The rest of my birthday was awesome because the girls made
it special for me. They made me dinner of homemade pizzas which were very
delicious and then really delicious peanut butter bars for desert. I got to
blow out candles and the whole deal. Apparently it is tradition in Ecuador to
tell me to take the first bite without using my hands or anything. It is then
that your face is smashed in the cake. That is exactly what they did to me
expect I held back and they didn’t get me very good. So Anna decided to smash a
piece in my face. The thing she didn’t expect was me to smash one back in her
face in retaliation. It was a very entertaining night.
After my birthday the days started moving very fast. I was
in the routine now of what to and knowing the kids. After the first week I
already started loving the children and time seemed to be in fast forward. Each
day spent with the kids are the best moments I have spent in a long time. They
bring smiles to me face with every hug, with every smile, and each push on the
swing. I work on my Spanish each day and try to learn how to better communicate
but I am still not good at all. I was taught a lesson by my little girl Lorana
on Sunday. We spent a lot of time together playing and singing and laughing. We
do not speak the same language in words but that does not stop our bond from
growing stronger. She loved when I sang to her and did the hand motion with me,
then when each one ended all I heard was ultra vas, ultra vas, which in Spanish
means again, again. She also picked me a flower and pressed it to my heart and
said to me “forever”. I knew that this was going to most likely be my last time
spent with her and she just helped reassure me that she will forever be in my
heart. Then she gave me the biggest hug with a simple kiss, jumped off my lap
and held out her hand for me to take and go on a walk. What can be a more
precious moment than that?
On Tuesday I was able to go with the OSSO house to the swimming pool for water therapy. Even though I was in the Esperanza house I spent my time with my man Roman from Milagros. I held onto him and he sat in with the jets and then I helped him stand up in the water and float around. When I would try to move my arms he would get scared and grip my arms tighter around him. It made me feel as though I was needed and to be honest I know that I was because if I let him go he would drown. But with my arms around him he felt secure and safe. If I have not mentioned Roman yet he is a 22 year old man with a form of Autism. He cannot do much on his own but he is getting better at eating some meals by himself. This man goes on walks with me and listens as I tell him stories and about me.
We try to have lots of fun when we are working with the kids. One day I was in Milagros by myself and I was a bit worried because talking to the workers is hard by myself. But I realize that while helping the workers I am also there to care for the people there. In the morning after breakfast the tia’s were getting them bathed and I was dressing and brushing hair. We had the radio on and some really great Spanish songs started playing. They were the perfect songs to dance to so Laura and I started dancing around the room. It was so funny because she started getting upset because she couldn’t dance well enough in her wheelchair so I helped her get out and we were moving around all over the place. The others in the house were laughing and trying to move as much as they could too. Jorge is really trying to walk on his feet but for now he gets around on his knees. He came up to me and held out his one hand so I took it and we danced the next song together. Roman was laughing so hard I couldn’t leave him to just sit and watch this fun, so next I grabbed his wheelchair and we moved around the floor. Every time a tia came out of the bathroom they would just look at us and laugh. One by one they had to go in and take a bath and they weren’t happy they had to leave the party.
My main goal when being with anyone was to make sure they were having fun in some way, or make sure they are able to tell how much I care for them. That is something a lot of them strive for, is searching for a type of love that we all get from our parents and families, but they don't have that. I am there to step in and make sure that they know they are loved by someone somewhere in the world. I know a lot of volunteers that have gone through the OSSO program that still remember the kids they worked with and the love they felt for them. I only wish we could secure them with a loving home for the rest of their lives, but that is something I never know if it will happen or not. All I can do now from the States is send donations to help and pray for them every single day and that I will do.
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