What about the boobs!?

Today was probably the most fun that I have had in class so far!

In level 1, we were learning English vocabulary, and the women wanted to learn the names of body parts. Auntie Julie asked me if I was an artist and had me draw a picture of a person on the board so that we could label it all together. I am not an artist.

It was hilarious. It was probably the worst picture of a human body that could ever be drawn but the women and Auntie Julie went crazy for it! They thought I was one of the best artists they’d ever seen. Uncle Ernest came over from the other side of the classroom to look at it too and loved it. Oh boy...

We labeled all of the body parts, and then Auntie Julie asked me if the person was a boy or a girl. I thought I had made it clear that it was a girl by giving it long hair, but I had also given it pants and that confused the women like crazy. They didn’t see why I had drawn a woman with "trousers" on. Whoops.

They were all copying the drawing into their own books when they all realized that one body part was missing. They all started grabbing at their boobs and asking what the English word for them was. We told them that they were “breasts” and they all started drawing boobs on their people. It was hilarious!! They said it was an important part of the body and that I should add it to my drawing too, so I did.

Impressive Drawing of the Human Body

Don’t worry, this is not what I think boobs look like, but this is exactly how the women were drawing them on their people, so I figured I might as well follow suit. I don’t think we have giggled harder in class before...so much fun! It is funny how some cultural things don’t make sense to you until you are told. African women are not ashamed of their breasts and it is very normal to see 3 or 4 pairs of them on one walk through town. It is very normal for them to breastfeed their children out in the open; they often just whip ‘em out. It did not even surprise me that they noticed that they were missing from the picture.

The women all practiced learning to write their names today. Almost all of them could spell and write them on their own! This was much better than at the beginning of our lessons. I am so proud of the progress that these ladies are making!

Writing their own names on the board!

The little children were in class again with us today, and they had lots of fun playing with us and colouring with crayons in the colouring pages that we gave them.

Love this boy!

Irene. She has the biggest and most beautiful eyes <3

The power went out tonight for about 4 hours again; it is becoming very normal to us and we are getting used to spending the evening by lantern, eating in the dark and going to bed very early.

Goodnight y’all.