Random stuff we get up to in moments of madness to relieve boredom - week one!

Since we finish the school day at 1 O'clock Daisy and I quickly found that we had a lot of spare time...a LOT of spare time. So what to do with ourselves? It soon became obvious that we would need a lot of activities to entertain ourselves. Plus there's the napping. After a long, long morning full of stressful lessons and equally stressful learners we soon worked out that an afternoon nap was the perfect way to wind down and relax. But that still left around six hours to fill with stuff... so what to do?

It took a lot of blue tac to do this!

The first few days were reasonably easy to fill, unpacking all of our stuff and generally just making our rooms feel a bit more like home. Putting up all of my photos on the wall I began to feel like I was once again simply back at school, unpacking after the holidays. But then what to do? Our bags were unpacked, our rooms tidy and we had to think of something new to do. Food, we decided, was the obvious choice, and so we got Sachi to take us into the heart of Tses -partially because we didn't actually know which way to go or where anything was, and partially because we just wanted her to go with us the first time (such cowards!).

Food glorious food!

Visiting the local shop we bought a loaf of bread and then we wandered back to the school. We were followed all the way there and back by a group of small girls, running along the ground in their bare feet (seemingly oblivious to the hundreds of shards of glass left by smashed bottles). On the way back I simply couldn't resist any longer and so I picked up the youngest of the girls and carried her for a bit - something that she and the other girls seemed to find hilarious for some reason! But they were simply so adorable - they had brought Daisy and I a packet of Namibian crisps called 'Nik Naks' each as a present!

It took a LOT of time to do!

A couple of evenings were spent making calenders each to stick up on our walls. Crossing off the days is surprisingly satisfying I've found and it's amazing how fast the days seem to go by now! Afternoons seem to just slip by, sitting outside the house chatting to the secondary pupils who live at the hostel, using the school computers, watching some TV on the laptop (so far we've been watching the first series of the Mentalist!), cooking our dinner - something we're becoming more skilled at as the days go by! One day, to Sachi's amusement I made savory pancakes which we ate with cheese and then raspberry jam for pudding. While skeptical at first, Sachi had to admit that it was good, and that is definitely something to be repeated!

They tasted better than they looked - promise!

As the days slipped by Daisy and I seem to becoming experts at finding things to do to amuse ourselves - although sometimes we do just sit there in silence until one of us comes up with an idea. The pile of American gossip magazines in the corner of the room have now all been read, (and the crosswords are to be stuck up on the wall - another mad idea we've come up with). I even made a new sign to go on the front door, celebrating the volunteers who live in the house :P I also thoughtfully included a small reminder of our nicknames (a tiara/crown, a duck and an American flag!) It seemed to be a good waste of an evening!

Sorry Mother - no shoes!

As time goes by Daisy and I realise that we're becoming more and more 'native' (to use our word). While at first we never went outside without our shoes firmly on our feet (the words of our mothers still firmly in our heads) that has soon gone out the window. Now, like the children, we happily wander around outside in our bare feet, the sand/dust making my skin go a very strange shade of grey! Although I have to admit I don't plan on doing that outside of the school grounds, far too much broken glass, animal droppings and leaking human waste for that (the pipes are experiencing a bit of a problem at the moment - the smell is truly delightful!) 

But perhaps the most amusing way we entertained ourselves in the first week was Ruben's haircut. The boy foolishly told us that his hair was too long and that he needed it cut (yes Ruben, I did just call you foolish - if you don't want to read my comments about you, leave this page now - I've warned you!). To our delight we jumped at the chance, and Ruben soon found himself sat in a chair in the middle of the room with three girls circling him with a pair of scissors. 

It was perhaps lucky that Daisy's mum is a hairdresser and so we had at least a small amount of instruction to go on (although personally I would have found it funny if we had left him with a massive bald patch at the back). But Ruben assured us that if it went wrong it didn't matter as he would just shave it all off. And so eventually, after a very long time we had finished - and it didn't look too bad! Maybe a little wonky in some places (totally not my fault) but overall it looked ok...what a shame!

The week was finished off with a visit to the house of one of the workers at the school. Sat around on chairs the five of us listened as one of the workers told us about the time he use to work as a miner of precious gems. He told us of the dangers that the miners faced and all the ways that people died, how everyone steals off everyone else and all the different methods he used to take the precious gems off his friends when they were asleep - but he assured us that he has now turned his life around and that he is now an honest man (lets hope he was telling us the truth!) 

So that was pretty much our first week. Five days of madness and chaos and first experiences. Full of laughter and random ideas it was certainly one to remember! But I can honestly say that it's only got better since then!