Status update from Mauritius.
We live in a village called Plaines de Papayas, located near the main city of Port Louis. We live in a mini-apartment complex with 8 people, which creates for some crazy times. It’s pretty nice living given the area that we are in, but I did have a rat that lived in my room and cabinets for a few days. I named him Gunner. But now Gunner has passed away thanks to the friendly landlords who shepherded his demise with a stick tap to his head. Also I am getting EATEN alive by mosquitoes (in the first 2 days I had 20 bites), but surprisingly I’m getting used to it. It’s not that bad. The people here in Mauritius could be some of the nicest people I have ever met. Most of Mauritius is of Indian ancestry, which is a culture I haven’t been exposed to before. We were invited to an Indian wedding after meeting the groom one time. Some school directors I’ve meet have invited us out for snacks and paid for our lunches several times. The Indian food here is amazing. I’ve never tasted so many spices, herbs, and differing types of naan. We pass by Hindu temples and witness Hindu culture every day.
Our center is located in a house, but we are transforming it into the Eli-Africa Education Center. So far we have created a garden dug in the shape of Africa, built a theatre stage in the guest house of our center, painted a huge moral and numerous signs, and visited numerous schools in the area recruiting kids. So far we have 6-8 kids who come to our center consistently, and we hope to keep growing. I haven’t been able to teach basketball yet because we don’t have a court near the center, but in the near future I’ll create a system that allows me to teach. So far I’ve been helping around the center with others projects (such as science, poetry, creative writing, theatre, and music). We are off to a good start.