my kids

Ok, sorry about the pictures again but they will have to wait.  This blog is dedicated to my kids.  They're not really kids, they're students in High School but to me they are kids.  That's in no way, shape, or form saying anything about them being "kid-like," it's just that I've been around this age and younger all my adult life and am used to calling school-aged people "kids."  Last night (it got late and I didn't get this finished last night) my kids came through BIG TIME!!  I have had this "flashcard project" in the back of my mind since I got here in July; I even cut out some pictures and started making some.  I want to MAKE flashcards with the English words on one side and a picture on the other.  Actually I would like to make several sets of flashcards but you've got to start small!  So last night for 1 hour after dinner, 6:30-7:30, I invited all the students who wanted to help with an easy English project to the Stol, cafeteria basically, and let them loose with magazines, glue, scissors, flashcard paper, and writing utensils.   I told them, in English and it was translated to B by some students and my counterpart, that if they saw an item that they knew the English word for to cut it out, glue it on a flashcard, and write the English word on the back.   I had prepared about maybe a 2 inch thick stack of flashcard paper.  About 15 minutes into the project I was running to my apartment for more flashcard paper!  At the end of the night, actually we quit about 7:10 because I ran out of paper,I had a stack of flashcards about 4 inches thick!!  WOWWOWWOW!!  I'll bet 20 students showed up to help and even some who don't live in the hostel during the week (the stol is in the hostel and I really didn't think many non-hostel students would show up and not a lot did, but a few were there!) Besides myself, who was never in one place very long between students asking me how to spell words and running to and from the apartment, and my wonderful (I mean it) counterpart, there were even  other teachers there!  It was soooo cool!!  It is awesome for me to think how, years down the road after I have left someone will check out a set of flashcards from the "library" here and recognize the flashcard they did and be reminded of  last night!  The Peace Corps is all about sustainability, and rightly so.  What's more sustainable than flashcards IN ENGLISH done BY STUDENTS  for the sole purpose of being left here and helping people learn English (or any language but this one happens to be English)?!  The students had so much fun, I think, and one of the best parts was that it happened with little expense, just the thicker flashcard-like paper, (which I already had) 3 more pair of scissors, and 4 more glue sticks/tubes!  So, to my "kids" YOU GUYS ROCK!!!!!!  Love and hugs and prayers for a(nother) friend back home  diagnosed with cancer.