Candy Dreams and Curly Hair

This blog is dedicated to all of the amazing things the kids do that crack me up.

Due to the fact that we had our work weekend this past weekend, things have been crazy. Sophie, Naomi, and I have been working 12-hour days. We do get breaks, which help, but it can be tiring. Though we are not in the fast-paced corporate world, I think it is the constant work and the new lifestyle that are straining.

Fortunately, there are quite a few things that pick me up. Here are a few of my favorites from the past week:

1. One of our kids was trying to tell us ¨sweet dreams¨ before he went to bed the other night. The problem is that the word for ¨sweet¨ and ¨candy¨ are the same here—¨dulce.¨ So, what he ended up telling us was, ¨Candy dreams!¨ It was definitely a great moment.

2. The same pequeño, when telling me what he was for Halloween this past year, told me he was Spongy Bob...not Sponge Bob...Square Pants.

3. A few of the girls are finally getting comfortable with me. How can I tell? The jokes. One came up to me saying she had chili in her eye, which, of course, made me worried. When she saw that, she and all her friends started laughing and then gave me a big hug. Bad news? Losing time off my life due to worry. Good news? I am starting to be accepted here.

4. Aparently when you change your hair here, it is a big deal. I have been wearing my hair straight or in a ponytail most of the time. On Sunday, however, we had to be up at 7 a.m. for chores and ready for mass. I opted for a few more minutes of sleep rather than dry my hair, so it, of course, was curly. The comments were unexpected. Fortunately, they were good. One kid even came up and put his hand on my hair in disbelief.


On the flip side, there are things here that upset me and make me realize how fortunate we all are and how thankful I am that I came here.

1. When I was hanging out with the kinder kids (ages 3 to 5) a few weeks ago, one little boy had a manilla envelope on his bed. He brought it over to me and told me these were his cards. Inside the envelope were birthday and Christmas cards he had received from his ¨padrinos,¨ people who are his sponsors. It made me tear up. This little boy did not let this envelope out of his sight; these were the people who wrote to him and told them they loved him. Though he has his caregivers and siblings at NPH, these people were his alone. It broke my heart.

2. While working on the newsletter this past week, I was searching through photos of our kids. Some of the photos I happened on were of the kids with their families when they were first brought to NPH. The sorrow, anger, and fear on their faces, as well as those of the grandparents, uncles/aunts, or parents who couldn´t take care of them, was awful. I know they are in a better place now, but it is so hard to see that. It is very sobering as well.

I think one of the most amazing things to me is that I never see these kids as ¨orphans.¨ They have become my family. They are the ones who give me hugs, who tell me that I look tired when I am, and who ask me to look over their homework at night. They, for the most part, are normal teenagers. However, it is things such as the photos or the little boy with his cards that remind me that these kids do come from tough backgrounds, but they are still kids who just want to be loved and have a place to call home.

Probably one of the most surprising things to me is that in a matter of weeks, I have become a protective mom/friend over these kids. If they go to a volleyball match or Girl Scouts outside the house, I am very concerned with how they are perceived and how they will do. I want them to be perceived as normal. I remember my dad, who was an orphan himself, telling me the worst part of living in the orphanage was that other kids knew he was an orphan. I don´t want my kids to have to feel that way.

If any of you would ever consider being a ¨padrino¨or godparent (sponsoring a child), I think it is only $300 a year. I know that might seem like a lot, but it means a lot to each child.

Miss you all!

Girl Scouts, Running, and Coco

When I first started this blog, I thought writing once a week would be sufficient. Wrong-o. So much happens in a week, but I'll do my best to recap.

This Wednesday, we went to see the girls get pinned at guías, which is their form of Girl Scouts. I have to say that I wasn't super pumped to go (I went to guías last Saturday, and it was like pulling teeth to get some of the girls there), but it was an amazing site. The girls were on their best behavior, and you could see the pride in their faces when they received their pins. There were a lot of guides from all over the world in attendance due to an international conference; they were the women who pinned the girls. After the ceremony, our girls were running around asking for photos with their leader and the other guides. It was in this moment that I realized that in many ways we serve the roll of the proud parent. We are the ones there to cheer them on, take pictures with their friends, give them hugs, and congratulate them. It was extremely humbling and exhilarating; this is why I am here.

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Today I went to Miacatlan to visit the little kids and get a bit of work done for the library. I went on a run with a few of the volunteers, Julia and Joey, and we happened to run by a guy on a horse, a rooster running in a yard, and a woman making totillas by hand. Just another day in paradise!

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Finally, we have a new addition to our apartment. OK, that is somewhat misleading. One of the directors has a new puppy, and since he was going out of town this weekend, we offered to watch her. She did not have a name yet, so we decided to name her Coco! Hope it sticks :)

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I am loving Mexico and so glad I am here. We have our break this weekend after working 12 days in a row, so I am going to catch up on sleep and relax. I feel so blessed to be here and am so humbled to be part of the kids' lives.

Libraries and Earthquakes

This post deals with two completely unrelated topics, but both have affected me in the past 24 hours.

Two days ago, I was handed the keys to the “library.” Right now, the library consists of a few bookshelves in an open area, and the bookshelves have sliding doors on them that do not want to open. My job (apart from my communications work here) is to now start a “new” library and literacy program. Oh boy…

So, here are my thoughts, and let me know if you all have any to add!:

1. I am going to ask for a room to put the library in, one where I can shut and lock the door. Because some of the books are out in the open, they get dirty and are not well taken care of.

2. I am going to start a book club. The kids LOVE new books, such as the Twilight series and other “cool” teen books. NPH received money recently to buy books, so the director said I could give him a list of what I want.

I decided that the kids who go to the book club (1 day/week) will have first dibs at the books. Then, the others can use them. AKA: I am trying to motivate the “chavos” (kids) to join a group where they can read and critically think about the text.

3. Finally, Book It, anyone!? (Do you remember the ‘90s version of book-reading motivation?) I am going to try a program where kids can read books, write a report about them, and after a certain amount of books read, they will receive a special treat. Too bad we don’t have Pizza Hut here…

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On to the earthquake part of this post. At app. 10:59 p.m. last night, I felt my first earthquake. My bed started shaking, and I called to my roommate to see if she thought it was an earthquake. It stopped after about 15 to 20 seconds. This morning, I looked online, and sure enough, there was an earthquake in Puebla, a town that is about a three-hour bus ride from here. It measured 4.8 on the Richter Scale.

That’s all to report from now. Please, please send ideas to me about the library! Also, if you have any book ideas for the kids, let me know! One thing I’m trying to think about: how to decorate. I wanted it to be calm and sort of Barnes and Noble-ish, if you know what I mean.

PS: Some people said it was hard to comment here, so please send me an e-mail with ideas!