A visitor for one day...

I'm sitting in the dining room, listening to the Sisters recite prayers, feeling the air cool as the sun sets, and watching my new friend Daisy play with a rainbow-coloured bouncy ball she found in my room. It has been a long day - long, but good. I've been in to town twice, explored the school compound a bit, gone on a visit with two of the Sisters, taken a nap, and watched an electrician fix the wires in my room (lesson learnt: when grounding wires touch hot wires, strong shocks can result from any use of the electrical outlet!). I've learnt a few Acholi words, bought a mop and broom, and inked a few pages in my journal. Yesterday, Sister Rosemary promised me that I would be a visitor for only one day: this morning, Sister Christine requested my assistance moving groceries to the store, and this afternoon, Sister Lucy teased me that I had to carry the material we bought because I am the youngest, the "last-born" of this family. It seems they have remained true to the promise: I am no longer quite a visitor in this place, though it doesn't yet feel like home either.

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I've already made many new friends here at St. Monica's, namely the Sisters and the young men and women who are working here during their school holidays. One of my favourite people to spend time with, however, is much younger than all of them. Daisy is two years old, slowly recovering from malnutrition, and a bit shy until she gets used to you. She is sweet, clever, and more than a bit stubborn (don't dare touch her little chair when she's sitting: she'll quickly remove your hand, foot, or what have you!). Hers is a sad story, which Sister Rosemary explains more on her blog. Daisy is tiny, and her hair is tinged with red, a tell-tale sign of malnutrition. These days, she is staying here at the school, drinking lots of milk, and learning to talk a bit. She loves to be held and to play. If I leave the house while she is in the dining room, she will stand at the window facing my room (though she is far too short to see out) and call, "Tina bim. Tina bim." (Tina come. Tina come.) And when I find her playing, I'll call, "Daisy bim. Daisy bim." (Daisy come. Daisy come.)

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My Acholi vocabulary is slowly expanding to include the words I'm learning to communicate with Daisy: come, ball, milk... Daisy will be one of my students in the preschool/day care, and I have to admit, she will have the advantage of a) already being familiar with my white skin and b) already having captured my heart. Somehow, I imagine the others will catch up fairly quickly.

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So here, I'm pleased to introduce you to Miss Daisy Aber.

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