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!