One thing that never ceased to amaze me was the imagination of the children and all the little games they used to make up. Whether it was pretending to make 'chakoula' (food) for you with a book and colouring pencil or herding imaginary cows around the playroom, there was always more fun to be had and no end to the incredible games they would play.
One of my favourite memories is definitely the day Saimoni walked past me muttering to himself. Now, Saimoni would often have a good natter to himself, but this day he kept repeating the word 'wapi?' meaning 'where?', so this made me quite curious and, wanting to know what he was looking for, I followed him into the bedroom. He started looking around the room, searching in different places, and I really couldn't decide what it was he had lost. Then he lifted up his mattress, said 'hapa!', meaning 'here!', and hid his toy duck under the mattress. He hadn't been searching for a lost object, he had been trying to find a hiding place for his favourite toy. When he turned around and saw me, he started giggling uncontrollably with his incredibly infectious laugh, so, obviously, I found it impossible not to join in. I picked Saimoni up, both still in hysterics, gave him a massive hug and said 'Saimoni, wewe cheesy sana', which means 'Saimoni, you are crazy'. He found this even funnier, and again the infectious laughter began.
Watching the children progress and grow and increase in confidence was a real pleasure. I will never forget the morning that I was in the playroom with the toddlers, I had Baracka climbing all over my lap and I was watching Big Maureen and Miriam pottering around the playroom. Then Maureeni stopped, pointed at the television and started chattering in Swahili to Miriam- from what I could work out, she was saying that they couldn't watch Bob the Builder because there was no power, then Miriam turned to Maureeni with a serious but accepting look on her face, shrugged, and said in Swahili, no power. As if to say, 'oh well, never mind.' It was one of the most adorable and hilarious moments I had ever seen- watching Maureen and Miriam discuss what to do with their day; they looked like a pair of old ladies, shaking their heads at the obstacle that was getting in the way of their fun.
The friendships that develop between the children are really special. Miriam came to Nkoaranga orphanage in April, and, when she first arrived, she was so quiet and afraid- understandably of course. But now, she is running around the orphanage with Maureen, having a whale of a time. One day Faraja turned to one of the other volunteers and said 'Dainessi is my best friend'; it's so lovely that the children become so close and really love one another. The children all look out for each another, and if a child is crying in another room, I can guarantee that one of the children will come and tell you, as well as explaining the reason for the tears.
The best game we ever played at the orphanage would definitely be 'wewe chakoula' (you're food), made up by the funny, clever and brilliant Steveni. It could happen at any point in the day- I would be changing Frankie's nappy and suddenly 6 children would come running towards me from the other side of the orphanage screaming 'Emily chakoula, Emily chakoula!!'; this was quite a terrifying site. I would then turn around and (in a very panicked voice) reply with 'Emma chakoula' or 'Megan chakoula', depending on the other volunteers at the orphanage. The children would then turn around and run off, looking for the volunteer I had chosen the name of. The children loved this game, but I think their favourite part of the game, would be the point at which they caught you, because if you weren't careful and they caught you off guard, or you weren't quick enough, they would jump all over you and pretend to bite you as, in their minds, you were food. They found this hilarious and would giggle hysterically as you tried not to fall over due to the sheer mass of children clambering over you. However, unfortunately for the person whom they currently saw as food, sometimes the 'pretend biting' would accidently be real- very painful.
Spending every day running around with the Nkoaranga children, enjoying their made up games and hearing their laughter as I danced around the playroom was the best time of my life. I count myself as one of the luckiest people alive for having the privilege of getting to know the children, loving every single one of them, and knowing that they loved us all in return.
This is a video to show you an example of the sheer mass of children that get involved with the 'wewe chakoula' game and the amount of energy and excitement that goes into it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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