in Fiji. It's funny to think that when I first came here all I wanted to experience was sun and sand, but after Saturday I'm finding that I'd take a day like that over the beach every time. It's an incredible thing to give to another, especially children, and I felt a fullness in my soul I haven't felt in a very long time. I've been reflecting on the whole 'why am I here?' thing and think I may be arriving at it. It's time for me to give myself up for awhile, to live humbly and serve others selflessly. I'm here on a scholarship through Rotary, who's very motto is Service Above Self, and I think it's finally hitting home for me. I'm considering working with the Natovi school for my on-going project here and have been putting together some ideas about how to improve their programs. I know that my experience and training in camping and at Woodward Academy would provide some valuable insight to help move things along. I'll keep you posted.
Time is starting to go by quicker now as the routine is setting in. The grad school work load is ever-increasing and I'm getting busier by the day. I still manage to miss home every once in awhile and think about my friends and family all the time. Despite the occasional homesickness, however, I'm grateful to be here and am looking forward to the seeing where the Natovi project will go. Speaking of grad school, I better go and get some reading done for an upcoming project. I hope everyone's lovin' life back home. Take care and write me if you get a chance. Peace out.
*For those of you who don't know - Suz was my camp director at both Hantesa and Toccoa and taught me practically everything I know about youth work. I consider her my mentor in camping and am continually inspired by her dedication to kids and her passion for quality program development. (Thanks for everything, Suz!)
When we arrived on-site the beds and personal items were already removed from the dorms and everything was placed outside under overhangs in case of rain (it rains almost daily here). There were about fifteen kids there to start out, aged eight to twelve give or take. The others were making up classes missed during the flooding that took place a few months ago. We began by having the kids clean up the remaining trash and odds and ends on the floor and shelves; it's all part of the prep process. Next was scraping the walls to remove old pealing paint, stickers, tape, sticky-tack, etc. to get ready to apply the first coat. I could tell the kids were going to do great job already, they were attentive and hardworking. We put down newspapers as drop clothes in the center of the room with trays and drums of undercoat spread out for the them to use. I explained the importance of being careful not to splatter onto the nice hardwood floor (which were in remarkable condition by the way) and continued by demonstrating how to use a roller versus a brush. We had a kid pour paint into the trays and off they all went!
It was really cool to see what a good time they were all having just whitewashing walls. Soon the older students joined us and the process continued as the crew painted the insides of three or four other buildings, two coats each. After leading the youngsters all morning, I had a following by mid-day. I walked around with a group of little ones doing projects. It seems that all my experience in youth work was reflected in how the kids responded to me. I taught them how to clean the brushes and trays and how to store them properly and they worked incredibly hard. A couple Rotarians commented on my way with children, they were impressed by my ability to teach the kids how to do things and how much fun they had in the process. One later asked, "Hey, can you go do that thing where you get them to do everything themselves and maybe have 'em clean these brushes up too?!?" I said I would and told them how I'd always believed in the 'learning disguised as fun' philosophy. I was thankful for all the training experience I had in camping and youth work; thankful for Suz's* emphasis on participatory learning. More than that, however, I felt blessed to have the opportunity to use my skills and training here. Many of the children were from small villages and had never seen how a room is painted, let alone been able to do it themselves! It was great to be a part of such a unique opportunity for them. The day had it's hitches but we accomplished much and were exhausted by the time we headed out. It was worth it though.
I have to say this was the best time I've had since I have been in Fiji. It's funny to think that when I first came here all I wanted to experience was sun and sand, but after Saturday I'm finding that I'd take a day like that over the beach every time. It's an incredible thing to give to another, especially children, and I felt a fullness in my soul I haven't felt in a very long time. I've been reflecting on the whole 'why am I here?' thing and think I may be arriving at it. It's time for me to give myself up for awhile, to live humbly and serve others selflessly. I'm here on a scholarship through Rotary, who's very motto is Service Above Self, and I think it's finally hitting home for me. I'm considering working with the Natovi school for my on-going project here and have been putting together some ideas about how to improve their programs. I know that my experience and training in camping and at Woodward Academy would provide some valuable insight to help move things along. I'll keep you posted.
Time is starting to go by quicker now as the routine is setting in. The grad school work load is ever-increasing and I'm getting busier by the day. I still manage to miss home every once in awhile and think about my friends and family all the time. Despite the occasional homesickness, however, I'm grateful to be here and am looking forward to the seeing where the Natovi project will go. Speaking of grad school, I better go and get some reading done for an upcoming project. I hope everyone's lovin' life back home. Take care and write me if you get a chance. Peace out.
*For those of you who don't know - Suz was my camp director at both Hantesa and Toccoa and taught me practically everything I know about youth work. I consider her my mentor in camping and am continually inspired by her dedication to kids and her passion for quality program development. (Thanks for everything, Suz!)
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