Saturday we had an end of the term party for FHS at our house. The last day of the term is April 23^rd, and Carolyn was heading back to the States April 13^th, so Saturday was the best day for it. Cindy and I picked up the staff and their kids and brought them back to the house. Two out of the three teachers, Ana and Elizabeth, were able to attend. Ana brought her daughter and new grandson, and Elizabeth brought her son Benedictus and twins Nessy and Grace. Queen, who runs the bike shop came with her little boy Charlie. And Judith, my friend and volunteer at FHS, joined us as well. Ester, the head cook, couldn’t make it, but she sent along her daughter Pennyambanko and her grandson Kaita.

We had a wonderful time! The kids enjoyed running around the house, playing with Frodo and Sam, and chasing bouncy balls I gave them. We also kept them busy with coloring books. We had an absolute feast for lunch. I fixed a huge thing of rice and Falconer made peanut butter/sweet chili sauce to put on top. Linda baked some chicken, and Carolyn made a quiche that was out of this world! For dessert we made chocolate cake with peanut butter icing (amazing!) and donuts. :)

It was great to hang out and chat with everyone outside the busy environment of FHS. The staff at FHS is truly one of the sweetest groups of women that I know! (We do have male volunteers from time to time, but 95% of the time, it’s just us ladies.) I think my favorite part of the whole day was having fun taking photos with the kids. Kids here, as in many countries throughout the world, are very curious about cameras. Now that digital cameras offer an instant preview of the photo, the first thing they want after the shutter clicks is to “see, see, see!” (This is when you need to have an especially tight grip on the camera so it doesn’t fall from your hands.) Some of the older boys were really interested in taking photos themselves. I loosened my grip on the camera and let them take it from me. Securing the shoulder strap around their tiny necks, I showed them a few buttons and they were off. Falconer was doing the same thing with hers. Our cameras are digital SLRs, so they are more complicated than the average point and shoot. The kids instantly knew how to press the button and snap a shot, but it took a little coaching to teach them that they actually have to look through the viewfinder, instead of seeing the image on the screen. It was adorable watching them teach each other how to use it. One of them, Charlie, was especially gifted with the camera. At only 6 years old, I noticed him handling the camera very well, and even adding a bit of artistic flair, tilting the camera this way and that, to get a shot that he was satisfied with. I realized that he was especially teachable, so I even was able to quickly show him how to use the zoom feature. Looking through the photos after the party, I was amazed at many of the shots he took. He got some incredible portraits, and I even heard him telling some of the kids to pose, moving over this way and that to get the best shot.

With all that said, Charlie inspired me. I would really like to teach him more about photography, and perhaps there are others at the center who would be interested to learn. I ordered some books about teaching photography to kids, and I’m excited to propose this as an idea of something I can do with my time and talents here. Amateur photography can actually do fairly well here as a source of income. People getting married are often trying to find a family member or friend with a camera to take photos, and they are typically not professionals. A local here who owned a camera and knew what to do with it, could be a hot commodity for weddings, graduations, and other special occasions.

But I digress from the party…

We truly did have a wonderful time. It’s such a blessing to be able to relax and enjoy time together with friends who have all been working so hard for a common goal. We all believe in what FHS is doing, and I think I can speak for everyone to say that the staff and children at FHS are like extended family. Those women are more than just my co-workers and friends, they are my sisters. And I try to love those sweet children as if they were my own!

This is one of my most favorite photos of all time! What a good sport Frodo is!

Sam loves gettin' attention too!

Ndjeri (pronounced similar to Jerry) is one of our new favorite buds. He's a cousin to Elizabeth's kids.

Here's Charlie and a couple of his photos...