Chester the Cheeseman

It was my birthday yesterday and on top of missing out on holidays with my friends and family last month, I have to admit I wasn’t a little scared I was going to be lonely. The craziest thing happened though, the staff in the capital called for a meeting on my birthday last week at the last moment, so a bunch of volunteers and I had to stay overnight the night before and after my birthday! I was so thankful. I wasn’t in my hut alone. The group ordered pizza for me and one of the volunteers made a cake for me too. They found candles and gave me small gifts that they could afford. My friend Jason bought me a guitar pic, my other friends bought me food, and made me a card. I think because we all know its hard being away from home, especially on holidays, birthdays, and funerals, that we all try our hardest to help each other on those days. I miss my parents and my sisters and nieces ad nephews. I miss my relatives and all my best friends at home, but I was really grateful that the other volunteers tried hard all day…all week actually, just to make me feel special. They were really nice. To end the day, I talked to Melinda on her lunch break from teaching the kindergarteners. It was good to hear from home.  Hong also came last week to my site to wish me a happy birthday. We watched Transformers on my laptop like 2 teenage boys. I stumbled across the bootlegged copy in the office last week and I’m glad I had someone to watch it with. Making funny commentary isn’t the same when you do it alone. Especially when its about robots. Its just sad. Originally I wouldn’t have even had the desire to watch it, but I cut out a quote from Megan Fox in an old People magazine I received. She said, “My dressing room on the set of Transformers always smells like farts and I have no idea why.” What?! A) Why would I cut that quote out? And 2) Why would that make me want to see that movie? Really though, is it so weird to want to see a movie that could take me back to my childhood? Transformers were big around my time. Its the most random quote, but I have it on my bulletin board because for some weird reason fart jokes still apply to me. Just like Rainbow Bright, personal pan pizzas, and Gak. It brings me to a time when life was simpler with Pepe logo t-shirts and Unionbay jeans. Plus, I figure if someone can say a quote like that and have it published in People magazine, than she deserves someone to watch her movie. I was entertained.

Last Saturday I had my first Life Skills group meeting. The “kids” in the group ranged from 13-18yrs old. I was excited to start this group! Finally, my first big project with the youth in my community! I was hoping to use this youth group to turn them into peer educators for the community. There size can range up to 30 members (depending on the activity)! Today, I had 8 members. Well, Rome wasn’t built in a day… I was so excited about the possibilities of this group though and have already started thinking of field trips and stuff I could do with them. You know, at one time I thought about being a teacher back in the US. This class brought that feeling back to me. I’d take a group of class clowns and/or juvenile delinquents and show them this hard knock life isn’t so bad after all. I’d wear a leather jacket and sunglasses. Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise” would echo behind me as I entered every room. I’d slam the curriculum on the front desk and the room would stand still for a bit. Every eye on me awaiting my next move. I would then sit on the desk (not chair because cool teachers don‘t do that) and whip my aviators off. Maybe even a helmet would be cool too because it would give off the impression that I had a Harley. 5 more cool points. This prop wouldn’t be believable in Swaziland though because its against PC policy to operate a motorized vehicle, so in this case I would whip off a pink huffy bike helmet. My blonde locks would fall out and where as before they would have thought maybe I was a dude, but now votes were in and…I am not. Depending how engaged the class was I would break the silence by crushing a piece of chalk under my black steel toed army boot to give off the impression that “playtime is over…chicos.” After entertaining this idea for a few hours I realized I possess no classroom management skills…or leather jacket for that matter, so I always come back to this: what works for Michelle Phieffer may not work for me. Its been something that I’ve always had difficulty grasping. The group was small this time, but they seemed to like it. I was invited back this week to teach again, but I already am working with a support group for kids dealing with HIV. I hope for the best with that group though. It just gives me another reason to be here. And on top of that, more relationships to build on.

Lastly, I have a rat living in my room. I call him Chester the Cheeseman. I hate bats, but rats are like bats with wings so hopefully you understand my fear. I’ve been wearing shoes to bed because it makes me feel safer. It comes out at night while I sleep. In the daytime it hides. I talk smack to the rat (somewhere in my room) during the day. Mostly things like, “Your not so tough when Mr. Sunshine is around, are ya Rat!” or things like, “You make me sick…“ and I threw in some slams against his mamma hoping he would come out and fight like a man, but nothing. So tonight I wait to see if he comes out again. I don’t want Cholera. I’m going to be honest. Plus, no one’s ever given me rabies on my birthday before. Oh yeah. Sorry Jantina, I mean…no one’s given me a BAD case of rabies on my birthday before.

Miss you guys. Love ya.