where my heart is

One more post

2008-06-26T19:03:00.003-04:00

Well, I am leaving Mexico this Saturday. It will be a bitter sweet goodbye for many reasons. Some of the kids that I am close to don't want me to go. Jonathan informed me the other day (for the second or third time) that he would be fine if I packed him in my luggage and took him home. If I could take some of them home I would. But on one last note here are some things that I observed here at Casa Hogar that make me smile:
1. There are stairs... and I use that term losely. Ther are planks of wood heldup by bricks on other pieces of wood. THere are times when I am going up them when I think that if I fell then that would be it, I would break some serious bones.
2. If a building inspector from the States came and saw some of the scafolding, stairs, and man made ladders they would have a heart attack right there on the spot.
3. Some of the boys have so much gel in their hair that they might qualify as flamable.
4. Paint here is a loose term. I had to make it (yes make it) and I was told not to breath in any of the things I was mixing together. And when I washed the paint off of the brushes it ate away some of the skin on my hands. Nice.
5. It rained last night and the interns sleep on the bottome floor. I could here beds moving around last night before I went to sleep. Translation: the roof is leaking and beds are being rearanged.

Those are some quirky things that I love about this place. It can be hard sometimes but the hardest part is always leaving. To say goodbye to faces that I don't know if I will see agaain that I have loved, gotten to know, laughed with, joked with, hugged, smiled, and loved on for so many years but especially last summer and this summer. I know I will miss them.
But there will always be a piece of my heart that is here, in Mexico, at Casa Hogar. I love this place and these kids. As I end this part of my journey I move onto another one. For anyone who has read my blog, thank you for reading and sharing in my experiences, joys, pains, and adventures here.

one more week

2008-06-20T14:29:00.002-04:00

i keep thinking of things to write and then when i get to it i have forgotten... i think my memory is going too. haha. well, as of this saturday i am here for one more week. my month stay will be up and i will be headed back home. its crazy how fast it went. i couldnt tell you if my spanish it better or worse but the kids seem to think i speak it better than i actually do... which i find quite funny. they will ask me to translate or just say something and be on their way. its still frustrating but oh well.
after so many years of coming here and especially after last summer, i love that you can start to know personalities, likes and dislikes, strengths,weaknesses, tht kind of stuff. kevin (6yrs) likes to be held sometimes. he just does. he came up to me yesterday and gave my leg a bear hug. so i picked him up and he let me hold him for no reason and kept giving me giant huggs. :)kevin was the little one that was here last summer that didnt talk at all. nothing. this summer he is talking is i can see a difference in him. he sat in my lap as we sang with the team and i traced his finger along the words of the song. every once and a while he would look up at me and just smile he goofy, big eared, cute smile. as crazy and frustrating as the kids can be sometimes i love those sweet moments.

a search party for a missing car

2008-06-16T14:53:00.003-04:00

so last friday i found lizandro (6 yrs) sobbing... i mean, something could have died. he couldnt even tell me what happend, he was so upset. so i asked his brother, gaudencio (7yrs), and he told me that lizandro lost a new toy car, that he had gotten in the last 30 minutes. so a search party started... me, guadencio, and osvaldo (13)were all searching for a toy car... in the dark no less. lizandro was just walking aimlessly and crying. so, i take him by the hand and we go looking int he dark for a small blue and yellow car. well, we can´t find the car and lizandro is heart broken. but i saw that one of the other boys had a pack of three cars. i ask him if i could see the pack and he said yes. i then asked lizandro if he liked any of the cars and his face lit up when he pionted to a spiderman one. so i asked the other boy if lizandro could have one of his three cars. yes, he said. i am thinking, wait... what? i don´t have to ask him twice or beg or explain that lizandro wants a car?! nope. he just said yes and i asked agian just to make sure and he gave the same answer. no questions or arguments or posessiveness. it always amazes me when these kids just share everything without hesitation. now, that doesn´t happen all the time... but more than it would bac k home. i love it. they are a family and although they have little they are able to enjoy it and let others enjoy it. anytime they have food or anything they offer it to me.
so jumping forward a few days... sunday the sermon was about family and what a christian family should look like and stuff like that. i was sitting there wondering what the casa hogar kids are thinking. most of them are not orphans. they have family that abandoned them, or couldn´t or woun´t take care of them. how do you grow up knowing that your family didnt want to take care of you or did want to but just wasn´t able to? some of the go back to visit family. i know they are used to it, in some sense, but i can´t imagine how it feels to go back and ¨visit¨your familly and go back to an orphanage. despite all of that these kids are so resilient and just great kids. i would take some home with me if i could.
thats about it... its really hot this week. i am hoping my toe will hold out until i get home.

differencesº

2008-06-12T18:07:00.002-04:00

so tuesday i got gaudencio again and again he was crying. poor kid. but he was content to sit in my lap and cry there and eventually fell asleep. i had to wake him up for dinner but i wish he could have sat there forever. i cherrish the moments when i can hold the younger ones becuase they dont want to be held most of the time.
there are so many differences between this culture and ours and i love some of the differences. i love how relational this culture is. we were riding back from the beach last sunday and lalo was saving me a seat. so, i was sitting in the back with the boys between lalo and omar and just observing. there is a lot more affection allowed in this culture without the comments that would come from our culture. i watched as osiel (who was standing and having a punching match with omar) would ,without thinking about it, just rest his hand on robertos arm. or the boys are sitting crammed into the back of the bus, almost ontop of each other. in america we have such a sense of personal space... here it is different. but in a sense it has to be becuase these kids grow up with a family of 50. all that to say, every time i come i love the affection and the realtional part of this culture so much.

it¨s raining!

2008-06-10T14:43:00.003-04:00

it has rained for the past two days and it has been wonderful! i never thought i would utter the words cold and mexico in the same sentence ever... but i was actually cold yesterday even though it was a brief period of time. what makes me laugh the most is the kids. they are used to the warm weather and so when it rains they come out with their pants and sweaters and all bundled up like its snowing. that is what cracks me up the most.
orangewood is here this week and so i get to spend a week with my mom and brother. they have been moving a lot of dirt but i think i see cement in the near future.
well, i cant think of anything else that has happened. i think i have another ingrown toe nail... so hopefully i can make it back home and have it taken care of there. and my heal still hurts (from where i had stitches)and my bad back hurts when i am doing any kind of shoveling. so... as i am falling apart at 20 (as my mom says) please pray that my body will hold out a few more weeks. :)

they want to be loved

2008-06-06T20:53:00.005-04:00

there are many children here at casa hogar and the littlest ones are the easiest to love. they just are. some of the 10-12 year olds that are more energetic and have fun and loud personalities are also easy to love because you see them all the time. there are some kids that dont get recognized though. most of those kids are the older crowd of boys, ages 12 and up. for whatever reason i just connected with some of those boys last summer. jorge calixto (13), jorge(14), jonathan(14), roberto(14), lalo(13), and omar(15)- they are great and unique and i love hanging out with them. a lot of times they will just come and sit by me and we don´t have to say anything... we can just sit there. we can have a conversatoin or not... they will just sit there. they need attentiona and recognition. yesterday lalo came out and showed me his sketch book... he is amazing! he smiled as i looked through it and asked questions and things like that. he wanted to be recognized. later my jorge (calixto) asked me to help him with his homework... of all things... math. (not my strong subject to say the least). but i helped him and then he explained to me things about his grade point average and how he needs certain grades for this and that. the kid is so smart and i told him so. he wanted recognition. that same day roberto gave me a paper to look at. i was confused but opened it and it had a 10 written on at the top! as i complemented him he just smiled. he wanted to show me his grades and be recognized. i love these kids and they need people to love on them and praise them for their accomplishments. as hard as it is to be here sometimes those are the moments i love... the ones that make the kids feel special, unique, and appreciated.

This week so far

2008-06-04T10:19:00.005-04:00

I had construction duty one day this week and most of the American teams struggle with two things. 1. They want to do cement- not moving tiles. Which I might add... those tiles have been moved a thousand times in the past 4 years. I know because Orangewood moved them at least three times a couple years ago. So, the team wants something more significant to do. Well, let me tell you, they don't know it but making and moving cement in Mexico is not that exciting, fun, and definitely not easy. 2. Americans want to give 120% the first day. They are running the tiles to the finish point. They have four more days or construction... take your time and don't kill yourself (is what I want to say). Americans want to be quick and efficient. Well, in Mexico, quick and efficient are not on top of the priority list. It will get done eventually and thats ok. The whole building isn't going to be up by the end of the summer. Moving on...
The kids.
Kevin (6 yrs) is a little boy that said absolutely nothing last year. Not a word. This year he is talking! Amazing. I was holding his hand as we were walking to craft the other day and he kept giving me kisses on my hand. :) He is a little softer around the edges this year too.
Gaudencio (7 yrs), bless his heart, had a rough day two days ago. Kevin decided to chuck a frisbee and poor Guadencio was staning about a foot away, in the line of fire. So, Guadencio gets hit and starts crying. I ran over and scooped him up and after he stopped crying he was happy to sit in my lap. Later I came up some stairs and he was crying again! And so I scooped him up and we just sat there and I held him. He likes to be held when he is hurt. Some of the younger ones don't.
I brought out sudoko again and Monse and I played. Then Uriel came up and saw what we were doing and made a comment. Uriel is 13 and he is an intelligent, quiet, independent boy. He is not one that really comes out and plays with the teams or hangs out with the inters. He has probably said a handful of words to me ever and he sat down and we started playing sudoku! Then Jorge Calixto came and went and it was still Uriel and I. So, when it was time to go to be I let him borrow the book. It is funny how something in common can bring two people together.
Well, today is my day off. So, I am resting and then it's back to work tomorrow.

I am here

2008-06-02T14:32:00.003-04:00

i arrived saturday with two other interns- beka and mandy. mandy has been here before for a year before. it was not the feeling of nervousness that i had last year coming. i didn´t have a fear of getting lost or not being able to speak any spanish. and myrtille (she does everything and is in charge of the interns), in her infanite wisdomm said that the interns did not have to do the walmart bus trip. every year the interns are dropped off at walmart and told to get back to casa hogar.... not exciting... so that is two years in a row that i didn´t have to do that! there is no one here long term- so it is just the summer interns. it feels kind of weird because aaron was here last year and was in charge. but at least mandy and i have been here before so we know what to do.
i got to casa hogar and it was funny to see how the kids greeted me. jorge calixto and chucho gave me hugs and smiles. lupe and blanca sat there while i hugged them. dani looked at me quizzically and then said - i remember you! roberto got back to casa hogar late that evening and just came smiling and gave me a big hug. then in came lalo and his brother, omar.... probably two of my most favorite people ever! i was so glad to see them and they were glad to see me.
so Sunday we went to church and we crammed... and i mean crammed in the bus. i think we had 50-60 people in a bus that sat 20 comfortably. on the way it was... do i dare say a pleasant ride? i got to sand up right by the window and i got a great breeze until we stopped. gama was smart and sat on top of the chair beside me so he could ge t the wind too. on the way to and from the beach big jorge made sure he saved me a seat and so i had to sit down. so what is some more sweat added to everything else?
i spent a lot of yesterday just observing. one of the little ones, andres, kept coming to me with a piece of fabric with something in it. he would tell me it was icecream or something and then squeal with delight when i opened it and was so surprised that it was a fruit seed. i also brought the sudoku out and liz sat on my lap while monse and i played.
wednesday i have my day off. mrytille said i could come to her house and wash close and spend the day there. so, i will probably be able to write tomorrow night or wendesday.

and so i am starting again

2008-03-26T17:18:00.003-04:00

Last summer I was able to live at Casa Hogar for two months and clean kness, wipe snotty noses, and love on children. This summer I am excited to be going back for a month. It is a long process of support raising, forms, and planning but it will be here quicker than I know it!
I have been to many countries and experienced many cultures but there is something about this tiny little orphange off of the main road in Acapulco, Mexico that I just can not explain. There is something that draws me there and makes me long to be there. There are precious faces that I love and adore and that love me back.
I was able to go to a children's home in Mississippi during my spring break and experience what an orphanage in the US was like. I was glad that I went but it just showed me how much I love Casa Hogar and the kids there. There is something about those kids, their stories, thier smiles, their personalities, that stick to me. I know some of their stories and despite the language barrier I could tell you their personalities, what they like, how they act around people. Do I know them completely? No. But I love them dearly and I don't think there is any place that will replace Casa Hogar in my heart.
I don't know how many more summers I will be able to do this but I will enjoy this one- the difficult days and the good ones.
The purpose of this blog is to let everyone back home know what I am doing and perhaps get a glimpse into my life there, the kids lives, and the culture of Casa Hogar.
So, this is for who ever to enjoy and comment on. But before you procede... know that I can not spell or put commas in the right spot! :]
Enjoy.

One last post

2007-08-05T15:21:00.000-04:00

I am home after two months of being away.
There are many things in my life that I will forever have a special place in my heart for. There are many things that have changed me and have affected me. Mexico, Casa Hogar, and it’s children are threads that have been interwoven into my life and memories. The many tears, smiles, snotty noses, bandaged knees, and faces will forever be with me. I hope and pray that I have been a blessing to the kids but more so they have been a blessing to me. They have loved me as I have loved them over these past two months. There is a story with every precious face and they have all touched me in some way. I have left Mexico and Casa Hogar but my heart remains there with the precious children that I have come to know and love over the past two months.
Thank you all for the constant prayers, words of encouragement, and love that I have received. You all were apart of allowing me to be there and be a light to those kids that needed it so desperately. I am home in the land of flushing toilets, constant water, and air conditioning! I already miss Acapulco. Will I be back next summer for a week, for two months, or not at all? I don’t know. I am willing to do whatever God has in store for me. But thank you all for being apart of this stage of my journey. Thank you!

2007-07-31T20:26:00.000-04:00

so orangewood is here. it is a great way to finish my stay here.
the other interns left today and so it is aaron and i. that is stressful during construction because we have 50 people asking what they can do and two people who know what they are doing. but thats ok. construction and kid time are going well.
since it is only me here with aaron this week i am going to be busy and so i am going to say that this will be my last blog while i am here.
once i get back i am hoping to post one more time to get my thoughts wrapped up. i hope to do that by next monday. i am also going to try and get a link posted so you all that have been reading will be able to look at pictures.
i want to say thank you for all of you that posted. you were an encouragement to me during difficult times (even if you didnt know) and your words were a blessing. you dont know how much that meant to me.
i leave acapulco this saturday and will be in orlando saturday night. i am planning to go to orangewoods later service. i will see you all soon!
pray for the group, myself, and aaron these last few days.

airport trip number????

2007-07-26T19:59:00.000-04:00

so today i made a nice little trip to the airport. yes, the airport. one of the team members bags didnt make it here but it arrived today. he needed to pick it up by 5.00 and it was 4.00. as we are scrambling to leave, get money, get flight info, i.d.s, etc. i am trying to make sure everything is in order and praying that i will be able to do this. the people at the airport speak english. thats not what i am worried about... its 4.00 and it takes an hour to get to the airport. we are cutting it close. as we are riding in our little vw taxi i am willing it to go faster so we can get there in time. and do you know what? we get there at 4.57. yes, three minutes to spare. but as i walk into the airport (we need to go to delta) all of the check in desks are empty. not good. but as i keep walking i smile because the only desk ocupied is yes, delta. God has a sense of humor and i said thank you as i walked up to the woman to inquire about the luggage. she points us to a white door off the the side (where the delta offices are) and we head towards it. its an unofficial looking door and as i push it open the door creaks and leads into a dark corridor. thats it we are going to die (is what i am thinking). but never fear, we were ok and got the luggage. we were in and out of the airport in 15 minutes. we get one of the few taxi drivers left (he was driving a status) and head for home. we hit traffic and i thought i just might melt in the heat. i was preferring the vw bug taxis over this stratus. you might be cramped in the bug but you definitely get more air. so, twoish hours later we are back at casa hogar and i am starving. i need to get some food.

its almost a week left and i am feeling good. i am not tired, sick, or eager to leave. which are all an answer to prayers.
pray for me to finish the week strong and pray for the massive group orangewood is bringing.
see you all in a couple of days!!!!

(i am coming back on the 4 of august)

glitter... seriously???

2007-07-23T21:30:00.000-04:00

so the craft today with the older kids was decorating plastic flower pots. that all fun and good until the glitter comes out. let me just tell you that i walked out of crafts today with glitter from head to toe. (literally)
it seams like in the past week we have had a influx of children come through the kitchen wanting band aides. there is something about band aides that just make everything better. well, euclides hurt himself the other night and so i picked him up and carried him to the kitchen. after getting him fixed up (ice, band aides, etc) i carried him back out and he was happy to sit and put ice on his knee. although, i think most of the ice ended up in his mouth. i think that mostly he just wanted to be taken care of which i was happy to do.
i think lupe and some of the other kids have telling me daily that orangewood is almost here (sometimes more than once a day). they are excited.
i am feeling better this week. last week i was emotionally drained but this week i am better and feeling refreshed. thank you for all of your prayers.

2007-07-20T15:05:00.000-04:00

so before everything else... the most important part and the saddest day of my life... HARRY POTTER COMES OUT TOM.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and I WONT BE THERE!!!! sad day. haha. ok... had to get that out of my system.

so we can not buy nyquil here.... so orangewood, if you can, please bring it. i have been asked twice to bring it. so, i think it is needed.

i am feeling better but now i have allergies... yes! so my nose is running and i am sneazing lots. but i dont feel bad.

as i reflect on my time here i cant believe that i have been here for two months. orangewood comes in a week. i cant believe it. when you are here for two months you see casa hogar and the kids in a different light. they are still precious to me but you deffinitely see the good and the bad.
for example, the other day, geovani had an ant nest in his hands (which still had ants in it) and he ran down the corridor with the interns rooms (which he is not allowed to be in) and threw the ant nest into our common room. i think he picked the only door that was open (which happend to be ours) and chucked the nest into it. good... ants were everywhere and he thought it was the funniest thing. i on the other hand did not and i was quite mad at him.
the teams that are here for a week see the cute, sweet (most of the time), kids that live here. living with them for two months revelas a lot more. :)but i still love then even when they drive me crazy.

orangewood! see you all in a week!!! as i am sitting here, osvaldo just asked me when my group is coming. haha. :)

emily rush. i have a christmas present for you from olimar and lupe. lauren forgot to get it to you. remind me to give it to you when yuo get here.

let it rain!

2007-07-17T20:12:00.001-04:00

it rained last night and all of today.... which means wonderfully cool weather!! i love it! the kids are wearing pants and sweaters. which i think is hysterical. its not that cold.
although i love the rain it comes with some difficulties...i got soaked running around trying to find cooking pots for cliseria today. (i have kitchen duty this week) and the soccer "field" the kids play on is under a foot of water. the kids are restless because they have been inside all day.
i feel better today! thank you for the prayers! although, i have been tired this week... emotionally and physically.
nothing new this week... just more hanging out and loving on kids.

... so no one here will see harry potter with me... someone needs to go with me when you all come orangewood! please! :)
and could someone buy a knife sharpener... i was literally sawing the pinapple today with the knife i was using. .. it could use sharpening.

2007-07-15T18:45:00.001-04:00

a lot of the kids here are dropped off because their parent(s) are not able to care for them for various reasons. most of the kids are not orphans as they do have family. some have sader stories than others. but they are all a big family. the older ones help with the younger.
it was funny to see everyone together last week. the team that was here (the camping team) watched the discovery channel planet earth series with the kids at night. the show was projected onto a projector and we all sat on the floor and watched. well, we didnt exactly sit... we all ended up laying on each other. there would be a group of 10 boys, from the ages of 7 to 17, and they would all be laying on and next to each other. i would just laugh becuase that is not apart of the american culture.that is part of this culture that i love. it is so relational.

Christian left casa hogar and went back to the streets again. pray for that situation.

i do not know why the two new girls were dropped off. they are 5 and the other looks 7 or 8. maggie and jen... that means more undewear! :)

spanish is still frustrating but i want to go back and learn. pray that i will be able to learn when i get back through what ever means God has in mind.

right now i am a little sick. i think it is mostly that i am tired from working for the past two months. pray that i will finish my last two weeks strong.

2007-07-14T16:33:00.001-04:00

so today i went to the airport to pick up emilys team. i rode with myrtille on the way back to casa hogar and we had a nice little chat. we stopped on the way back to get the dinner for tonight and she parked her car funny. on her way out of the car she says to me, you know how to drive, right? if a policeman comes then just move the car. WHAT?! i have never prayed so hard in my life. haha. no, just kidding.

we had two new girls dropped off yesterday. they are shy but very sweet.

the water came back on this morning! yay! we have water.

well, i have nothing exciting to say other than the water is on.

hey orangewood! bring pictures from last year if you have them. the kids love getting pictures. see you in two weeks!!!

camping

2007-07-13T12:25:00.000-04:00

so, a team that comes for two weeks takes the older kids campinng the second week they are here. i was invited to come along but what does camping really mean here in acapulco i wondered?? well, turns out that it wasnt as bad as i thought. dont get me wrong, i love camping... the tent, the dirtyness, etc. but i was curious as to how this was to take place. well, the team rented a small house for the two days that had a pool and covered area. not too bad. :) we played games, swam in the pool, hung out. it was very relaxing and i really enjoyed it. i did get my share of being thrown into the pool though. it rained the second morning so that meant it was a wonderfully cool morning! we were all exhausted coming home and (i might add) crammed into the casa hogar bus. jorge fell alseep on me and i was happy to use his head for a pillow.
today was the last day of construction for me! woohoo! myrtille (our boss) asked emily and i to go to the grocery store for her today. so now we are waiting for her to come and pick us up. i have not gone yet... but i have a feeling that this trip will be interesting!
oh, before i forget... let me explain to you the phenomenon of the acapulco water system. its not reliable. so, this means that the city water will be shut off randomly for who knows how long. well, the water has been off for three days now. casa hogar has reserve tanks for the americans but we are down to the last ones. the kids have no water and we might not either before long! so i am praying that the water will come back on!!! :)

ronda and kelly it is good to hear from you! it is an encouragement to me that you all are reading and posting something! thank you.

2007-07-10T19:47:00.000-04:00

yesterday i woke up really tired and didnt want to get out of bed. construction is tiring. it also seemed like i was constantly being hit by every kid here and that gets annoying and tiring. at one point during the day jorge trapted me and another person inside a storage closet and i believe my exact words to him (in english) were, jorge, when i get out of here, i am going to destroy you. if i could have made some kids disappear yesterday i would have done it gladly. :)
today i have not been hit (well, maybe occasionally) and i woke up feeling refreshed. one of the teams here is taking the older kids camping and i was invited to come along. so, tom. and thursday should be an interesting event. i am curious as to what exactly camping is here. i understand that the girls have cabins and ac! woohooo!
the time has flown by as i remember back to when i first got here. after being here for a little over a month i am feeling more and more at home. i dont know if i can exactly put it in words. i feel content. i am happy to be here. i love loving on the kids. they have returned that love. i am not anxious or looking forward to leaving, but yes, i am coming back. :)

pamela and sarah, i love hearing from both of you! it means a lot to me that you are reading and that you posted something! thank you.

2007-07-08T19:58:00.000-04:00

So, Thursday I went to the grocery store with Myrtille. This proved quite interesting because it takes me a while to find the little bit of groceries that I need when I go. So we go and she hands me a list. Now, not only is this list in Spanish, it is also a page long. I thought, oh, dear, please do not send me off in this store and tell me to find all of these items. It will take me three hours to get back to the registers. Thankfully, though, all I had to do was follow her through the store and grab whatever she grabbed. I could handle that. When we got to the register I was preoccupied with putting my massive truck load of groceries onto the counter. The bagging girl came up the me and assuming, incorrectly I might add, that I spoke Spanish, asked me something. I was not prepared or paying attention, so I did what I always do in those situations... just smiled and say yes. Well, it worked because she accepted me answer and did something about it. As I got to thinking I thought, oh, no, what did I answer yes to. Whatever it was, it was not that important because we got the groceries and headed back to Casa Hogar. What an adventure that was.
THose are the times when I am out of my comfort zone. If I don't know what the kids are saying to me I can usually get the idea of it or ask someone. And they are kids... who cares if I can't speak perfect Spanish to them. Half of them can't spell any way so they don't care how I speak. Adults are the ones that I get nervous around. Especially when I am at a store and they don't know that they sound like they are talking 300 miles an hour at me. If I told them, I don't understand, talk to me slower (like I do to the kids) I would definitely sound like an idiot. And I prefer not to do that. This tactic is not always good because I just slide into the, I am comfortable with English and so I am not going to try and speak to you in your native language. THats a good attitude. :) The last two weeks I have not been as discouraged with my Spanish. But keep praying for that!
We went to the beach today with the kids and the teams,like we always do on SUndays. I was asked to sit in the back with some of the younger boys. Which I grudgingly did because the seat I was sitting in had 0 , and I mean 0, wind flow. But that is ok... they wanted me to sit with them and I did. So, we got off the bus and had to cross the street to get to the beach. I grabbed Gaudencio and his brother, Lizandro's, hands and off we go across the street. I was finally coerced into getting into the water and had a great time jumping the waves with Jazmin and Rossy. When it was time to go I had to help the now soaking wet and very sandy Gaudencio and Lizandro collect all of their belongings. With shoes, shirts, socks, and newly acquired sea animals in hand we are off to cross the road again. I asked Lizandro to give me his hand and he did so with great pleasure after rearranging his belongings all into one hand to accommodate me. Gaudencio could not quite put everything into one hand to he was satisfied with giving me his arm. We all ran across the street and got into the bus. Many sticky and wet Mexicans an Americans all get into the bus. Osvaldo was sitting to my left and Gaudencio ended up on my lap and Lizandro to my right. So, that was my day today. Nothing too exciting but more loving on kids.

Maggie and Jen- i think the little boys (4-6 yrs) wear briefs. i think the older boys prefer boxers. But I really don't think it matters. Whatever you think is better.

2007-07-07T17:46:00.000-04:00

since rebecca and laurens last day was thursday we went out to eat with myrtille on tuesday. all of the girls plus aaron got into aarons car. which made a grand total of seven very hot and sticky people in the back of aarons vw bug. so, all the showers and getting ready for the restaurant went out the window. but it was also the day after the fourth of july and so we all sang every patriotic song we could think of on the way. what a site that was.
so, it is friday and rebecca and lauren are gone. so that means its just the interns and aaron. we have two teams here this week.
last night it rained and when i stepped outside this morning to walk to the kitchen i actually said , wow, its cool out this morning! amazing! but whatever was left over from the rain is gone and it is back to very hot. when i leave the weather will be the only this that i dont miss. :)
this morning i am sitting in the kitchen and all of a sudden i hear, raquelita! raquelita! so i got up and headed for the little voice calling my name. gama was waiting at the top of the stairs for me and informed me that he and lupe wanted to paly uno. so out come the uno cards and off i go to play yet again, more uno. my cards are about to wear out but thats ok!
i have construction duty next week....yes! not. it will be more cement, bricks, and dirt. i take back the weather comment... its not the only thing i will miss. i wont miss construction either. :)

patti. i dont know how scrub sizes are. the ones i have are cheapo ones from walmart and i think they are just a medium. i wear a size 8 in pants though. i dont know if that helps. and do you have mrs. vandergriffs email address??

2007-07-05T18:00:00.000-04:00

yesterday i got to go out with the team. we went to the market, out to eat, and later to the cliff divers. i sat out the cliff divers as i have seen them too many times already.
today i got to play with the kids again. i gave my uno cards to a kid while i had to go do something and i came back to quite a funny site. angel (who is not quite there all the time), alfonso (6), eli (5), kevin (5), gaudencio (6), and one other little one (i cant remember) were all sitting on the floor playing uno. which is a funny site because none of them quite know how to play, kevin doesnt talk, and alfonso is giving direcitons. what a great site. you gotta give it to them, they were trying.
i was later flagged down by geovani two different times because he wanted to play with me. so, i am playing lots and lots and lots of uno! :)
we had another little boy dropped off yesterday. he is 6 and has 3 other siblings here. roberto, olimar, and marbella are his siblings. he looks just like roberto! he is very shy so far and i have not gotten a chance to talk with him.
the boy that was dropped off the other week, alejandro, is doing so much better! if you remember, i said he was having a hard time adjusting. i am so surprised at how calm he is now and how much he smiles. that is good to see him doing better. i was worried for a bit about him.

mrs houck. if you send money i would be happy to go to walmart and get things. you can send a list and i can buy stuff off the list or you can send no list. i did not know about kristina! that is so exciting! i got goose bumps reading your post!
jen and maggie. if the coloring books are stupid then i would say paper and coloring stuff would be great. underwear for the boys and girls is great. i would assumer that all ages would be welcomed. the littlest ones tend to not have as much because there are rarely so many little ones here. we have 2 four year old boys, 3 six year old boys, and one 6 year old girl. but the girl, liz, is very tiny for her age, so keep that in mind.
debbie. i have collected some ideas for the vbs thing you all will be doing. i am calling my family on sunday and i will relay that information to my mother and i will tell her to pass it on to you.

oh, and if anyone wants to bring an extra pair of scrubs down for me that would be great! i have been wearing the same ones all week and they get really nasty. dont worry if it is too much though. i can def. get by with the pair i have.

more things to bring

2007-07-04T15:14:00.000-04:00

i have only asked aaron about what to bring. i need to ask lauren. i am still figuring out what the vbs topics for the kids. i will let you know hopefully by the end of the week.

rechargeable batteries. aa or aaa. angel has a radio that he always carries around and the batteries have disappeared.
NyQuil. lots of it is welcome i am told.
martin would like a spanish concordance
used soccer cleats are always welcome. some of the boys are on soccer teams here.

2007-07-03T12:43:00.000-04:00

this week i get to play with the kids! an extremely hard job... just kidding. but def. my favorite job.
i think i am going to play uno until my brains fall out. the kids love to play and my cards are very worn out but i play with them anyway. that is all i have done all day today.
anyhow, while i was playing uno today i observed gaudencio trying to catch flies. this kid is about 6 and for the life of him he cant sit through a vbs lesion or sit through a prayer without squirming but he has a patience of a saint when it comes to catching flies. very carefully and with complete concentration he creeps around on all fours with a plastic cup. once he spots a fly he very carefully sneaks up on it and slowly, very slowly, places the cup over the unsuspecting fly. he pinches the cup with his fingers and goes to capture more, in the same cup. what a funny site that was.

osvaldo mentioned today that he would like a spanish-english dictionary. he sat me down the other day and asked me to teach him english. which was quite interesting as communicating in spanish still has its difficulties. but i wrote him out a list to look over anyway. i also asked him if he would like a spanish-englsih bible and he said yes. so, if anyone would like to purchase those two things for him he would be so happy. as i am thinking about it, if there are any cheap, easy, beginner books to help him learn english, he would love that too.

speaking of gaudencio up there i remembered something. the kids, interns, and new team went to the beach on sunday. gaudencio must have forgotten his bathing suit because i saw him running around in his underware, which were at least 10 sizes too big. i watched as the hours went on the sand filled his underwear and he was having quite a time keeping them on. his brother, lizandro, was running around in shorts that were 5 sizes too big and were made smaller in the back with a rubber band. they later took off his shorts and he had the same underwear issues. although, it was quite comical, i think normal fitting underwear would be very nice for these boys. so, all that said, owood, please bring some underwear for a 4 year old and 6 year old boy. although they dont wear underwear frequently, when they do it will be much appreciated. :)
the girls love to draw... so coloring books, markers, crayons, pads of paper would be great for them.
i am still keeping my ears open for things the kids need.

emily and addi- i am very glad you wrote! i love hearing from you! if you see any other good movies tell me. :)

2007-07-02T13:53:00.000-04:00

well, today the some of the boys graduated from middle school (?? i think that is the equivalent here.)and all of the interns got to go to graduation. this was all decided the night before... which meant that we all had to get one kid a gift, make a card, wrap the gift, ect. i chose to get osiel a soccer ball and ball pump (he is forever asking for both and he is my halo buddy) i then searched our kitchen for anything suitable to make cards/wrap gifts and i found construction paper and trash bags. well, it is all we had so it had to work. osiel ended up getting a soccer ball in a trash bag and and air pump wrapped in construction paper. despite the ugly appearance he opened the gift at graduation and the biggest smile broke across his face. we all ate breakfast afterwards and once he was done the soccer ball was immediately out, pumped up, and kicked around. i love that these kids could be celebrated and recognized for their achievements by us today.

i will have to get back to you on what i am learning. i dont want to just half heartedly answer the question.

berry family- i am so glad to hear from you. i was smiling as i read all of your notes. addi, i cant believe you are going to be 13! i have watched you mature and grow into such a beautiful young woman over these past 3 years! i am sure you will have a wonderful birthday! i wish i could give you all hugs and kisses... but i will just have to wait until i get back! :)

patti and kim... you can send cat pee gum with the owood group. that would be wonderful. and you can always send me reeses... we cant buy them here. :) if there are any good books that either of you have i would love a book. i am reading a lot down here and i am running out of book to read. but honestly, i can not think of anything off the top of my head that i need. if this is not sufficient surprise me! or ask some of the people coming maybe .??
i only say this because i was laughing when emily made a comment about me playing video games. with in that same comment she said that next time i should get an anime movie and watch it and i laughed as i read it. i laughed because she does know what i like. :) but i dont know, really
for the kids. soccer balls and pumps are always welcome. the girls love making jewelry. so, things like string, beads, wire, etc would be great. the kids love card games, board games, puzzles, anything of that nature. i will ask for anything specific but that is what i can come up with on the top of my head.