Daily Happenings

I can't believe that I've already been here for about one month. In some ways it feels so much longer- in the sense that I feel so comfortable here and so excited about all the oportunities that I have taken part in. At the same time, it's going by so fast!! Here's a brief glimpse into some of the daily activities that keep me busy.

Most mornings I spend a few hours downstairs in the baby house. It's usually about that time that they have already eaten and are in the process of being bathed and changed. I help to entertain those who are waiting for their bath and sometimes dress those who are already clean. We play lots of peek-a-boo, stacking up blocks and knocking them down, breaking up fights, dancing, consoling others, making music, etc. etc. By the time all are bathed and dressed, it's already 10:00 or 10:30. Time for snack and then, if it's nice out, we take them all on a walk around the neighborhood in their little wagons. We're quite the sight!

(Both boys are asleep here :-)

When we get back, it's time for lunch. Three of the "babies" are about 1.5 years old, and they eat on their own, using their own spoons. The rest are spoon fed- so it takes a village to feed them all:-) After they are fed, they all go down for about a 3 hour nap.

During that time I am able to work on the scrapbook projects, maybe take my own nap!, have lunch, plan for the other activities we help out with etc.

After lunch/nap time, I go down to the toddler house and play with them for awhile. A large tent was recently donated to the orphanage, so we've spent some fun times in there with the kids, playing bubbles, reading, dancing, streching etc.

At around 5pm, I teach English class to two of the girls from the orphanage, who will both potentially be adopted by an American family in the near future. Pray for those details to be worked out. It's super fun to work with them, in a much smaller setting away from the rest of the kids, and see how they interact with one another. They could be sisters soon and they don't even know it! We sing a lot! Old MacDonald, ABC's, Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes, and many other songs we make up! (I'm taking over these classes while Jen is in the states...)

I also teach English to a woman who used to be a social worker at the orphanage. We meet at a local mall three times a week in the morning. (Thanks L+P for the ESL books!!)

Monday evenings, again Isabel and I have taken over one of Jen's weekly activities, and we lead a "cooking class" with the toddlers. It's super fun and simple stuff, but they look forward to it. One little boy in particular always asks me when he sees me "Is it cooking class tonight??". Here's a sample of what we've done so far.

We also recently started a sports/game time with the kids every Tuesday afternoon to give them another structured activity during the week. Many times they just have free play, so we wanted to do something that brings some more structure, and hopefully "team" play.

I also joined a choir! It's lead by a girl from Seattle who volunteers at the orphanage and teaches music locally. It is open to the community, so it's half Ecuadorians and half "Gringos". All instruction is bilingual. Choir meets one night a week. We're practicing songs in Spanish, English, and Latin. Hope to have a few concerts before I come home!

I also continue to attend a women's Bible study, held at the house of the same woman who directs the choir. We're doing a Beth Moore study on Daniel.

On the weekends I have some more free time, so Isabel and I have enjoyed traveling a bit and getting to know the country a bit better (as well as the transportation systems). This past weekend we went to Cayambe, a town about 1.5 hours north of us. The bus ride only cost $1.25!!!There we walked around the town, got lunch (for $3.50) at a cafe, tried the famous bizcochos (kinda like biscotti- except not as hard), and went to the oldest hacienda in Ecuador- Hacienda Guachala where we went horseback riding and enjoyed the beautiful countryside.

I will end this blog post with a picture of the orphanage pet... get ready for it. He makes me smile every time I see him.

Doesn't he just make your day!? :-)