Singing

Some days are difficult to get through: it’s hot, I’m thousands of miles from home, I’m the only white person in the area, and the day can be long and tedious. Regardless, I have found one past time that always lifts my spirits (besides watching Passions): visiting the preschool children.

Innocence is always so appealing: fresh, smiling, eager, easy to please faces. As it is my highlight of the day to visit them, I know in turn that it is their highlight of the day to receive me. I adore being this loved. I think I substitute the attention for other aspects missing from my life.

My favorite part is the singing of the songs. These children are still so eager and ready to learn, a factor not displayed by the children only a few years older. They are so adorable as they sing the music in their youthful extravagance all the while executing various hand movements to accompany the words. The entire endeavour is nothing short of heart warming.

Inevitably, as they have come to expect, I will teach them a new song. It doesn’t matter that the song is in English and they don’t understand. Children’s songs are repetitive, hell even I can sing some of the Sepedi ballads that they do. By the fifth time we go through the music they have picked up the general idea. They definitely have mastered the hand movements. They love the hand movements.

Today I’m teaching “Five Little Monkeys Swinging in a Tree:”

Five little monkeys swinging in a tree

Teasing Mr. Alligator “Can’t catch me. You can’t catch me.”

A long comes Mr. Alligator

Quiet as can be

And snaps that monkey right out of the tree!

I suppose it is a violent song but the hand motions and voice changes are enough fun to overlook this. Plus, they don’t understand it so it doesn’t really matter.

My favorite part is when we violently clap our hands together in the “snap” part. It inevitably starts with growing anticipation, as the hands come down excitement mounts, and post clap giggling ensues. I love the giggling. Perhaps I have not lost my inner child.