Catholic Nuns and Nudists

"Through humor, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive it." -Bill Cosby

The infamous rooster woke me up bright and early again today. For some reason I feel that Ecuadorian roosters are far more persistant and much louder than the few I’ve come in contact with in the United States. However; my knowledge of farm animals is pretty minimal. Other than spending my extra hour in the morning figuring out how to get rid of “el diablo”, I have now turned to more worthwhile activities. Making legitimate breakfasts, doing laundry, writing in my journal, and maybe even taking a morning run have made the list so far. Until that rooster meets his match, I will be incredibly productive. :)

Today was the longest day I have had here so far. Not because it was unbearable by any means. I mean it was the longest day as in a time’s sense. I had two shifts as usual, as well as a site visit to an all girls orphanage immediately after my afternoon shift. My morning shift was in CASAS, which houses the children ages 3-9 in the Catholic orphanage. I felt pretty confident going into it, but yet again because I know Spanish and some of the trainers have been sick, I was left alone on my first shift on new territory. I had heard horror stories up until now about the kids having a tendency to mock the volunteers. I recognized right away that this was because most of the volunteers can’t understand what the kids are saying and therefore, can’t tease back. Within the first hour I not only mastered this skill, but also scolded someone in Spanish, and can I just say…IT WAS INVIGORATING! Haha I had always seen and heard people speaking angrily in Spanish on telenovelas at home when I would flip through channels and usually thought to myself how much more intense these heated arguments sound in another language. So today, I had the opportunity to “live the dream” ;). In CASAS there are seven kids. Thank goodness the two 8 and 9-year old boys go to school in the morning. The ten minutes they were there before school started was a nightmare! They are very much so the ring leaders of an incredibly energetic circus! After they went to school, I was left with 5. To set the scene of my own personal telenovela, please imagine me trying to get everyone ready for their baths in a small room after they were given their “papilla” (snack) that was jam-packed with sugar. Then imagine an overcast sky with temperatures well below warm. At this point I have a naked little Ecuadorian boy who sees a bird, leaps over the fence, and chases it all throughout the garden and playground in the center of the CATHOLIC orphanage. Did I mention that the nuns had just arrived in a prestinely sophisticated single-file line as Dilon streaked by? No big deal. I’m pretty sure I lost all validity as a useful “tia” at that point. Let’s be honest, I was holding back a huge smile and laughter like you wouldn’t believe when I saw everything unfold. Be impressed by the fact that I managed to keep a straight face and a stern tone when I said something my mom always told me when I was a little girl…”TE HAS PERDIDO TU MENTE?” (yes, Dilon had lost his mind). All in all, the whole fiasco ended with the little nudist running hom, empty-handed, and almost in tears because it was so cold!! OH what a morning! haha.

The rest of the shift at CASAS was pretty hectic, but we managed to get everything done that we needed to. Afterwards, all of the volunteers left their individual sights and went back to the OSSO house for lunch. Lunch is the only meal that Catalina, the cook, makes for us and it always makes me smile. No matter what she serves, rice is ALWAYS included. Yesterday we were given “papas fritas” (french fries) with a side of rice. It couldn’t get anymore random, but I love it! Following lunch, I was able to take a much needed 30 minute nap before we left again for the afternoon shift. My 2nd shift was in Milagros for the second time with the special needs children. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this orphanage. In such a short period of time I have become so close with all of them, even if only 2 of them are able to truly respond and communicate with me. We spent most of the time outside in the sun and I was able to take both Martin and Laurita into the PT room and do their therapies. We do therapies with each individual special needs child based on the capabilities of their limbs. Martin and Laurita both get out of their wheel chairs and use their arm strength to pull themselves up a wooden slide and pull themselves from one side of the room to other while clinging to ballet bars. They did so well today and I couldn’t believe how excited they got when they hit their hands on the wall at the top of the slide. I kept saying “Muestrame tu sonrisa!” and they would show me their biggest smiles.  It was such a great day, but even the best days take a toll on you here. Near the end of my second shift I was completely drained and I still had to feed the kids dinner, brush their teeth, and put them in their pajamas. I was trying to find even the smallest victories in the last few tasks of the day so that I could keep myself going. During dinner there is one boy that I have to help more than the others. He struggles with basic motor skills so our biggest battle is just to keep him using his spoon and doing his best to get it even remotely close to his mouth. We put his small plate in a large bowl and hold it in order to contain most of the mess, but almost every time, he manages to flip the bowl and get it all over himself and the volunteer. After he finished the majority of his food this time, I was so proud of Jorge because although he was messy as usual, he hadn’t let his bowl topple to the ground and my white shirt was in prestine condition! I was so happy that I was cheering him on and telling him how fantastic he did as I spoon-fed the last few bites to him. He was so excited that he surprised me with a huge hug and smeared his messy face all across my shirt. I stood their completely shocked and everyone waited for my reaction in silence. I burst out laughing! Just when I thought I needed to be cut a break, I was given the exact opposite and it actually turned out to be a blessing! All of these kids constantly remind me of what really matters and the patience that I have learned here has already changed me for the better! I love it here :)

On our way out of Milagros tonight I had a chance to say goodnight to all of the kids and cuddle with Laurita as Martin told me about his girlfriend who he described to me as having blue skin? My goal is to have a movie night and show him Avatar before we leave! Haha they say the funniest things sometimes. From Milagros, we got on a bus and went directly to the other side of the city to HML which is an all-girls orphanage. We visit this orphanage every Monday and Thursday night and just do an activity with the girls for an hour or so. This was my frist time there and I spent the hour with Rosa and Rosita. These little girls were so full of life and so happy to see us. They don’t have an opportunity to interact with girls near their age or volunteers in general other than our bi-weekly visits. They are in a much poorer area and lack the kind of attention that we are able to give so easily to the other orphanages that our closer to us. I am so grateful for the ability I have to communicate with these girls in Spanish. Some days I truly don’t even know where I learned to speak the way I have been speaking here. At times I even say things I don’t ever remember learning in school, but I am able to be closer to the kids because of it. I would label today as the best day yet and I’m so looking forward to visiting more of the orphanages in the next few weeks and becoming more comfortable in the ones I have already had the opportunity to spend time in. For now, Buenas Noches :)