Our daily lives still new - But closer bonds created.

It feels like this first weeks has just flown away ! We are already introduced to week 4 at Miles 2 Smiles, and it’s a great feeling to finally remember more than just a few names any finally being able to attach several of the names to those adorable faces. Even though we have almost been here for a moth, everything still feels new somehow. I can’t say I have found one place I feel I can contribute more than other, but that’s a very ok anyway. Participating in the different classes and tasks during the day have been very useful  to get to know as many of the children and workers  as possible, and in the same time getting a bigger view of how important and exacting  this work actually is !

In one of my earlier blog-posts I mentioned that the children are learning the alphabet, counting and English (which is not their mother tongue) in the early age of 3 years old. By participating in the different classes we have been able to also see the methods of teaching, which is very different from the Norwegian. Repeating after the teacher and copy the blackboard, day in and day out seems to be consistently, and the teaching is extremely academic. Even though we have been very impressed of the children’s skills, we have been more skeptical in time; are the children preforming their own skills, or just repeating ? From the Norwegian school we have been more used to creative and divers ways of teaching. After some more weeks of observations we will gather the teachers to have an workshop; helping and share each other’s theories and tips in teaching in purpose to make the teaching even better !

In time we have also got to know some of the children backgrounds. During the last week we got to know better some of the children and their families, and saw where they lived. The Norwegian standard of living is not even comparable to theirs, and what many Norwegians calls their own bedroom is for several families’ living room, kitchen and bedroom for all of the members. Personal space is unknown.  It’s difficult, and I can’t imagine how they make it, but anyway it’s so important to try, and to hear and tell their stories. It’s time to realize that our Norwegian standard is not a matter of course.

This week we got to know Karen at 7 moths and her father’s background - how they live and make their ends meet in their lives…