Week 3

Monday 18th

Two days of training, plus a full school week and yesterday's trip seems to yield the desired effect: we wake up after 6.00am!

Now, the boys are in full uniform, as you can see in our picture gallery (April album).

Training continues, today on a new track, i.e. around three blocks just outside the UPAVIM's gate: a bit short, but with 10 laps our 2km are done; not so nice, but better than the previous two options, so probably we'll stick to this.

Tuesday 19th

We've had to wake them up! No worries, no major natural disasters on the horizon: it was only one, Sam.

Physio Elena's had another meeting, this time also with the doctor and it went well again, so things are looking interesting there.

Reading week at the school, so today all teachers dressed up for a little story with different characters: quite improvised, but it was still good, to shake things up. Profe Mattia's quite colourful Rwandan clothes worked well as el pajaro (bird) africano.

The most interesting event of the day, however, happened in the afternoon, when the 3 male lions and Fernanda went down to the nearest cancha (sport court, in this case hardcourt fitted for basketball and football) to play with kids from the school or simply from the area: we started with a very good dodge-ball game then surrendered to the pressure and moved to football. It was good fun, which turned epic when the first rain of the season came and we kept playing, until Sam let us all realise we were soaked enough to head back home. Fernanda had already had a few of these sport outings with previous volunteers, so it is good not to let the good tradition die down, as it seems as if fear and lack of organisation would otherwise prevent kids from enjoying those little and few spaces and ways of entertaining themselves healthily that they have around here. 

Wednesday 20th

Elena's growing programme now includes working with Anya (the current health volunteer) to organise simple but highly important sport breaks on Wednesdays: they take each class out for a short time to the very small patio on the second floor for simple exercises which will not only help students not get claustrophobic but also keep them fit, as they tend to get overweight and out of shape quite easily and soon, due to unhealthy eating habits and lack of daily sport activities. Anya was already doing this, but she definitely needed and appreciated a boost as to willingness, enthusiasm and new ideas.

After yesterday change, last classic training for tomorrow's run, with only a few laps of our "round-the-blocks" track: the boys are ready!

Thursday 21st

Gran Maratón, a.k.a. gran confusión!

Michele, Sam and daddy, together with Carlin&Maddie and Paula, directora of the school, reach the meeting place by bus, where they meet fewer than 10 other students from our school (including a good friend of Sam's, hence greeting hugs); there's plenty of kids, as many schools from the area are joining and some time after the expected start-time we're finally ready to go. Luckily they've split children according to age categories, but still it doesn't look well organised and it shows soon: right after the whistle, the mass start proves a wrong idea and more than a few little ones have a close encounter with the tarmac... Sam of course can't escape doom, though luckily he has a soft landing, as he only trips on others who fell before him. Michele somehow manages to jump over them and then helps Sam up and on, until daddy takes that role and the big good brother can start running to catch up; he will finish in the first ten or so, well done! Sam finished quite strongly too, once he recovered from the shock. It was even too short, just 1k, after all that training, but they both enjoyed it. Confusion still reigned supreme at the end, as nothing happened for a long time, waiting for the next two categories to end their race; the 3 lions left as late as possible, to get participation medals and/or refreshments, but school duties were calling so it was all in vain; we then walked back, to make it a complete sporting morning (and no buses passed in time, anyway), getting some snack on the way. 

Friday 22nd

Back to "normal": all awake at 5.55.

Another morning at the sport park for Sam, this time with Mummy Elena trying to explain to the useless skating instructor that maybe helping children to choose the right size of skate would help quite a bit... To Michele's delight, a second instructor showed up at the pool, so that he could join the "advanced" group and have some near-proper swimming lesson in the big pool. With Fernanda joining Elena in their stressful attempts to improve things there, Mattia had some swimming too, enjoying the challenge of the 50m long pool for those 25-30 minutes between changing-room duties.

In the afternoon, it's time for more football, again under the rain.

In the evening, the roof has guests: Jody and Douglas, an elderly couple from the States, here to visit UPAVIM's projects as buyers for the American market; they had great stories to tell, either their or  from friends (ranging from Afghanistan to Iraq and the US) and we all had plenty to share on the current world situation (they happened to be not only supporters of Palestine, but even family friends of Rachel Corrie's, one of Mattia's personal heroes), so it was a very pleasant and interesting evening and, to Uncle Giacomo's delight, or envy, Mattia and Fernanda even got to receive a Bernie doll (check pictures, again in April!)

Saturday 23

Getting worse: the day starts at 5.45.

Morning at home, then usual trip to the big bus station, but this time it gets interesting: Mummy takes the family to the big market, where she had been guided to by Fernanda a couple of days back. Not a very picturesque setting (a big open tarmac space used as loading/unloading area, with selling going on under high metal-roofed sections), but we all enjoyed the colours, scent, variety and quality of fruit, vegetable and other produce, getting back with our bags full.

On the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare's death, we terribly missed being in Clon, where sure daddy would have delighted the boys and the town organising another memorable Festival, but at least the night-time storytelling was fitting, with a kids version of Midsummer's.

Before that, big joint police-army operation in the area, but that deserves another post.

Sunday 24

5.55, these are becoming dangerous standards, back to Rwanda ways, but with no need, as nobody must be ready for any bus at 6.30! Luckily Mum's delicious pancakes can make up for anything, especially when you add local honey and strawberries (check photos, you know where!).

Like on our first Sunday, we take a bus ride to the centre and a walk on La Sexta, this time allured by the Festival Cultural; it was a good move, as we really enjoyed the well planned culture touch applied to the square, which included traditional dances on the monumental permanent stage, a modern art exhibition, spaces for chess and other games, book stalls, a wooden-box maze for kids, a workshop dedicated to art with recycled material, by mentally ill people, and more. 

We took advantage of the bigger than usual food market for lunch and then by foot and bus we went  back home, to finish cook pizza for Maria's 25th birthday: another great success for Cook Elena!

Apologies for the long posts, but we are confident soon things will become more standardised, so we won't have so much to tell per week; we should then catch up with lost time and things will be easier (read: shorter) from then on!