Thursday--3.29.12 Part Deux

This post was originally published on March 29, 2012.

I spent today at the orphanage just hanging out with the kids. Helped feed Mickey both breakfast and lunch. At breakfast the nannies told me to feed him larger spoonfuls of porridge. I guess my way took too long. Oh well.

After breakfast James and Wilson had to finish their game of Slap Jack (took forever because they don’t quite get all the rules). While they finished up I brought some other kids up to color. The best purchase I brought with me was the A-Z coloring roll! They loved the coloring, and they loved learning new words. It was great because they colored silently, and I got to color some too! Yea!
I wanted Keloke to be able to draw this morning, but he kept getting in trouble. I learned late in the day to say “Pa fe desordre” (Don’t get in trouble), so it didn’t do me much good early in the day. I took a couple of breaks from coloring to sit up on the roof, read, and enjoy the breeze. It is incredibly beautiful up there. Lots of shade and a cooling breeze. I also took some time to get video of the second property that we may purchase.

I took a long break after lunch when the kids nap. It gave me chance to talk with Mimose and Rita some. My kreyol is getting better! I can actually carry on simple conversations. Once the kids were up from naps, it was a blast.

I took some books down to the driveway area and had the kids read so that I could get pictures. It was great! I read to some of the little ones, blew bubbles with some of the older ones, let Ketia “do my hair” which consisted mostly of her pulling it super tight and trying to tie it in knots—Caucasian hair fascinates them! My kreyol is good enough that I can talk with the kids and my French is good enough that I can converse with Roberto. Keloke was in trouble, so he spent much of that time on his knees. However, around 5:00 he was back on his feet, so we sat upstairs together so that he could draw.

I can’t believe that it is my last night. I never do all that I want to, and the end comes so quickly. As I type, I am listening to the kids sing downstairs before going to bed. I would love to sit with them, but I know if I go down they’ll just get all wound up again. So, I’ll just stay upstairs and enjoy my time with them in the morning.