... and other things

Hey Hey Hey!

The past two weeks have been full of randomness, which seems to be more of a norm here ... at least for me. Basically I have been hanging out with kids - all the time (big surprise). In the mornings I usually go down to the yard, hang out and do a million walks to the Farm with the special needs kids and the kids that are somewhat newish. These new kids came too late in the year to enter into school... so now they wait. We are currently in a school break here - actually they just ended their school year. Interesting, hey?

Before school officially ended (which was last Friday, I believe) we wanted to end our special time with these specific ninos with a bang. We had a big photo scavenger hunt with about twenty or so kids. For those of you who don't know what a photo scavenger hunt is, here's the gist: you have to take photos of specific things doing specific things around the specific area. For example- 1. someone's head under water (Maritza stuck her whole head into water gushing out of a hose 2. karate/ninja move in la cancha (All ninos in one group have to do a karate chop at once in on the soccer court) 3. Sit cross legged in front of the casa de pollo (sit at the chicken house) ... you get the idea? It was pretty fun and the kids loved ending it at the tienda for coke and churros (spanish for chips). Another activity we put on was a Birthday Party. There are actually a lot of kids here who don't know their birthday, sadly. So, in an attempt to celebrate those who don't know, we celebrated everyone's birthday in the yard. Hillary made a fabulous pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey, we had cake and brownies, we made mustaches for everyone to wear (Laura's great idea) and we had had the kids make crowns to wear the day before. We sang, took pictures and it was amazing!

Another thing that I've become involved in here is helping out at the Toddler House. I originally started to go for dinner time (which is at 3:30PM here) to help a girl wash all the dishes and such, but because some girls are away I have been helping the little boys shower and get ready for bed. It is just hilarious! I help Gabi with ten boys (three to five years old) - they just run around naked and laughing; and this last week we haven't really had water, so it was an adventure for the boys to take a shower outside with water coming from a pipe! After we get the boys dressed for bed, they actually don't go to bed until around six or seven. I don't necessarily have to stay after they are ready for bed, but I like to play with the boys. Plus, I get to hang out with some of the older girls here at the Orphanage. A lot of the older kids here have specific jobs or duties. At the Toddler House there are about ten or fifteen older girls, ranging in age from 14 to 20, that help out. They are there with the toddlers all day everyday, and they sleep in the same rooms as these kids. So it's nice to stay later and hang out so that I can give them a break of sorts and also practice my spanish! And the boys are just the cutest! I wish I could post a picture of them on here, but I am having trouble uploading photos.

And of course there is the soccer team. They are doing well and getting really into the game. There are so many talented players on the team: Walter and David are champs at foot work, Johnny is ridiculously good at shooting, Ariel is a great team player and peer coach, Jeyson has the natural instinct a goalie needs, and Rudy is a great defensive player and also the one who makes everyone laugh. Molly and Fie started this group and they so kindly let me in on it. It's been fun thus far! We are supposed to have a mini tournament with the boys, but we'll see what happens...

Now that school is over we are going to start having mass activities for the kids. We'll be doing several activities with one group of kids for the whole morning. Groups are: Small boy, medium boys, small girls, and medium girls. The big girls and big boys have a more set schedule and are working on the farm. Fei, Molly and I will actually be helping with a massive soccer tournament that will last until Christmas. We're having a meeting about it with a staff member on Sunday, so we'll see how it goes - let you know!

A few random things: 1.There are a couple of groups from the southern states coming in next Saturday. It will be interesting to see how things are run when groups are in. 2. About once or twice a month there is a container that is shipped from ... Texas maybe ... and is brought to Emmanuel full of moon pies, clothing, and other random needs, given generously by individuals and companies. One just came yesterday full of diapers (a MUCH needed essential) and cribs. It's a pretty interesting scene - moon pies literally come cascading out when the doors are opened (Ps: if you are interested in sending anything to a nino or volunteer, let me know!) 3. There is a girl here who is currently battling Dengue Fever and possibly malaria at the same time, please pray for her 4. I think I am learning more spanish!! 5. We are already decorating for Christmas, which the kids are SO excited for

Last Sunday a lot of us volunteers went on a bit of an adventure - into the Honduran jungle! It was a blast. It started with a two hour van ride to a National Park, we hiked for five hours and saw a waterfall, went to the nearest village (which was a tourist town called the Valley of Angels), had italian food, and then had a two hour van ride back to Emmanuel. On the ride back we danced to Hispanic music, saw a catholic holiday procession/parade, and saw a mini carnival. Now, I mentioned on facebook that we were going 80 mph on the way home. Driving in Honduras is nuts, but I love it. There are no speed limits - you basically just go as fast as you want and there are no street lines ... there isn't really a street, let's be honest. In Tegucigalpa, the capital, there are cement roads, but the road to Guiamaca where the Orphanage is, it's all dirt roads with major potholes. So not only are drivers going fast with no clear path, but they are dodging potholes and other drivers as well - it's a wild ride. (Ps: the only rules for a driver in Honduras is that they have an orange cone and a fire extinguisher)

Thus far, it's been quite interesting and I have already fallen in love with these kids. I've already rambled on quite a bit and you're probably bored, but if you want to know about the other volunteers, keep reading. I'll do a basic overview. Otherwise, enjoy your evening and have a hot chocolate for me! And I apologize for my terrible spelling and grammar - I blame it on lateness of the evening and on trying to be bilingual.

Ericka

Girls:

1. Laura - Ferndale, 24 yrs old, dental assitant and tour guide, loves to chat, we've been friends since middle school

2. Hillary - Ferndale, 23 years old, Human Services Degree and bus driver extraordinaire, also friends since middle school

3. Molly - Bellingham, 24 years old, AA degree and fellow traveler, loves the hispanic culture, met in New Zealand and traveled with in Europe

4. Lindsay - Calgary Alberta (that's Canada), 24 years old, Journalist and Photographer, quit her job to come here, met her in New Zealand as well

5. Kate - N. Carolina, 24 years old, Psychology/Counseling degree, got here the same day as Molly and Lindsay, planning on going to Copan with her

6. Fie - Denmark, 20 years old, second time here, going to a Bible School afterwards in Denmark, futbol fanatic and loves coca cola

7. Lea - Denmark, 20 years old, second time here, best friends with Fie, is a great singer, a strawberry blonde Dane

8. Catherine - Denmark, 24 years old, here on an internship to become a social educator, works in the Tod House all day, loves volleyball and chocolate

9. Anne - Denmark, celebrated her 21 birthday last week, works at the Tod house all day too, makes delicious bread, and some call her Taylor Swift here

10. Leigh - Alabama, 23 years old, has been here since March, will be here for a year, also loves Coke, known as Mama, and has had Dengue Fever since being here - what a champ

11. Leiah (pronounced Lea) - Texas, 20 years old, been here since July, was placed as a school teacher here, spirited and loves to drink tea

12. Karen - Moses Lake WA, unsure of age, is fluent in spanish, has four kids, the whole family will be here for three weeks starting next week, definitely has a heart for orphans

13. Jessica - Moses Lake WA, 16 years old, daughter of Karen, entering running start soon, loves rock music, wonderful card maker, vegetarian, and eats cereal at night

Boys:

1. Jackson - Mississippi, 20 years old, skipped a semester to come here, getting degree in nutrition, works in the clinic and with the pigs, has a soul patch

2. Daniel - Mississippi, 20 years old, awarded best manager for McDonalds, been to central america several times, loves the Madea movies, known as Dan Lee around here

3. Michael - Tennessee, around sixty possibly, has three children, works with the chickens here, has the most incredible life story, and the most joyful person I've ever met

The End