And so it begins...

Today we finally began work on the projects. We drew straws on Monday night to see what the groups would be. I am with Sr Isabel and Rachel. We will begin with working in a school for a week and a half. It is 1hr and 45 mins away, taking two buses to get us there. It's a school run by the Salesians, for children from impoverished families who are falling behind at school, or lacking learning in other areas. The Salesian school is barely funded by the government; they get enough to supply the kids with some snacks. Most of the financial support for the school is from Italy. Some students have normal school in the morning, some in the afternoon. Whichever part of the day they have free, they come to the Salesian run extracurricular school. They have a few lessons to begin with, followed by play and snacks. On certain days they have special activities like sports, dancing and art. Today was fairly chilled, as we were just getting a feel for the work. It was quite slow to start with, but it picked up as the day progressed. They had table football, and I helped some students with work: mainly Maths. I made a mistake by giving one lad a piggy back, and soon there was a queue forming. At one point 5 or so boys climbed on me. The teacher was worried for my back, so I decided not to be the climbing frame anymore. It was a long day, with almost 4 hours travel to and from the project. Portuguese is still poor, but I'm learning more words each day. You can still accomplish a lot with the kids without them. "Reason, Religion and Love" are the three principles which the Salesian school is founded on: that the kids should use and be trained in their reason, formed in the faith, and through it all experience unconditional love. This last point there is particular emphasis upon: that the kids know they are loved. Many of them may come from families where there is abuse. They must feel the love of the staff - not just as words but as actions. Sr Regina said that, though in England we have child protection and we aren't allowed to touch children, here it is weird not to. A pat on the back, a hug, signs of affection: all these are encouraged. Or rather, they're expected. It's strange, but it feels right that we should be able to show love in that way - more human. I understand things are as they are in England for good reasons, but it's true that the kids desire this contact. They will come up to you and hold your hand, or hug you - guys as well as girls. It's important for them. It was a good day, but tiring and long.

On the way home the ticket inspector was eating crisps and gave me a few. He  fell asleep at one point and had to be woken up by a passenger wanting to get through the turnstile. Cushty job.