Kazer

This is Kazer (KAY suh). Isn't he the most beautiful child you've seen?

He stole my heart a few days before leaving my village home. He played for six straight hours with nothing more than a desiccated lemon (it dried as hard as a rock so made a somewhat functional ball) and the heel of a shoe. Yes, just the heel.

While I was dismayed at his lack of toys, I was amazed at his ability to amuse himself with so little. (And glad his little head wasn't stuck inside a computer and/or TV screen.)

This child is three years old and sung at least 60 African songs to me. He is brilliant.

His grandmother, as far as I can tell, keeps him as her own (and is therefore raising him). It is not uncommon for grandmothers to raise their children's children. I'm told their birthparents are working in Pretoria and many have died from AIDS.

More later, Peace Corps is in no way connected to this post, karen