Scenes of Domestic Discipline: Book 1 by Susan Thomas

Author:Susan Thomas [Thomas, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: LSF Publications
Published: 2015-05-05T04:00:00+00:00

Good Girl in Africa

We had never been split up before, but the voluntary service saw us going in very different directions. Jess was off to the Far East, Aimee to a children's home in Romania, and I went to Africa. The Church we belonged to was affiliated to a wider church network and they ran two orphanages in Africa. Both were for children whose parents had died of AIDS. One catered for those poor kids who had the HIV virus themselves and the other (the one I was assigned to) for those free of the virus but with no surviving family to help them. It has recently been suggested that voluntary service by people of my age is a new form of colonialism; that's as maybe but I learned so much in my year I would defy anyone to say it was wasted time. Besides, I didn't feel like a colonial when my bottom was being thrashed with a cane, I can tell you.

To be honest, I don't think I was a huge amount of use over there, but when I graduate I will go back and put that right. I was assigned to the junior department of the school. My job was to help teach the children aged up to eleven years of age. I also had to help develop a sensitive AIDS education programme and help the senior students with English language issues. Before I carry on and tell you of my experiences I'd like you to understand the context. The school was a wonderful place, and in spite of the horrendous background there was a great atmosphere. People of all races worked together as colleagues and friends with laughter and cheerfulness. The children were extremely committed to their education and would make most kids in more prosperous countries look pretty third rate. Nevertheless it was very different to my previous experience.

The first shock to my cushioned existence was the use of corporal punishment. I am sure you will know that Africans in general have a different attitude to corporal punishment than the people of the United Kingdom. Teachers had a status they did not enjoy in the UK, and unless they went well beyond locally acceptable limits, the use of the cane was not frowned upon. Male teachers could also cane girls although again within limits. I had only my very recent experience of being switched so it all seemed very alien to me.

The second great shock to me was that my status was only fractionally above that of the senior girl students. Senior girls helped out with the junior department and frankly I, in spite of my 'superior' education, was of no more use than those girls. However, they were lovely girls whose kindness and generosity towards me was wonderful. I was able to help teach them of course but there was so much more they could teach me.

The third big shock was that the headmaster of the junior department could apply corporal punishment to those senior girls.

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