Day 23

Four new volunteers came last night.

Steve and Jessi are a father and daughter pair from the UK. They will be staying with us for two weeks. Honestly, I don't see how anyone would ever want to make the journey over here for just two weeks. I don't even think the seven weeks we are staying is quite long enough. Three days are dedicated to orientation, one day we will be traveling on a train for the Camel Safari, and weekends we have off . Steve and Jessi will have maybe six days of teaching before they leave… I know every bit helps, but that is barely enough time to even get to know the kids they will be working with, let alone see the city. They seem like nice people, but i feel like anyone who comes here for just two weeks is just looking for a holiday. Granted, I have only known them one day. But then again, I really wont have that much time to get to know them at all.

Marcus is another volunteer straight from the UK. He is 21 and will be will be working on the renovation project at the Bedlah school, painting, cleaning, and the like. My impression of him, if it makes any sense, is that he is very clean. His clothes, even the ones he works in, always look bran new and he has a very young, fresh look to him. I don't think either of those observations are negative in any way. Marcus is actually a very happy person, from what I can tell. It is a shame he won't be working with the kids because he is constantly smiling and I think he would make a great teacher. At least he would be better than the one we do have who threatens the kids with rulers… Jack.

And we have added another American girl to our trio! Kerry is from New York, just south of New York City. She attends a school out in the middle of nowheresville, and from her description, it sounds exactly like WSU- Pullman. She will be here for a month helping Ariana with her third grade classes at Sonarya and the Orphanage. I know Ariana is thrilled to be finally getting some help. Maintaining a class of nine rowdy nine year olds is a difficult task for one person. Kerry is also twenty one and she is a really sweet person. However, I have a feeling she has our same curse because her luggage got sent to London.

This weekend should give us a chance to get to know all four a bit better. We will be on a bus for six hours before arriving at the desert for an overnight camel safari. That should be a good enough length of time to see if Steve and Jessi really are just tourists in volunteer clothes, if Marcus is really the goody goody he seems, and if Kerry has just as bad of luck as us….