On February

Sanibonani, team.

It has been criminally long since I updated, which is partly because my computer is dead. This post is sponsored by Jack, whose laptop I've snagged for the morning. Also, I'm at one of the only places in this country with a bottomless cup of coffee. Mugg & Bean, you're my hero (as is Jack, obviously).

I want to tell y'all what I've learned about the child who asked me for a job. As is often the case, the situation is more complex than I realized.

My friend who tracked him down told me this: The child's parents did both die, and he was taken in by his paternal grandmother. They moved him to a new homestead in my community. He didn't want to stay there. He keeps running away and returning to his previous homestead, which is uninhabited. So he does live alone, as he told me. She also said he is 12, not 14. She told me that his family has sent him to school repeatedly, but he runs away. He says he would rather get a job than attend school. My host father actually ran into him as well. The child also asked him for a job. My host dad instead asked where he stayed and took him back to his grandmother's house. (My host dad is a pretty awesome guy.) I don't know whether the child has since run away again.

So it's interesting, right? The situation isn't as dismal as I thought it was; the boy does have family members who are concerned for his whereabouts. He still isn't in a safe or stable situation. I don't know why he continues to run away. It's entirely possible that there are issues at home that make his life difficult or unpleasant. I certainly can't speak to that. But he has resources and a backup in case of emergency, and that's better than nothing.

If I have more contact with him, I'll write a bit more about it. I haven't yet remembered to ask my host dad for details of his encounter with the boy.

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Onward!

February has been extremely busy. Yes, you read that right: I've actually been busy. One of the staff members at the clinic was on leave for the whole month, so they asked me to fill in at the registration desk in the HIV section. It meant getting there at 8 a.m. Monday through Thursday and staying till about 3 p.m. I KNOW, RIGHT?! Who works those hours? It's INSANE.

But seriously, it is extremely rare for me to be doing anything, especially sitting, for that long. It was kind of exhausting. I did find, however, that it made me super productive. That's a thing, right? The busier you are, the more productive you are with other parts of your life. When I have a ton of spare time, I find it difficult to get myself to do anything. When I'm busy and have to pack in activities, the momentum keeps me going. So in January and February, in the midst of busyness, I wrote the first draft of my second "Haunted Library" children's novel (buy the first one here! http://www.lulu.com/shop/blythe-terrell/the-haunted-library/ebook/product-17421356.html). I wrote it out longhand because that's how I prefer to do it. I want to have all the original thoughts and scratch-outs and notes, so I don't like typing creative writing. I think it turned out OK, but I'll type it and edit as I go, I'm sure.

I also wrote a few poems, which is not a thing I usually do, and I experimented with some truly awful short stories. I'm going to take another stab at those in the coming months.

Also this month, my friend and I started a girls empowerment club at one of the primary schools, and I helped start weekly spelling bees at the other primary school. It's meant running around a lot and has been really satisfying.

March will bring more club meetings, preparations for the annual girls empowerment camp in April, and probably some time with the support group I've been working with. Jor visits (!!!) at the end of the month, and we're heading to Cape Town as Jack goes back to the US of A for Wedding Extravaganza 2014. I'll be back for Morgen's wedding in May, and I'm scheduled to complete service in August. I feel like these months will really fly.

Salani kahle! Nginibona ngeMay (I'll see y'all in May)!