Mural Mayhem: Part 1

So after months of planning to paint murals, those plans are finally being put into action, though it is somewhat slow going! I now spend my days covered in paint, and it really is quite a challenge: an American, a German, and an Italian all speaking various degrees of English (I'd like to consider myself the expert of the group, but even I have my moments!) painting huge concrete walls with a limited supply of rollers, brushes, paint trays, and paint, and one tiny bathroom sink with no towels, plus 230 children running around spraying water from the nearby water spicket and wreaking general havoc. Sounds a bit like the Tower of Babel goes to primary school, huh?

By the end of the week, we are determined (hoping) to finish the four concrete walls that look into the back "courtyard" of the school where the children pass by to get to the classrooms. And we've gone with a strictly "art" theme rather than trying to make the paintings lessons of any sort--rather just art for its own sake, a concept that really doesn't have much footing in Uganda aside from tribal crafts, etc. I hope we can start on the outerwalls by the end of the week and finish that and the living room of the foster house next week, which is exam week for the children. But I must say it is really tiring. I've come home exhausted both yesterday and today, and often the three of us volunteers just sit there in the office surrounded by our dirty brushes and paint cans and look around wearily. But it has also been so fun having the children paint in the outlines we have drawn or use star stencils to make a night sky. We are having each class help decorate one wall panel. P-1 did theirs yesterday and today, and tomorrow Nursery and P-3 will go, and hopefully -2 on Friday.

Tomorrow I have an early wake-up call to pick up another paint donation from Sadolin Paints, so it's time to pack it up for the night. I've been at Bubbles O'Leary watching an outdoor movie, Resevoir Dogs, and using their free internet in the lovely garden, so it's definitely not all work and no play--not that you were worried I know!