Upon entering the prison I was quite nervous, not because of the inmates themselves, but because of what was expected of me- I was asked to do 'energizers.' It was explained to me that these 'energizers' were useful as trust activities. So, I chose to do two; one where the group tries to get into line according to their birthday without talking, and a game of two truths and a lie.
So there I was, standing outside the gates of the Prison about to treat convicted felons like primary school children. I walked through the grounds to the 'classroom.' When we got there, it was just the two of us- me and the life skills educator who had initially asked me to come with her.
We waited while the inmates came in one by one dressed in their full orange or blue outfits. As they came in a few stopped at the sinks just outside the 'classroom'- farts, jokes and laughter came wafting in. It was amusing to see how embarrassed they were when they saw me sitting there. All I could do was giggle and suddenly I was no longer nervous...
Once the session started I got up and explained the 'energizers' and their purpose. The 10 of them seemed happy to be moving around, communicating and doing something a little different. Yes, there were a few that gave off the vibe of disinterest, but overall it was just fine under the overall circumstances.
After my little stint (which took about 25 minutes out of the two hours spent there), they all sat down and the life skills session began. The day was focused on making a priority matrix for reintegration into their communities. Many of them had families and support structures to go back to, others were focused on where to go, and everyone was concerned about money, land, and employment.
My job shifted to transcribing what was written on the board onto large sheets of paper, so I was able to listen and not feel completely useless.
I was supposed to return to the prison the next day, on friday, but unfortunately there were logistical issues that needed formal paperwork for me to enter again. Prison reform is really cool and I hope that 'Fiji time' doesnt take over and the paperwork is processed in a timely manner. Also, the life skills educator seemed to like having me around because I was able to give suggestions when she asked for it.
Anyway, so friday at the prison didnt work out, sad, so I went down to work and decided to see if I was needed there- or to watch the olympics, which has been on in the lobby all week, yay! I did neither because when I arrived everyone was getting ready for 'sports day'- a friday afternoon activity where all the nurses and medical staff get together at Shirley park and play soccer and volleyball. It was fantastic! Most people had no idea what they were doing, but we were all having fun and laughing (side note- I did get invited to play on the Lautoka Medical 7's soccer team by the medical officer, we'll see what comes of that). I was among the last to leave and was very sweaty at my departure, which was unfortunate because I was off to a family barbecue at a friends house.
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Saturday was a big event- a black and white formal function with an open bar, uh oh. I beautified myself and headed down to the northern club (a place where people go to swim, play tennis, squash, and drink) with two friends. The whole club was transformed and everyone looked wonderful- I'm used to seeing most of them in a t-shirt and board shorts. I danced, ate plenty of delicious food (sashimi, dumplings, curry, etc.), drank lots of wine, and chatted the night away with many of my new friends. It was a great time, and the night that started around 7 pm ended around 2:30 am.
The next day was a day to sleep in and have a small barbecue at my house. We made hamburgers. My room mate is finally starting to move in, so it was nice to have her and some of her Japanese friends around.
Nagisa's friend Hiro, funny boy, gets very drunk off of one beer, in fact it was the one he's holding that did him in that day.
Sitting down for lunch in the front room
nagisa (the room mate) and tim (another volunteer) cooking at the house- me? I'm setting the table
At President's night- the black and white function
Things are slowing back down as the week starts up again. My projects are dependent on other people right now, so there's only so much I can do while my counterpart and supervisor are both on leave.
1 comment:
treating inmates like school children. that's not something that everyone gets to do in their lifetime.
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