Natalia
Today was the first day we really got to settle in here at Fatima School for Girls. The hospitality is amazing, both the sisters and the students have welcomed us so warmly. Everyone greets us and tells us that we are welcome here. We receive nothing but smiles and hugs, their efforts to welcome us are so natural and so full of kindness.This morning Sister Mary took us on a tour of the grounds. We got to see everything: the classrooms, the dorms, the assembly hall, the chapel, the Barefoot School, and much more. It is so beautiful here. I am amazed at how hard-working these girls are! They wake up at 4:30 AM to do their chores, then they go to mass and soon after attend class and study for the rest of the day. After the tour, we went out to the soccer field behind our rooms and played with the preschoolers. They were all so adorable and so eager to see us! I've never had so many children trying to touch my hair and hold my had and climb on my back all at once.
After lunch we walked out of Fatima and into the village. I hadn't experienced anything like it. As we started passing the clusters of houses, children began following us. Most of these kids weren't wearing shoes, and the path was all dirt and stones. They were shouting and laughing and fighting to hold our hands. We walked for at least three miles, and the parade of children following us never thinned out. There were probably fifty children surrounding us. It's really hard to explain how I felt during this walk, I think I was mostly in awe of the whole experience. These children are all so beautiful, their eyes are full of curiosity and they react with pure joy at seeing us smile at them. I learned so many names and got more comfortable greeting them in Bemba, which is the language spoken in Ndola besides English. It was so eye-opening seeing where these children live, I can't even begin to describe the multitude of emotions that passed through me today. We were all hot and sweaty and covered in dirt. I loved every second of it.
At one point we walked into the medical center and the kids ran around to the other entrance to wait for us to come out. When they saw us come out they started running toward us, and the two girls that were holding my hands came straight for me. It was so amazing being with all those kids and sharing that time with them. I had so much fun connecting with them and being surrounded by such excitement and getting so many hugs.Tomorrow we're going to the orphanage for most of the day to be with the kids there. This place is amazing and everything we are experiencing is going to be so influential on who we are. I can't wait for everything we're going to do over these next nine days at Fatima!
Emily
Today, while at a nearby compound, there were children all around us. The farther we got into the compound the more children began to join the "parade." Suddenly I looked back and realized there was nearly fifty children behind us. They were all laughing, and playing, while still remaining with the group. The children ranged from all ages, anywhere from two years old to fifteen. Since their native language is Bemba, the little ones had a harder time keeping a conversation with us. Those who were older could speak English very well, because that is the language their classes are taught in. However, through those few little words I felt a connection with these children. I tried to understand what their lives are like, but I cant because mine is so different, and imagining what it would be like to have no shoes, or sometimes food to eat is unthinkable.
They never got bored of holding our hands, or walking in silence. Normally children need to be entertained to remain happy, or silent. However, these children did not seem to mind walking miles, or not speaking. Even when we went inside to a clinic, they waited for us to come back outside so they could find us and hold our hands the rest of the way. When I came out of the clinic, both of the girls who were holding my hand ran right to me, and grabbed on. They even helped their friends find a buddy to hold hands with. They are all so sweet, and were so excited to see us coming through their village. When we took out our iphones to take "selfies" with them they were so fascinated by the fact that they could see themselves on this device and take a picture. One of my girls just kept staring at the screen, and took about 30 pictures of herself once she figured out how to work the camera. They also loved to play with our hair, some girls would run up and feel my hair then run away. The blonde girls on this trip especially got their hair touched, and drew a large crowd. Tomorrow we are going to St. Anthony's orphanage where tons of children will be looking for hands to hold, hair to touch, and piggy-back rides. I can't wait to see what else we have in store for us for the remainder of the trip!
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