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From Zambia: Week One at Appleseed School is done!

First week at the school is just about finished, and what a week it has been. In the words of Ken, working with these kids is like working with kindergarteners who don’t really speak English and who range in age from 4-16, in other words, exhausting. Angela and I both came down with some sort of illness that we are attributing just to the overall fatigue of the high energy level that is required. That being said, this week has also been phenomenal.
 
The kids at Appleseed are so incredible; most of them have stories that are unspeakably sad. Some are orphans, some have faced abuse, all live in the throes of poverty, and yet they all come to school with these big smiles, just so happy to be there.  Appleseed only started last year and most of the children who go there have never had any education, so even the oldest kids are still learning how to read and do simple math equations.  

 This week we have done a lot of assessments to see where the kids are at in each subject. Half of the week I was in reading and Angela in math, and then we flip flopped. In assisting the teachers and working with the kids we have been able to get a pretty good idea of what sort of curriculum needs to be taught in order to meet their abilities. The kids love to play, and I happen to be one of those adults who still plays tag at my birthdays so we have been having a lot of fun together. Every morning before classes start we have at least three different games of soccer going on in the school yard, which means I start the school day sweaty and covered in dust, it’s awesome.

                I have also learned this week that life in Zambia is chaotic, but people just tend to go with the chaotic flow. Good lesson for us Americans. Take the first day of school, we arrive at 8am, only to find there is no coal at the school and if there is no coal, there is no breakfast for the kids. So we end up going to the Bauleni market to buy some. I love this market, it’s loud, colorful, dirty and busy, but going there at 8am is overwhelming.
 
There are no white people who go to this market so people from all corners are shouting, “Muzungu, mzungu”, trying to get your attention and trying to have you buy a chicken, or sugar cane, or even a baby goat. We got the coal and headed back to school where they had decided to start classes already, but the kids were SUPER impatient all morning because they were hungry which made teaching more difficult. All in all, it was an excellent first day, and I am slowly learning more and more to just go with things, because if you just let things happen without resisting or feeling frustrated because you had other expectations, the day will go a lot smoother.(Below are Lucky and Patrick. They are complete gems and they love wearing these hats).

                I am excited for Monday, but I am even more excited for this weekend! We are heading to Livingston today to go to Victoria Falls, and on Sunday we are going on safari in Botswana. Adventure time!!!
 
Emma Shandy, UC Davis undergraduate, Human Development

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