Trinity of a good week

Good to be back

Never seen anything like it....Monday morning, a memorable return to school. The usual steady convoy of cars swing around the school’s drop-off circle; the car doors swing open barely before the car comes to a complete stop and kids rush excitedly out and zip to the campus playground. You can almost hear them think...ah, I’m finally here. It was almost surreal. Some of these kids were nothing less than ecstatic to be back in school. They had been cooped up in their homes for the past week. Life for kids in Conakry is hard enough in normal times, the state of emergency decree made it even harder. Three Pre-Kindergarten kids refused to go home at lunchtime when they normally go home...we told parents that it was ok to leave them.

By popular demand, (by both kids and staff), ended up canceling Thankgiving. Our school calendar had us "off" Thursday and Friday of this week, for the American Thanksgiving long weekend. No one wanted to be "off" two more days; it was too good to be back in school.

I'm fine...

Kaba was back, but his return was far from exuberant as his peers. Kaba is one of our Grade 8 boys. Kaba had an especially hellish week last week. His mother was and still is a fairly high profile politician who served in the past government. Her party lost in the presidential elections. In the melee of the post election riots and civil unrest, Kaba’s family was targeted by a militant rebel goon squad from the other party that was claiming victory. These baboons, armed to the teeth, broke into Kaba’s house one night; the family barely escaped with their lives. They were shot at. The back window of Kaba’s car got shattered by bullets. All week, Kaba and his family ended up fleeing from one friends’ house to another. During the course of the week, they fled 5 times.

Upon his return to school, Kaba is a different kid than he was the last time we saw him, barely two weeks ago. Then, he was a typical 14 year old spunky, lanky, flirting, sometimes obnoxious (as only a 14 year old can be) kid who kept telling me how he would make his first million by the time he was 18 years old. I believed him. Today, Kaba is a subdued and forlorn child who is obviously carrying a huge load of trauma on his shoulders. Tried talking to this distressed kid all week, every chance I got. Kaba is not ready to talk right now. I’m fine, he says. He’s not.

Bébé Raymond

Went to the Espoir de Vie Children’s Rescue Centre today and got to visit with my little buddy, Bébé Raymond. Getting cuter by the minute, just like his namesake. Since our last visit, some new babies have come to the centre, one is gone. David, the three month old cutie who had been abandoned by his mother in a garbage heap in a suburb of Conakry, died last week.

We’ve decided to organize a Christmas party for the kids at the center. We’ll organize a Toy Drive at school in hope that we’ll get some people to donate toys and clothing. We’ll approach some of the big mining companies that send their kids to our school for donations and buy milk for the center. Promises to be fun.

And that’s the kind of week it’s been.