Monday, 18.3.19

As the school holidays have started, the drop-in center is now open from 8 am to 3 pm. So my work started at 8 am today. It was really strange to wake up so early again. During the holidays, they offer various activities and programs at the center. There are also many more children than on a normal day (about 50). But even then, the organization is kept relatively simple. The children arrive one by one and start playing something. Eventually, breakfast is served for those who want it. Around 12 o'clock, there is a snack. Usually, it's a piece of fruit and something to drink. At 1 o'clock, there is lunch. Today we had hotdogs. This was not a problem as the children could eat them outside while standing. There are very few toys in the drop-in center, especially for 50 children. There are a few balls (with little air), two board games, a set of poker cards, 5 puzzles, a self-built swing, and a box of Legos. However, the children can still entertain themselves very well and come up with their own games. They also have a lot of patience and can sometimes play domino or do the same puzzle three times in a row for 1 hour. This is a big difference compared to Swiss children who can no longer entertain themselves in our toy abundance or do not know what to play when there is no toy available. Today, I showed some children that they can paint on the blackboard with a wet brush, they loved it!

Back at the marketplace, I played with two children from a market stand, Joleen and Nathan. In the evening, there was the usual power outage, and we played several rounds of Rummikub.