At some point, we moved from Nanikai into a house my dad built for us on the school campus. (Lots more about that later.) Life on the Moroni Community School campus was sweet. We had our lovely big, cool house, with room for everyone now, and now we were living practically among the students there. I loved it. I felt quite welcomed by them. I didn't speak their language, or know their family backgrounds, but I felt SO welcome, and VERY loved. As you can see, girls in Kiribati are pretty much like girls anywhere - very touchy-feely, they love hugging, and hanging onto each other as they are together. They included me in that. I remember times when I'd sit and listen to the sing-song way they spoke to each other - they spoke in Kiribati, but I did not feel left out, just included - as they pulled water from the well and washed clothes, or just sat together, pulling lice from one another's hair, then popping them between their thumbnails. It made a popping sound. It sounds totally disgusting now, but it was comradarie at it's best. Smiling, laughing, chatter-chatter - lots of happiness. They all chewed gum, and could all make a popping sound with that too! And that's what I remember about that. I haven't ever been able to think of lice as the DREADFUL thing that they do here in USA, since I remember the sweet, relationship building times they shared with me. Wierd, huh.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Building friendships, gum popping, and lice!
At some point, we moved from Nanikai into a house my dad built for us on the school campus. (Lots more about that later.) Life on the Moroni Community School campus was sweet. We had our lovely big, cool house, with room for everyone now, and now we were living practically among the students there. I loved it. I felt quite welcomed by them. I didn't speak their language, or know their family backgrounds, but I felt SO welcome, and VERY loved. As you can see, girls in Kiribati are pretty much like girls anywhere - very touchy-feely, they love hugging, and hanging onto each other as they are together. They included me in that. I remember times when I'd sit and listen to the sing-song way they spoke to each other - they spoke in Kiribati, but I did not feel left out, just included - as they pulled water from the well and washed clothes, or just sat together, pulling lice from one another's hair, then popping them between their thumbnails. It made a popping sound. It sounds totally disgusting now, but it was comradarie at it's best. Smiling, laughing, chatter-chatter - lots of happiness. They all chewed gum, and could all make a popping sound with that too! And that's what I remember about that. I haven't ever been able to think of lice as the DREADFUL thing that they do here in USA, since I remember the sweet, relationship building times they shared with me. Wierd, huh.
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4 comments:
Ah perspective. One girls horror is another girls social engagment!
Variety is the spice of life! You must feel very seasoned!
how true that memory is. The girls loved doing all those things and it is so good to know you were included in on there fun.
Hey sis, how do I become a 'follower' of your blog?
Thanks
klf
To become a blog follower, at your blog's dashboard, go below the "Manage Blog" section, down to the "Reading List section", select the "Blogs I'm Following" tab, and click on the "ADD" button.
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