a little bit of daily life

so I got really turned around today while trying to find a particular internet cafe. Jeremey and I walked around Freetown for a good hour plus looking for it. thankfully we found it but now I have a new blister the size of a quarter on my foot b/c I was wearing a pair of shoes I haven't worn here yet. But here I am.
People have been asking to hear about what life is like here for me so I am going to copy part of an e-mail I wrote to my mom that gives a bit on insight. I wrote it really fast so sorry about the zillions of typo's:

ok...so here's a breakdown of my week.On mondays we get up and have breakfast (bread from a little shack by our house with cheese spread or PB, and tea. I hated tea at home but here, I crave it sometimes on cooler days. I do a tea cup with one tea bag and a tablespoon of sugar. I think I am going to ask for a french press for christmas so I can make tea at school and home) then Faye comes and we sit in the Zizers living room and have a discussion. This last monday was supposed to be about the bible and poverty but we talked about how we all were doing in stead.Then we leave and go have lunch in Freetown, I live just outside of freetown in a place called Murray Town. it's like Carmel is to Indy. We often eat at the place called Nix Nax it's local food for a decent price and it's Faye's favorite. then at 12 is LIght house which goes to 3:30 ish. First we get there and just hang out with the kids. All four of us have become obsessed with this game called draft. It's a lot like checkers but it's harder. The lighthouse boys are amazing at it. Jeremy has gotten really good too. I'm struggling but David, the lighthouse boy I know the best, has been practicing with me. David is the best of everyone so he plays easy and helps me with strategy. I hope that by the time I leave I can at least give him a run for his money. Lighthouse also has 3 girls that are apart of it too. They are hard to read but we sat around singin yestarday two of them and myself. It was fun. They are harder to get close to. I think it is becuase they know we are going to leave again so I'll really have to earn their trust in order to get close to them. One jsut had a baby and she is SO precious. I held her last week, she is TINY.So after hangin around we pray for the food and all the light house kids eat then we have worship. It has taken a whil for us to be able to really engage becasue a lot of the songs are in Krio but we're learning them slowly but surely. Yestarday was much easier than anyother day, I think I know most of the songs now. After singin we have a discussion or someone speaks. So far it's all been discussion about forgiving and when to confront people. It is like teaching young kids b/c they have never really had discapline but at the same time the discussions are interesting b/c they are older have interesting opinions on things. Then it's over and we either go to Faye's house (staff house) or back to the Zizer house. LIght house is every mon, wed, and fri at 12. We have Krio lessons mon afternoon and wed and fri morning. Our teacher is really nice but she teaches very slow. all we've really learned form her is the alphabet...it's silly but the lighthouse kids help us with conversation stuff. Yesterday David, Sheku and I were reading the Krio bible together to help me. It was really fun for them to teach me for once. THey liked being the teachers. tuesdays are worhisp with the staff at the staff house (faye lives there with Cami, and JOe and Mindy but mindy left alst week b/c she's going to have a baby in the states and come back later. Joe will leave in a few weeks for the birthing) and then we have free time tuesday afternoon. I normally hang at the staff house and read. Then go to dinner some where. last tuesday the four of us went to Paddy's a big bar but it's not busy at ALL during the week so we were the only people there. If you go on a Friday it's standing rom only and it is CRAZY! I'm going to go sometime just for the experience. Saturdays are free until 2 which is Kroo bay. It's always caos at first b/c the little kids just attack us. They hang on us makin it hard to just get into the building. Then we set up inside and let everyone in in size order, little ones in front and so on. We start with worship. Thats my favorite part b/c they sing so loud and are so happy and there's this one song that they all jump and dance to...SO cute. Then someone speaks either a light house boy or NOah. Noah is 26 and runs Kroo bay with the help of WMF. He amazes me b/c he lives in this tiny shack by kroo bay slum and takes care of 3 orphans on his own and does kroo bay. He started kroo bay with a group form his church but they all left and he stayed on his own. he's great. after talking we pass out a hard boiled egg to each kid and a little energy bar thing. Then those that have injury or sickness stay while everyone else leaves. Last satrday this little boy came to my station while we were doin first aid. he lifted his shirt to show me a huge burn where his mom had spilled hot water on him. It had gotten infected by ring worm so his skinn was pealing off but the burn was mostly healed. we cleaned it and gave him some cream stuff to take with him to put on. It was hard though...I cried later when I had time to actually think about it. So many of the kids just have litle cuts and scrapes that get really bad b/c they don't know how to care for it so we clean them up and tell them to keep them as clean as possible. Jeremy had a kid with a really nasty boil on her foot...i wouldn't have been able to handle that. (gag reflex) Katie had this little boy who was SO sick he couldn't sit up. So we laid him down to take care of him and he just started crying. it hurt my heart. most of the kids only have little cuts to clean but the few bad ones really stick with you. After kroo bay we have dinner at the staff house and then go home late b/c we always hang at the staff house for a while and play draft and talk with Faye, Joe, and Cami.Sundays begin with church either at Pastor Zizers or at the church where some of the light house boys go. After church is lunch at the zizer house. That is one of my favorite times b/c the whole family and our team get time to talk and spend time together. The Zizers are amazing and I can't imagine what my stay here would be like with out them. Pastor and Marvel have taught us so much and have loved us well. Their kids are a joy and being there really gives me a feeling of having a place to call home here in Sierra Leone. After we can do whatever. A last week we did our first attempt at Laundry. we all finished with sores on our hands from the scrubbing. I felt like such a wimp b/c the zizers do it every day almost and I was having a hard time. I am amazed at the work they do to prepare food, to wash clothes, and other tasks at home. I hope I never complain when having to do laundry at home again. Someone slap me if I do. I am about out of time here so there is a gist of what a week looks like. Granted that is without all the details and makes it all very impersonal. I have so much more I want to write and share with you but I've already been here 2 hours so I'll have to wait for a nother time.

I also want to share with you about yesterday so I'll make a new post for that one so this post isn't too long.

Haley Kate