Yesterday we had the school performance, something that music and performing arts department here (aka, Mike, Sydney and myself) have been working hard for now for weeks. The biggest concern was that it might rain- although oddly it hasnt for a few days now, which is making it a bit uncomfortably hot. It didnt rain, we used the amphitheatre and everyone worked hard to make it look really pretty which it did (I took lots of photos which I will upload once I get back now) and the place filled up with kids, parents and some of the special invited guests. I was a bit dissapointed that most of the guests I rushed around town madly to invite didnt come , although some texted their apologies, and I know it was fairly last minute. But some people from the social ministry came and the guy from NATAAZ which is the performing arts society that host competitions that our kids take part in (and are 3rd in the whole of Zambia in traditional dancing, by the way) so he got up and said a few encouraging words which was nice.
I don't know if I'd explained before but the school has never really had a proper drama club, so the ones who performed are really the school's first ever proper group- 16 of them ranging from Steve in pre school aged 4 to Yvonne who's 14 in Grade 6. They worked so hard in the final few days to learn all their lines and even put in improvised lines and made bits up, and they were so entertaining. Everything I'd worried about them not maybe understanding the play I'd written for them ('The Crazy Mayor of Livingstone') fell away as they completely got it and made it really funny, the audience said they really enjoyed it. The dancing was as amazing as ever, the kids look so good in all their outfits and traditional paint on face and stuff, and they can sure move!!! The school band, well, Adelaide would be so damn proud of them. They had worked so hard and I think there was about 17 in the band at the end, singers, keyboards, guitars and drums. Mike and I played onstage with them too and he brought a PA system which was actually really helpful as the kids had been straining their voices a little, it certainly helped the keyboards too to carry the sound (a PA system AND a performing arts department, this school is the luckiest for hundreds of miles) but all the kids did such an amazing job and I was so happy to have been able to come here and be part of all this.
So, in two weeks time I'll be sitting in Heathrow, hopefully eating croissant first thing in the morning with Kate if she get pop by still and be a bit darn cold as its 33 C here and 0C in the UK. Although last night I just COULD NOT get to sleep, I even ended up annoying myself, which is bad. I had grabbed Gordon Ramsay's dreadful autobiography but even that didnt help me to get to sleep. And it's a really crap book. REALLY crap (the last book I read was Lucky Jim, that is a good book)
I've learnt alot of things from being out here, which I'll try and write about when I get back. But I know that I couldnt have done this when I was younger, and that it was exactly the right time in my life to come out here. I don't know how I'll cope leaving, as the kids have made a huge impact on my life.
I spent this morning making animal ears for the nativity play we are doing at the kids party at the end of the week, I need to finish the costumes too but have lots of willing kids to help out, they are just going through exam results now and the next few days have lots of time. We are also going to sing lots of carols (this school LOVES to sing) to practise them for the party.
