Getting to Know You Party

Our third party was a "Getting to Know You" party. First we had an icebreaker activity. Then, as shown in the first photo, Ron taught the old Girl Scout song, "Make New Friends".



Each person was given a blank white tagboard paper doll cutout. Everyone was told to decorate the paper doll to look like him/her. The paper doll should have some objects drawn on it to represent interests or hobbies or something about the person's life. A few people were hesitant to get started, but they all wanted to show off their finished product! They were to tell the people at their table about why they drew what they did. This activity was to promote everyone getting to know each other better.





Towera is on the right.





Winfrida is on the left. Dotto is in the black shirt.

Everyone at the following table must have thought that one person was good at drawing noses, because every nose on the paper dolls at this table looked the same! Beatus is the man in the photo.

Next is Sophia and Dotto.

Next is Winfrida.

Eda

Oscar

On the right is Moses.

Bernard

Ester

It is hard to see, but at the back right hand side, people are gathered around a table to decorate quilt squares with their names and whatever decorations they wanted to add. Everyone at the party rotated through this activity.

At the end of the party there were refreshments. Names were drawn for small prizes.

Chimala Market, part 2

Used clothes from the U.S. are sent to Africa in big bundles. Africans will buy the bundles and then sell the clothes at markets such as this one in Chimala. We saw such bundles in Uganda, too, several years ago.

It was really interesting to us when we saw two t-shirts from the Metroplex area----one from a Keller school and one from a Mansfield elementary school! Maybe some of your clothing donations to various organizations have ended up in Africa!

There were also many t-shirts with American sports teams' logos. We were told that many times manufacturers make up shirts before big games, and then if a particular team loses the game, the shirts do not sell well. Those unsold shirts are shipped to African countries.

Many of the clothes for sale were lying out on the ground.




What color of men's pants do you like?




Tools for sale



The following man was holding up a list of medical problems with the corresponding remedies. You will see the remedies in some of the next photos!

Menard told us that this man is the "witch doctor". After we took his picture, he followed us wanting some money for letting us take his picture!

The next photos show the medicines. Which ones do you want to take?

I'm not sure how much benefit shoe shines are on the dirt paths and roads!

Someone must be cooking lunch!

Debbie E., Jan, Menard, and Muriel

Bananas for sale

We really enjoyed going to the market, even though it was a very busy, crowded place. It was neat to visit the local market that tourists would not normally get to see.

Chimala Market, part 1

Every Saturday in Chimala there is a big market just across the highway from the Mission property. It is very crowded with all kinds of things for sale---much like an African Traders' Village! Everyone warned us to not go to the market without a native going along with us. We would be targets for pickpockets, as we would really "stand out in the crowd"! Menard was kind enough to go with us, and he was very patient with us wanting to look at everything. We experienced no problem at all, in fact, the people were very friendly.

The first photo shows the view from the Mission across the highway to the market area.



This is the small street that is the main entry for the market.



There is lots of sugar cane for sale!

Debbie E. had to buy some of the sugar cane. She has good memories of sugar cane from her childhood. When she finally tried some when we got back to the house, she said it is much more difficult to cut and eat than she remembered!

Beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables are for sale. The prices must be good, because all of the local people buy it.

The two middle sacks are filled with tiny dried fish.

There is a huge selection of beautiful fabric for sale! Muriel is a quilter, and she loved the designs and colors----so did the rest of us! We ( well, except for the guys!) all managed to buy some!

In the middle of the picture there is a tailor with his treadle sewing machine.

One can buy fabric and have it made into a garment right here!

Next is another tailor.

The next photo shows charcoal cooking pots.

Mattresses are for sale.

Furniture is for sale. There were not big crowds around the more expensive items.