On Tuesday, going back to Guardería #2 to observe the art teacher with the older kids (3 and 4). I only stayed part of the morning because one of the classes had a birthday, so they had a little party instead of art class. In the afternoon I went to a fiscal (public) kindergarden that had almost 300 4- and 5-year-olds. Overwhelming doesn't cover it. I helped out in one of the 4-year-old classes, which had around 30 kids and one teacher and one assistant. The kids ALL wanted my help and to tell me random things about their lives ("My dad's name is XYZ!" "I have a little sister and I'm going to share my juice with her!") Definitely have sympathy for the teachers and kids there. Thirty is A LOT of 4- or 5-year-olds. Some kids didn't even come that day because there were blockades in the city. I was really popular--especially at recess, when I "invented" a game of helping the kids jump off the bleachers. Some of them also gave me food! (I also got a free school snack like the kids, of a muffin and Pilfrut, aka fruit juice in a little bag. Seriously, google it. But bagged juice is really normal here.) That night I went with my friend Ayoola to a modern dance class. It was hilarious....there was a lot of booty-shaking, which I epically failed at. There was a surprisingly even mix of ladies and gents. I think dancing might not have the female image it does in the US. But it was fun!
The rest of the week I spent at Guardería #1, the main one I'm doing my ethnography on. One thing I've noticed there that's really different is snacktime. The guardería provides some food (but not from the government like at the fiscal school) but also the kids bring things. The professor pools all the snacks together for everyone to share. The kids all wash their hands, and go sit at their little tables and sing a few songs, ending with "sleeping." When their heads are down, the professors put out the snacks, which come on a communal plate for each table and juice for each kid. Then the kids "wake up" and share all their food. They are actually pretty good at sharing, and the professor always reminds them that they have to take one at a time (as opposed to shoveling). On Friday we went to a farm with all the kids, and they had snack in a long line on the floor of the pavilion (like I did during my village stay in Tocoli). They had bread (ripped in pieces), rice, grapes, oranges, pizza (ripped in pieces), and sandwich ripped in pieces (all stuff the parents had sent with their kids). One of the kids took the last piece of pizza, and his neighbor asked if he would share. And he did--no argument! All the professors were shocked when I told them sharing snacks wasn't allowed in the US. Maybe if we were a little more chilled out about legalities, people might learn some important lessons.
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| I was careful to make sure you can't see their faces, but trust me, they're cute. |
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| Here's my kitty Peluza, cause he's my favorite. He's sleeping on the spiral staircase! |
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