A day in the Nano Nagle Learning Centre, Badjao Tribe
By Heather Agnew
We’re two weeks in and the heat is still hard to adjust to. It is pretty constant, and unless you fuel up on liquids it will take its toll on you – even at 6am in the morning! We are up at 6am every morning for breakfast with our family. They make it for the two of us however it would feed an army!!
Driving to work in a tri-cab
Colouring in the pre-school
Our travel to work on two Jeepneys and one tri-cab is always enjoyable. As soon as we wake up in the morning it is all go until we close our bedroom door at night. Pulling up to the school in rain or the atmosphere is always infectiously lively – children playing before school, pointing at our noses and screaming out our names. Today was my day to go in the school, which I was ready for after a tough day on site breaking and shovelling ground with the construction workers yesterday. I had intended to spend my last day in the school in teacher John Rea’s developmental class; however I joined the pre-school class with teacher Vinerva instead. As usual we started the day with a prayer song “thank you Jesus for loving me” followed by “slippery fish”, “daddy finger” and “shake your hands”. These songs have been replaying in our heads constantly for two days now! After this, the class traced shapes and coloured them in the colours of the Irish flag. It was then time for our lunch break.
The school teachers Vinerva, Edwina, Annie and John Rae always prepare a delicious meal for us but this one had a special Irish touch of mashed potatoes, by our wonderful team mate Laura! The break ended with playing games with kids and letting them poke my nose and touch my freckles. Then the afternoon class had to line up outside the classroom, with hands behind their backs, and enter one by one into the classroom and sit on the red square on the floor and to begin the same lesson as in the morning with another class of pre-schoolers.
