As we approached, we encountered a cow that gave us a good once-over. Apparently he belongs to the property owner at the base of the hill. Notice that he's not overly fat--none of the cows here are. Therefore all beef is much leaner when you purchase it in the butcher's shop.
Then we happened upon Casa and Corey who was digging a ditch for a cement pole that he would soon be creating. There are an abundance of physically demanding projects to be had here. They're putting up cement fencing, buildings for the kids to live in, storage facilities, and the eventual smoothing out of roads and pavement. Selah's just entering the property.
When we get beyond the big house, we then can see our little classrooms. This tiny building which used to be the storage shed houses the three-year-olds (my room) and the four-year-olds (Selah's room where I placed her so she'd be close by). The doors are mounted on the other side of the building but on this side, it appears to still be used as a bit of a storage place.
Inside are our two little rooms. When we entered, the two groups had been merged into the four-year-old room to sing some songs and dance. Selah and I laughed and sang along (as well as we could since it was all in Spanish). Don't they look nice in their little school uniforms?
Well, our dancing frenzy didn't last long because we set out for a little walking field-trip down the hill and to the edge of town. This is us passing by the neighborhood cow which was far less than thrilled to see an entire mob of little ones come by. The kids kept pointing and shouting, 'vaca!' till Nelly (in the white hat) informed them that it was a 'toro'. 'Ahhh, toro.....'
Down the hill we meandered with all kids doing fairly well holding onto the rope. At the bottom we crossed the bridge over the water, went up the hill toward town a ways, and stopped and turned around. By this time it was warm outside and Selah had already put in her mile walk getting there. She began to complain and said that she was not having fun. I reminded her that these kids never get to leave the orphanage so they welcome a view of the town. Selah then reminded me that she lives in town and does not care to walk this far just to get a view of it. I had to smile.
Next we walked back down to the water, crossed the bridge again and decided to play in the cancha (covered play area). The kids ran around, kicked balls about, and began to scale the soccer goals and the metal supports! I pealed Diego off of one when he had already managed to climb nearly five feet up--my heart was racing as I made the rescue--he simply was mad that he'd been rescued. Since we were so busy, I got no pictures of us under the cancha. However, I did capture their faces as we walked. Here are my little compatriots.
Edison fiddling with the strap on his hat:
Denis talking to me about something important:
Antony giving me his best sideways smile.
Carla passing by a building as we head into town:
Ester showing off a freshly picked flower.
Diego just prior to his big rescue from me. Diego was born with his tear ducts blocked and twisted. After two surgeries, they remain twisted and constantly producing puss and tears. Poor guy.
Our way back to the orphanage was not as smooth as our journey out. The kids were not interested in returning, with the exception of Selah of course, so they didn't want to leave the cancha, hold onto the rope, or head back up the hill. It took all four of us to corral the fourteen kids--it required much reminding about the snack that awaited us and the water that we could gulp down when we returned.
When we got back from our little journey, I quickly took a picture of Nelly's three-year-old room
where I volunteer. This is the view from the back wall...
...and this is the view from the front wall.
Finally, I caught a picture of Moises when we were in the big house for a bathroom break.
All are beautiful and special and have a story.
Thanks for joining us on our trip! Blessings, kim
what a beautiful group of kiddos!!
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