20th May 2014

The biggest event of the last two weeks was the opening of a new box of crayons!  The afternoon scholars could hardly contain their excitement when I brought out a new box (48 count!) of crayons.  They had to count them all (good practice ‘cause they did it in English), arrange them on the mat in order, hold them in their hands and gaze on them, quarrel a little over who had which color, accuse each other of holding too many at a time, and all in all could hardly contain themselves in their joy.  The few little stubs of the old box that were left I gave to each one – two to each – and that was pretty exciting too.  We had a long discussion about how they were not to write/draw on any walls with those crayons, and so far I haven’t seen any of the colors in the neighborhood.  It’s the little things in life that mean the most!

Since it’s the time of year for harvesting of ground nuts (peanuts) and other legumes, we’re enjoying a special treat of boiled nuts as a snack.  Because they’re dug/pulled from the ground while  not real dry, all we do is wash them and put them in boiling salted water for about 15 minutes and then enjoy, warm or cold, shelling and eating them.  They’re a good source of protein, good for the heart, fattening, I suppose, and very tasty.

I was reminded again this past week of the cycle of life and death of a family:  A cousin was laid to rest and a great-grand-niece was born on the same day.  Thanksgiving for the lives of both.