a sleepover!

A sleepover!

Its been years since I’ve last done a “sleepover”, guess the teenage version (slang) would be crashing at someone’s house...

On Saturday night I decided to sleep in the older lads boarding house, not only just to experience the difference between Buguruni boarding and Mary Hare boarding but to also get a crash course in Swahili sign language (a world apart to BSL).

After spending the afternoon playing soccer, learning a Tanzanian board games (draughts i think?!) and chilling , the carestaff used us in to our dormitories. Boy- Mary Hare is like a 5*hotel compared to here, in one long room the was two rows of 20 bunk beds and at the other end was the toilets (more of an open sewer as the plumbing was down). It was clear there’s a survival of the fittest element, the older stronger lads got the beds at the other end of the room wheres there’s no smell from the open sewer and most importantly were the only functional fan is based. A fan is godsend in this climate!

Into the night i learnt a phernomonal amount of Swahili sign, played more draughts and the kids proudly showed of their processions in their tiny lockers. Each chap only had a handful of clothes, only enough to fill a plastic shopping bag and nothing more, nevertheless they were surely proud of what they had.

After a shower, which consist of pouring a bucket of water over your head in a doorless shower cubical where the lads marvelled my white tummy! The lights went out, then suddenely the lads started playing football slash rugby inside in the dark, it was an awesome game (nothing wrong with been young and stupid is there?!) after a while of intense head banging bruised limbs the carestaff took notice. Through the window we could see him walking along to the main door, in typical Mary Hare fashion everyone (including me to much anderliling) everyone rushed to hide under the sheets before the carestaff would come in. But the chap wasn’t quite quick enough (Jacko/Blue/Stewart would sprint to an event like this!) so he caught nobody, shame!

On Sunday morning a women woke us all up at 6 o’clock, I thought she had her days muddled up (Sunday come on) but apparently not when she returned with a cane like stick. Everyone was summed out of bed to get dressed and go outside a sweep the school grounds. Which is kinda pathetic i think, there’s no breakfast anyway, no activities run by the carestaff who could have at least let the kids stay in bed for another hour or so instead of getting up at 6 to sweep and the bum around all morning- grr!

simonx