Fishing
The boys were aged between 14 and 18. All had chosen to live at the centre instead of the streets.
As part of a reward system for good behaviour, I decided I would take a few of the boys fishing.
I knew nothing about fishing, and they didn't know much either.
I went to the market and found some fish hooks and fishing line and hoped the boys would know what to do with it!
Friday morning we set off. One of the boys had collected worms from the 'garden' next to the centre. We weren't far from the Nile, probably 10 minutes walk from the bank. We cut through by the church, and went off into the farm land, quickly coming to the brickworks. All along the Nile, after the yearly flood water went down, men would set up brickworks where they would make bricks from the Nile mud. The bricks would then be sold and used to build houses.
It was probably a very strange sight - a young, white woman walking with a bunch of teenage Sudanese boys, most of whom were taller than her. I remember very clearly a brick maker looking at us with an expression of confusion and curiosity on his face.
We found a spot.
I don't think the spot was a very good one but the aim of the excursion was the 'going' on an excursion, and the 'specialness' of it. The boys attached hooks to line, worms to hooks and threw the hooks into the water. Actually it was a terrible spot, and clearly no sensible fish would be in the shallows at the hottest part of the day, but one of the boys caught a very small fish. It was a cause for celebration.
It was a good day.
_____________________________
These are bricklayers by the Nile. The bricks in front are drying, the red bricks right at the back have been fired.
As part of a reward system for good behaviour, I decided I would take a few of the boys fishing.
I knew nothing about fishing, and they didn't know much either.
I went to the market and found some fish hooks and fishing line and hoped the boys would know what to do with it!
Friday morning we set off. One of the boys had collected worms from the 'garden' next to the centre. We weren't far from the Nile, probably 10 minutes walk from the bank. We cut through by the church, and went off into the farm land, quickly coming to the brickworks. All along the Nile, after the yearly flood water went down, men would set up brickworks where they would make bricks from the Nile mud. The bricks would then be sold and used to build houses.
It was probably a very strange sight - a young, white woman walking with a bunch of teenage Sudanese boys, most of whom were taller than her. I remember very clearly a brick maker looking at us with an expression of confusion and curiosity on his face.
We found a spot.
I don't think the spot was a very good one but the aim of the excursion was the 'going' on an excursion, and the 'specialness' of it. The boys attached hooks to line, worms to hooks and threw the hooks into the water. Actually it was a terrible spot, and clearly no sensible fish would be in the shallows at the hottest part of the day, but one of the boys caught a very small fish. It was a cause for celebration.
It was a good day.
_____________________________
These are bricklayers by the Nile. The bricks in front are drying, the red bricks right at the back have been fired.
Very interesting.
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