Tuesday the 15th of April
I woke up feeling very sick. I have decided this is probably the cause of my extremely grumpy and anti-social mood swing last night. I dragged myself out of bed without showering and moped into dining. I have not eaten beans for breakfast since I have come here because it feels like a very funny thing to eat for breakfast and I would rather drink tea and dunk bread in it as Diane taught me to do or eat biscuits with it. Success and Kelechi saw I was looking droopy and came to comfort me. This is the first time I have really appreciated talking to Success using him as a psychologist. We usually just make light conversation and chat like normal. He told me I was probably suffering as a result to trying to adjust into this new environment and was feeling some stages of institutionalisation. He said he passed through several stages before he felt fully settled and had been expecting me to have a ‘shock day?’ ‘Brake down?’ ‘Exhaustion period?’…I don’t know what to call it. Anyway he said he was going into town so he would take me on his bike. We could spend as long as I wanted sending emails to my friends and family and we could go to the market to pick up my dresses and go to café’s and do everything I fancied to make me feel better. Kelechi was also being very sweet and although he is not in the same position to help me out I do like going to see him. He makes funny little jokes and has a giggly laugh, sometimes he acts daft in a way that makes me think of my friend Tom Heller. Tom’s mum gave me colouring books to use in Helping Hands & Wonderful school and the children that come to visit, paper and crayons, quite a lot of clothes to wear in Amaudo and to leave for any resident who fancied them. There is one colourful skirt I like a lot, I feel slightly bad that my using it is making it fade but Amaudo is often donated clothing and has a whole store cupboard full of clothing for the residents at the moment. If anyone hearing this was considering bringing clothing and is now feeling put off do not worry! It is always being used, so is good that we have so much because it means we can afford to burn all of a residents clothing if bed bugs enter their house. Also the residents love getting new clothes to wear just like everyone else so new clothing is used for motivation and rewards for good behaviour.
Anyway Success walked me to my house and said he would wait for me to take my bath. He went to the shop to get me an energy drink to raise my blood sugars. Whilst he was gone I went into the bush and threw up several times. It was like eating those beans in reverse, and I really did not enjoy those peppery beans so early in the morning! Throwing up made me feel instantly a lot perkier and I enjoyed going on the bike and getting lots of breeze. I opened up a lot of emails. I have been getting quite a lot from my granny which I have enjoyed opening. She always makes me feel happy when I read it. Sometimes she will tell me something very funny and I will laugh with her and other times I just feel happy because I can imagine her saying or doing what she is describing. Today she told me she had a new film and decided to watch the end before watching the rest of the film to reduce the suspense in the film. This is also how she likes to read books. I laughed out loud in the Internet ‘café’ but Success did not really appreciate what was funny.
I went to collect my clothing from the market. I am getting use to it now and decided I would be able to find my tailor by myself. I get called ‘Onyeocha’ a lot and O-ee-bo and Misses White, Success has not been outside of Amaudo with me before so found it funny how much hassle I got from being white. ‘Mrs USA come buy bed sheet?’…. ‘Misses White do you want shoe?’ After walking around in circles for at least 40 minuets I admitted defeat and we called Martha for help. I made a promise to myself to try and learn where things are in future.
Kelechi gave me a Chop Chop to try. Trying all these new fruits is quite entertaining. Chop Chop has the taste of milkshake sour apple flavour. This feels very weird getting such tastes from a natural fruit.
I woke up feeling very sick. I have decided this is probably the cause of my extremely grumpy and anti-social mood swing last night. I dragged myself out of bed without showering and moped into dining. I have not eaten beans for breakfast since I have come here because it feels like a very funny thing to eat for breakfast and I would rather drink tea and dunk bread in it as Diane taught me to do or eat biscuits with it. Success and Kelechi saw I was looking droopy and came to comfort me. This is the first time I have really appreciated talking to Success using him as a psychologist. We usually just make light conversation and chat like normal. He told me I was probably suffering as a result to trying to adjust into this new environment and was feeling some stages of institutionalisation. He said he passed through several stages before he felt fully settled and had been expecting me to have a ‘shock day?’ ‘Brake down?’ ‘Exhaustion period?’…I don’t know what to call it. Anyway he said he was going into town so he would take me on his bike. We could spend as long as I wanted sending emails to my friends and family and we could go to the market to pick up my dresses and go to café’s and do everything I fancied to make me feel better. Kelechi was also being very sweet and although he is not in the same position to help me out I do like going to see him. He makes funny little jokes and has a giggly laugh, sometimes he acts daft in a way that makes me think of my friend Tom Heller. Tom’s mum gave me colouring books to use in Helping Hands & Wonderful school and the children that come to visit, paper and crayons, quite a lot of clothes to wear in Amaudo and to leave for any resident who fancied them. There is one colourful skirt I like a lot, I feel slightly bad that my using it is making it fade but Amaudo is often donated clothing and has a whole store cupboard full of clothing for the residents at the moment. If anyone hearing this was considering bringing clothing and is now feeling put off do not worry! It is always being used, so is good that we have so much because it means we can afford to burn all of a residents clothing if bed bugs enter their house. Also the residents love getting new clothes to wear just like everyone else so new clothing is used for motivation and rewards for good behaviour.
Anyway Success walked me to my house and said he would wait for me to take my bath. He went to the shop to get me an energy drink to raise my blood sugars. Whilst he was gone I went into the bush and threw up several times. It was like eating those beans in reverse, and I really did not enjoy those peppery beans so early in the morning! Throwing up made me feel instantly a lot perkier and I enjoyed going on the bike and getting lots of breeze. I opened up a lot of emails. I have been getting quite a lot from my granny which I have enjoyed opening. She always makes me feel happy when I read it. Sometimes she will tell me something very funny and I will laugh with her and other times I just feel happy because I can imagine her saying or doing what she is describing. Today she told me she had a new film and decided to watch the end before watching the rest of the film to reduce the suspense in the film. This is also how she likes to read books. I laughed out loud in the Internet ‘café’ but Success did not really appreciate what was funny.
I went to collect my clothing from the market. I am getting use to it now and decided I would be able to find my tailor by myself. I get called ‘Onyeocha’ a lot and O-ee-bo and Misses White, Success has not been outside of Amaudo with me before so found it funny how much hassle I got from being white. ‘Mrs USA come buy bed sheet?’…. ‘Misses White do you want shoe?’ After walking around in circles for at least 40 minuets I admitted defeat and we called Martha for help. I made a promise to myself to try and learn where things are in future.
Kelechi gave me a Chop Chop to try. Trying all these new fruits is quite entertaining. Chop Chop has the taste of milkshake sour apple flavour. This feels very weird getting such tastes from a natural fruit.
Eating chop chop
Kate from Amaudo UK also phoned me today in-between coming back from town and the eating of Chop Chop. She told me that the money had been sent and that she is doing so much work back in the UK and is chasing up lots of sponsors but it just takes so much time to finalise these things. I felt relieved that they are working very hard. It is not that I did not think they were working but I just felt glad to hear how hard they are working. I told them about my House Parent Sponsorship idea and they said it sounds very good and they will need it explained fully in writing before they can do anything but that it is a very smart idea. I was feeling so happy Martha and V/Rev came back to find me skipping about Amaudo. Chop Chop was like a celebration reward.
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