October 20, 2009

“Throughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and to feel connected to others. Instead we often contract, fear intimacy, and suffer a bewildering sense of separation. We crave love, and yet we are lonely. Our delusion of being separate from one another, of being apart from all that is around us, gives rise to all this despair.”
-Sharon Salzberg, submitted by Rich

Awoke to the very similar sounds to last year at Ipalamwa: the gong/bell for students to wake up at 5:30 am, the roosters, goats, sweeping outside the window, and students talking. After breakfast, we had our conversation with Harran and Mr. Mohani. Then Mr. Mohani took us on a tour of the school grounds explaining the various projects and issues/challenges the school has. Building chairs, bunk beds, making more bricks and filling in the hole from digging the clay dirt for the bricks. We then went to Mr. Mohani’s office to sign the school guest book. Mr. Mohani explained more of the projects/issues/challenges/problems.

We then walked to the soda shop where Ben and Pastor Alexander tried buying some of the supplies for the dorm renovation. We had dinner and played scrabble before turning in for the night. –Pam