Today we arrived at the orphanage to an awesome surprise – they were taking all of the kids to the pool! So far we have had excellent timing showing up at the orphanage. On Monday, we showed up just in time to go to the circus, and today the pool. This week has been one of their vacation weeks, which is why we have been doing so many awesome things this week. Again, great timing to show to volunteer at the orphanage. To get to the pool, we packed 100 kids and about ten adults onto an old school bus, and drove about 20 minutes on crazy Guatemalan streets. Now when I pictured a pool in Guatemala, I was a little concerned about how sanity this place might be. But the facilities were actually pretty nice. They had a kiddie pool, and a couple of pools for the bigger kids. Basically, as soon as we got off the bus, the older boys started stripping down into their swimsuits, and were in before we had time to even sit down all the smaller children. They were having a blast. Even the smaller children eventually got to join, splashing around in their undies, getting out, shaking profusely from the cold, drying off, and doing it all over again. There was also a playground near the pool, and we spent hours pushing kids on the swings (one even fell asleep while swinging. So cute). We ate lunch at the pool, and packed all the kids back on the bus ready to leave. At this point we learned a new word from the Spanish volunteers, while waiting for the bus driver to arrive: la hora salvadoreña. This means the time that the bus driver was supposed to arrive he did not, and when he showed up half an hour late after the kids were left sweating on the bus like sardines, no pasa nada. We left the orphanage around 4:30, and came back again at 6 to celebrate the quinceañera of one the girls and the other July birthdays. The girl, Monica, was dressed up in a long gown, and she had six damas escort her, six of the younger girls dressed in puffy white dresses. They were so cute. She gave a speech, as well as one of her mentors, and then it was fiesta time. There was music, lots of food, cake, piñatas, way too much candy for young children to consume. They were even serving the children coffee with their dinners. I was dancing with a three year old boy, Daniel, who had a cup full of candy, had eaten a full meal, was downing a piece of cake, and chugging coffee. It was a little scary. I was waiting for him to lose it and throw up, but he held his own. After the party we stayed to help put the kids to bed, which was something Brooks and Laura had done on their last trip that really opened their eyes to the reality of the orphanage. It’s kind of like the kids are at summer camp without mom and dad, but all the time. And for some, it’s a summer camp for babies and small, small children. These children have barely anything to call their own, sharing all of their clothes and toys with the other kids in the orphanage. When we saw their little beds it was very sad. The beds not really their own, because last week or yesterday the bed could have been someone else’s and the pajamas, after being washed of course, could have been someone else’s too. It’s a very unstable life, and although the orphanage is incredible generous and individualized with the children, there is only so much you can do with 100 kids. Tucking the kids into bed was a bit heartbreaking. I wanted to take them all home with me, give them a special bed and sheets and pajamas to call their own, or even just cuddle with them and tell them that they are loved. They are so small and sweet, too precious to be left in a bed in a large room where nobody could hear them cry at night. I don’t want to downplay all the good the orphanage does, though. It really is a special place. They know each and every one of the children so well, and even though most of the workers have children of their own in the orphanage, they give so much love and attention to all children. And by celebrating birthdays and by having quinceañeras, they are telling each child that they are special and deserve this kind of love and attention. It’s a unique and beautiful place.
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