After about an hour or so, I went and got some letters that were sent with me from a previous Wright State student who has been down here. I gave them out to the boys and we sat in the Dining Hall and wrote her letters back. It's kind of a project because some of the boys don't really know how to write. Of those that do, some can't write sentences of their own, but can only copy what has already been written, so I wrote a template for them to copy.
Next came lunch. Some of you (mainly WSU students who have been down here) have asked me what I do for meals. Generally during the week, I eat with the office staff: Sr. Susan, her assistant and the financial officer. Sr. Mimi sometimes joins us too and any other guests who may be here. This year, a friend of Sue's is here, Carolyn Rowland (anyone who's been here remember Carolyn's house? That's her name on the house.) The catering boys fix a little something for us to eat.
In the afternoon I got a group of about 5 boys to help me finish decorating the Rec Room for Christmas. We hang ornaments from the ceiling, which can be a challenge because tape doesn't stick very well and its all concrete, so I usually borrow some double sided foam tape from Sr. Susan and use it sparingly to hang the ornaments. Its the best we can do. After that, we went to the Dining Hall to put up the tree and decorations there too.
Back to meals, sometimes I get to eat with the sisters (and guests) at the convent for supper if they are fixing it that night. Otherwise, I get the same food that is fixed for the childcare and other staff who look after the boys. I just give the ladies my tupperware dish and the put my food in it. Sr. Susan has told me multiple times that I am her easiest guest because she doesn't have to worry about entertaining me. If I am around for a meal that is already being fixed I will eat that, otherwise I will make do. As a last option, I will just eat what the boys eat, which isn't too horrible.
This morning, again I went to the playfield with the boys for a couple of hours. I will admit, as I have in the past, that sometimes it does get boring, but just the fact that I am there with the boys kind of breaks up the monotony anyway. I met a boy who has the same first name as me, which is weird because my name is obviously not very common in Jamaica.
It's interesting to talk to the boys and find out how some are better behaved than others. A question I ask them this time of year is "much pass?" Which means how many times did they pass. They get a pass for each week they have not gotten in trouble either in school or otherwise. For 15 weeks before Christmas they are graded. They have to get enough passes to be able to go home, and another amount to be able to go to Grand Market, and another amount to even be able to see Santa on Christmas Eve. In the past, it seems that a lot of the boys I get closer to seem to be the ones who misbehave the most. This year that is the case, but there are a few who do have "nuff pass".
Something I always enjoyed about when I came here with the Wright State group from 2004 to 2006 was getting to be with the boys on the playfield after our daily activities during their school day. That was when we really got a chance to get to know the boys. A reason I enjoy coming here on my own (for fear of sounding selfish) is because I get to spend lots of time with them on the playfield and I get the attention. Sometimes, however, I get too much attention, but like I said before, it beats the monotony that they usually have.
Today was the Staff Christmas Party. In the afternoon, I stayed with the boys for a little over an hour while the staff arrived down at the Catering Hall. We watched Netflix (thanks to Edney, their computer teacher who hooked it up). Once it was time for the party to start, I left some of the senior boys in charge (per the direction of Susan) to watch the movies with the boys.
It's always fun at the Staff Party. We play Bingo. Mr. Plunkett is always the caller, and he is a character. He is one of the Childcare Staff who has been here for over 20+ years (maybe even closer to 30). It's a lot of entertainment and it is a great time to spend with all of the staff I have met here and the teachers I don't get to see otherwise because school is always out by the time I get down here each year. The Bingo lasted the whole afternoon and into the early evening. That pretty much concluded my day today. We will see what happens tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment