More Mahdia

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Let’s stay in the school for the deaf in Mahdia a little longer! Last week I shared pictures of the clown event, but that was the last thing we did. Actually, the last thing we did before heading home was sit in on a sign language class the teachers attend every week. You probably don’t want to see pictures of that!

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The day before clowning, we had time with the students in their classrooms. We made bead bracelets with the younger kids and rubber band bracelets with the older girls. (That is my daughter, Elizabeth, on the right.) It was pretty easy to communicate with them. Demonstration worked great! Watching the teachers and how they communicated was helpful also.

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Hector, my husband, was on hand with his rubber band tricks. He could do those all day long; each student wants a turn! We love watching their expressions when they see the trick for the first time.

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We also decided to make balloon animals that day rather than letting Mimi do balloons. I was busy in the classroom, so I didn’t get to see the kids playing with the balloons.

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These boys reminded me of a time at the refugee camps where a couple little girls were playing with their balloon animals like pets, holding them with such love and care.

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All of the kids were a lot of fun! After living here 6 years and still struggling to learn Arabic, I am familiar with language barriers. When we are playing, laughing, and just having fun, that barrier fades and is hardly noticeable.

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The morning of the clown show, we got a ride from our hotel to the school on the school bus! I wish I had pictures of people’s faces as Mimi waved to them from the front seat! We went to the school for the physically challenged first. A few students who were there enjoyed some quiet time with Mimi, the bunny puppet, and balloon animals.

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Mimi knows kids (and adults!) like to play  dress-up, so she brought a couple hats, noses, and glasses.
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Something I find miraculous about clowning, besides the obvious depth of joy it brings, is the grace. If I am having makeup problems, the eyelash adhesive is in my eye, the false eyelashes are bothering me, whatever, none of those things matter as soon as I step out the door.

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