A visit to school ...

Today we visited the school right down the hill from the COTN guesthouse. This is the first building that COTN built here in Sierra Leone. The foundation was painstakingly laid by a team of American volunteers in 1997. In the midst of the war, the roof was still yet to be completed, but it finally opened as a COTN school and orphanage around 2003. The bottom floor was used for classrooms, the second floor was living quarters for children and the women (known as “aunties”) who cared for them and the third floor is a large all-purpose room with a full kitchen, offices and a medical room. Now that the "home children" have all been moved to Banta Mokelleh, both bottom floors are used for school classrooms. The building is large and its obvious that a lot of hard work and planning went into it. It is still a school in Sierra Leone, however, where electricity is not always common – the classrooms are lit by windows and school supplies are treasures the teachers and students must share.

When we entered the gates of the schoolyard, it was obvious that we had come at recess time. Though there were no swing sets or slides, the children have room to roam and play to get their wiggles out. The moment we entered, we were suddenly swarmed with children from all sides – fighting to hold our hands, wrapping their black arms around our waists and clinging to our fingers and wrists. It was almost comical – they have so much love to give. We stood and played with them, asked for names and ages, favorite colors and dreams. We played hand-clap games and Scott lifted little ones into the air. A few boys played ball on the side and the older girls stood in clumps, some brave enough to come and speak in English to the white visitors. It was overwhelming in a sense because we were basically attacked by very excited children – all little replicas of one another in their green-and-white-checked school uniforms, which had rips here and tears there. They all wanted our attention and they were all happy with a smile, a hello, a touch. In another sense, it was amazing. What a feeling to be bombarded with little ones who want nothing more than to hold your hand, touch your strange white skin and smile up at you? It doesn’t get much better than that.

Oh yeah, the school was great, too.

Took place on June 13