My kids don't have any playground equipment at the School for the Deaf, so I decided to build them tree swings (with some major help from the other volunteer that works at the school). We put the actual swing together, then realized that we had to somehow get the swing tied to the high branch on the tree. We don't think ahead much.
So, being who I am, I just climbed up the tree myself and tied it to a branch. After a successful knot that would give the average sailor a run for their money, I looked down and one of the staff members had his cell phone out taking a picture--apparently it blew his mind that white girls can climb trees.
Our rope swing!
Our rope swing!Yesterday we checked out a local monkey sanctuary. There was 400 monkeys scurrying around in the trees, and one swung down as I held a banana, sat on the bench, and peeled it while it was still in my hand.
Now I can say, why yes, I HAVE fed a monkey.
The original teacher of my kindergarten class told me today that I am the first person who has ever been able to hold their attention for an entire lesson. That made me feel pretty good about myself.
Tomorrow's my last day at the School for the Deaf. I'm going to miss them. There is one little boy in my class who has behavior problems and can't sit at his desk, and I have seen him go from having a blank workbook when I got here to learning how to handle a pencil and draw patterns and write some numbers. I don't even care that they are all backwards and upside down.
On to my last orphanage visit. We are sewing on buttons because the kid's clothes are all button-less and don't stay on.
I didn't come here to make any drastic improvements. It's doing little things like this that make all the difference.
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