Ward-Forsen Genes

Ever since Tom has been born people have commented how much he looks like his Daddy. He is like his Daddy in a lot of ways: they are both fabulous artists with an eye for details, they both love liver and onions, and they both like to pester people sometimes! The haircut they share, in particular, showcases their similarities. Just a week or so ago, however, I found that though they might be buried deep, Tom does indeed have genes from his Mom's side in him as well... This picture of Tom's matchbox car carrier is all that my family will need to understand and laugh... but for the less initiated, let's just say that my sock drawer had distinct color coordinating tendencies when I was growing up. I would like to clarify that I had NOTHING to do with this arrangement. I only discovered it by accident; while shelving books in the hall, I heard him trying to decide which row the grey car went in. (After pondering, he decided, as I would have, that grey should go in the white row.) Upon questioning, Ian expressed horror at even the IDEA that he would have color coordinated toys when he was growing up, so I know I am fully to blame... or maybe I should blame his Grammy... after all it must be in the genes...

February Banquet

Earlier this month the Sahel Student Council held a banquet for the entire school community. My girls are always THRILLED when the elementary students are included in the "fancy" banquets! They love dressing up and usually max out my meager jewelry collection and hair styling skills with the grand creations they have envisioned. Tom wasn't quite as excited about the dressing up bit (specifically tucking in his shirt!), but he went anyway because Ian and I were recruited to help. We all had a lot of fun!

This year the theme was Paris (note the Eiffel Tower in the background)...
The outside tables with the small lights twinkling made a very elegant setting. The food and its presentation were, Parisian-like, a big part of the evening. A delicious dinner was prepared with lots of special touches from elaborate vegetable garnishes and savory sauces, to a full boulangerie, and desert plates swirled elegantly with chocolate. Ian presided as one of the "chefs" for the evening, carving meat in the buffet line. During dinner, the student council hosted a talent show showcasing lots of student fun. Here are some of the kindergartners enjoying their evening together. (Tom is in the light blue shirt.)Afterward, the students had the opportunity to learn to waltz or watch a movie. The girls were very enthusiastic about waltzing, though they did confine their partners to the fairer sex. That didn't seem to bother the elementary boys any though, as the majority of them were watching the movie! :)
As always after events such as this, I am thankful for Sahel Academy and the fun things they plan for the students so they can have experiences and learn skills outside of the academic box (like manners and dancing!). I am also very thankful for our community, especially the older students who are so willing to include and tangibly care for the younger ones.

Hard Hat Times

This past week the SIM office and those who work there started on a new adventure: remodeling! Mostly this remodeling takes the form of a badly needed paint job. Some offices had large patches of peeling paint and the majority of the paint was not washable, so fingerprints and lizard droppings were all too evident. The ceilings are turning from a mocha color to a nice, bright white. The office reception desk is now framed in a dirt-hiding chocolate color while the rest of the hallways and offices are being painted a tanish color, again aimed at reducing visable dirt which is so prevalent here. This morning, we walked in and were very surprised to see lavendar walls!! We joked that we were trying to attract a purple loving colleague of ours to come and work in the office. Thankfully, it was only the first coat, a bit more yellow and we had a more expected khaki/tan color. Here you can see the chocolate and lavender walls. It looks quite nice, but it will look nicer without the lavender. The color itself is not bad, it is just rather surprising in an office setting!
Since furniture was being moved around to paint, the opportunity was taken to shift around a few of the offices to hopefully serve people better. I have a personnel interest in the shifting as I am being shifted! My office is currently very large. The majority of things in it are not mine, nor are they things needed for my job. I am being moved to a much smaller space where i don't have to house extra files and furniture. I am looking forward to having my own bulletin board and a bit more say in what is in my space. In order to make the space shifting fit our jobs, we had to shift around some doors. Here is the doorway to my new office from the hall. We had quite a lot of banging and falling cement pieces while this hole was being made. This picture is looking from my office into the director and deputy director's offices. The door on the left has always been there, the door on the left is another new addition. Another long intended project that is being completed is that of putting windows in all the hall doors in the office. Some places like the treasury need a bit more security, so their doors will have grates covering the windows. As more of the offices are using air conditioning and keeping their hall doors closed, it is nice to be able to see if people are available for talking or are in appointments. Here is our new treasurer... we locked her in so she couldn't leave. We just push food through the grate now and again. :) Just kidding Ruth! I'll keep taking pictures so you get the full effect. At least one more paint color will go up, couch cushions are being recovered, curtains are being washed and some changed out. It is nice to see all the changes and extra nice not to be in charge of making them!