Overseas Visitors & Daycare time...

On Tuesday, I went along to the Kamadine Daycare Centre in Kazungula (previously mentioned here), to meet up with a new friend Kristin for the first time in real life, having  "met" via the blogging community and only communicated via email up till now! Kristin and her two friends arranged with their overland tour guide to drop them off at Kubu Lodge (where the centre is situated) and Sharon - lodge manager and chairperson of the project, had invited them to come along and visit the children at the daycare during lesson time.

The overland truck took a fair while to cross the Zambezi river on the Kazungula Ferry, (from Zambia to Botswana) and thus I turned out to be early as usual! While I waited for them to arrive, I spent a bit of time with the kids and teachers. It happened to be Lego time, so having idiotically squeezed myself into a tiny little plastic chair at a preschool sized table, I attempted to create a sophisticated symmetrical type of structure from the rather worn lego blocks which no longer lock together quite so well...

Whichever children were not trying to copy my engineering marvel, or competitively and piercingly identifying primary colours, were busy fiddling with my fascinating hair and/or gently patting and stroking my pale, strange arms. An endless fascination for these little ones!

Eventually, Sharon brought the three travellers in, and we were all introduced. I so enjoyed meeting Kristin, Cheryl and Maria. Much to Kristin's surprise, she immediately received a special hug sent all the way from the States from her real-life friend, Barbara of blogland! It was a great feeling to meet and connect with an online connection in real life... Our amazing, shrinking online world never ceases to intrigue me. (other blog friends involved here somehow are Val and Angela).

Teacher Emeldah took the 3 girls on a guided tour of their little school, and on their return the lego and plastic furniture was riotously cleared up, in readiness for a singing session for the special guests... 

Here is Kristin, having been there about 20 minutes, already getting involved with clearing up that furniture! You've just got to love her!!

All the kids who attend the centre are vulnerable children - either HIV/Aids orphans, or from desitute backgrounds, and although a small drop in the ocean, Kamadine does make a difference in these young lives - offering a safe haven where they can receive love, attention, stimulation and a couple of good wholesome meals a day...

As you can see from the pics, these kids instantly  took to their guests, who gamely joined in with the singing and action dancing. Here you see Maria and Kristin down at kiddie level. Maria is receiving the arm treatment in this photo!

and here's Cheryl, on the left.

What a pity my camera battery had gone flat by the time they got to "head and shoulders, knees and toes" but it seemed great fun was had by all! 

Kristin, amazingly, had carried some lovely stationery products with her all the way from home, and after 5 weeks on the road, was delighted to be able to hand these over.

After the session with the children, we all jumped confidently into my car. Instead of departing for Kasane, however, we bizarrely found ourselves stranded in the car park with a flat battery, stricken by a mysterious electrical problem! Undaunted, we enjoyed a good chat inside the car in the pouring rain, waiting for Tiennie the knight in shining armour to come and jumpstart the car...

Once in town, we had lunch together at the coffee bar, chatting nineteen to the dozen as if we'd known each other for ages - not forgetting the ritual reading of happy sugar packets! (if mystified, check this earlier blog post).  

Eventually we parted company at Chobe Safari Lodge in the midst of the most horrendous downpour, where the travelling trio were off to find their overland group in the campsite, and then venture forth on their afternoon boat cruise...

Wet laundry, camping in the rain, singing and playing with a bunch of little kids at an African daycare centre, being stranded inside a car in an alien carpark with a virtual stranger? These ladies took it all in their stride! Lovely people, and I so enjoyed this uplifting encounter...

"This little Light of mine.... I'm gonna let it shine"