First Day of School

We dropped the girls off for their first day of school here. They dressed in their uniforms and, on the way to school, we picked up several friends from the village. The picture here was taken at the entrance to the school yard with their friends.

Alden was excited; Willow was nervous. Both had friends by their side to make them feel more comfortable. We all got hugs from teachers and felt welcomed by the school community as we entered the school yard. The kids disappeared with their friends and we said hello to the Principal, Ms. Verne Pendanque. We asked if she could help us find a way to retrieve the barrels we shipped with all the books. Our small 4x4 isn't big enough to fit more than 1 barrel, and we have 6 that need to come from the port in Canefield.

We will need a pick-up truck (or as they say here, "transport"), and while we have a friend here who may be willing to lend us his truck, we have asked the school to see if they can help arrange for something. The more they have to work at getting the supplies here, the more engaged they become in the process.

We will return tomorrow to see if Verne has found someone willing to help.

As we prepared to leave, Willow found us and, with a nervous, sad face told us that someone had made fun of her. "For what?" Alison asked. "For being white," was her reply. She was surrounded by her friends at this point, and we asked them to take care of Willow. She quickly turned and walked away hand in hand with them.

What a change from living in New Hampshire! Our hearts sank as we left her, but she seemed to feel more comfortable knowing her friends were going to look after her.