Curious 5th Graders

Since we have arrived at OLG, slowly by slowly the kids have opened up to us and begun to trust us more and more each day. As I have mentioned, the children here are wonderful! And though their backgrounds differ drastically from my own they are still just children. As my grandmother gracefully stated in an email today,"Children are the same the world over joyful, sad, curious, funny, shy, mischievous.  It is the circumstances of life that ultimately form them. Children can be amazingly resilient and strong." Mim is right! These children are all of those things! Last night they were VERY curious! "B" my good friend (or Rafiki in Swahili) asked if I could meet him after supper so he could ask me some questions. When I arrived under the mango tree where we would meet there were 6 boys eager with questions for me! Their curiosities ranged from American politics and Osama bin Laden to the schooling system and what we typically eat in the US. They all told me that they hope to come there some day, possibly for university. One boy "S" was very interested in my skin color. He asked me "If he were to come to America and gain citizenship, would my skin color change from black like I am now to brown like you are?"  "No", I said, "you would still be black." "But what about if my parents were African but I was born in America, then would I be brown like you?", "S" asked.  I proceeded to tell "S" and the other boys that it did not matter what country you were born in or where you had citizenship, your skin color is based on your parents and your DNA. "But you should be proud of your beautiful dark skin! You are very handsome boys" I told them. "S" smiled shyly and looked away. The concept of a true black American is unknown to these boys. They have so many questions! After they ask me questions they allow me to ask them some about their history, families, and culture. We are learning together. We are learning from each other. Human curiosity and yearning for knowledge is universal!