A World Away

Yesterday was another trip out to the beach with the Ishahayi Beach school Foundation. The students in this primary 5 class were so excited to receive letters from their "sister" class in the U.S. We started this program in November with a class in the U.S. ( A member on the board has a cousin in the U.S. who is a teacher and was very interested in having her students write to the children at the beach school). Since we can not mail anything out of Nigeria (it will most likely never make it to the final destination) the responses to the letters are a little slow. We can only send letters back to the U.S. when someone is traveling and can then drop them in the mail when they arrive back in the U.S. That didn't seem to bother the children at the school, though. They couldn't wait to read the letters from their pen pals.:) It is so interesting what fifth grade students write to each other. On of the American students asked the Nigerian students, " Why do you call soccer football?" One of the Nigerian students wrote, " My favorite food is pounded yam." These children are learning so much about each other and they are a world away from each other.:)


We are also working on our fundraising for the foundation. Last year, we had students from the school draw pictures and then we printed them and sold notecards to raise money. The notecards sold so well that we are going to reprint them with some new pictures for next year.:) Here is one of the older students drawing his picture on a pair of bongo drums.....there were no desks.:)


Here is a random chicken wandering through the school.:)










When we come out to the school, the smiles on the children's faces are so beautiful.....no one can help but smile back at them.:)

Here is one of the women from the village bringing lunch to the school.

I had to snap this picture. This little one is one of the youngest at the school. Even though she looks like a raggamuffin....she is still so cute....even while she is shoveling her lunch into her mouth.:)

Lady Salami is the head of the school with five other teachers working for her.

Another exciting thing that happened yesterday at our visit was the teachers being able to use programs for teaching on the computers. No one can imagine how hard it is to get wireless internet access set up in the middle o a beach village( thank goodness for our tech savvy board members!), but after many months ( and much sweat) the computers are hooked to the internet and various educational cd's have been donated for the teachers to use for their classes. Yesterday was the first day the teachers got to come in the computer room and sit down and learn the different programs. The delight and the confidence in their faces to be able to learn about using the computer and the different programs were priceless!:)

All in all, it was a very worthwhile trip out to the school. It is so good for me to go out here to see the good things that are happening in Nigeria. This beach school is truly another hidden gem I have discovered while living here.:)