The past couple of weeks, the media team has been playing…with little kiddies!!!!! Each day, we’ve headed out to a carepoint outside of Manzini in Swaziland.
This particular carepoint runs everyday after school and kids from ages 4 to around 12 go there to get fed and to play. It’s so much fun because when we pull up, there’s a little group that runs up to us, with their arms wide spread and act as the official welcoming committee. We then walk down to the little building where all the rest of the kids and goo-goos (grandmothers) are and start to play with them or go and help serve the food to all the little munchkins. We’ve all adapted to different roles.
Telfer usually has kids just hanging all over him, leads them in songs, and chases them everywhere. He recently has let them play with his hair and create all kinds of new hairstyles.
Jenny is the motherly one and makes sure they are taken care of. She makes boo-boos better, just cuddles them or runs around and chases the goats with the little following her. 🙂
Erin lets them crawl all over her and they love to play with her long hair. She has really developed a good relationship with Donzi and it’s cute to watch them seperatly spinning around with hand in the air till one drops. 🙂
Youell has two special little guys that think the world of him. All three of their faces light up when they see each other. One loves to play with his glasses and tries them on in various ways. The other one loves to sit on his shoulders as he walks around.
I have the cuddlers. I have a couple of girls that just love to sit on my lap and as soon as one jumps off another one jumps on. I also seem to be the table and two little girls put their bowls of food on my lap and usually I go home with beans all over my front. 🙂 I also have quite a few girls (and boys) that like to play with my hair. My camera has been a big hit too. They all say “Shoot”, so I’ll take their picture and when they see themselves, they get all excited and laugh.
They are all a fun bunch to play with and we’ve enjoyed getting to know the goo-goos as well. In fact, the goo-goos have all given us Swazi names. I would butcher the spelling of everyones names, but
Youell’s means a hero
Erin’s means thank you
Jenny’s means shinning
and Telfer’s means the one who builds houses for the women…yeah, there’s much laughter about that one
Ruby, one of the goo-goos asked me if I had one. I did and it was (as it would be pronounced) school-lee-lay….which means old. When I told her this, she just laughed. I aksed if she had another name. She said, “Yes….Lindiwei (pronounced Lin-dee-way). It means waiting to hear something from God.” I liked that, so it’s stuck 🙂
