One of the coolest things about working here is the fact that the leadership here understands that relationships are far more important than the physical work we do. Helen, the lady who runs Cicrin, doesn’t want us working all day and encourages us to take breaks; over near the church where some of us have been working, we always finish our days off with soccer or baseball. It’s pretty awesome, and it also gives me the freedom to go chase little girls instead of pouring concrete, which is definitely way more fun (but what do you do when you catch them? I still haven’t figured it out, except to let them go and do it all over again).
So, all in all a wonderful first week! The kids are adorable and fun, the adults are patient and kind, the strangers are friendly, the orphange has a sweet vibe, and you just can’t beat the view. And hey, if you really really really really looooooooove rice and beans, this place is for you!
Well, this place, Cicrin Orphanage, is pretty stinkin’ incredible. It is so beautiful. The orphanage isn’t at all what I imagined it to be. It’s on a big piece of property with a large vegetable garden, a pen for about 10-15 sheep (and room for them to graze), two dorm-style buildings where the kids sleep, another large building with rooms for the workers and guests (like us), and a big dining room/kitchen. But the best place is none of those…it’s the “rancho” – a spacious tile-floored, open-air structure covered by palm fronds that has six hammocks spread out on its beams, AND it overlooks the water (did I mention Cicrin is directly on Lake Nicaragua?!?). Talk about an amazing place to rest! Gently swinging in a hammock, eyes closed, listening to the water lap the shoreline…wow.
The kids here also seem pretty dang awesome. There are about twenty of them, both girls and boys, young and older. If you didn’t know it, you could never tell by their faces or demeanor that they were orphans. There is such a joy here; honestly, this place just has a vibe to it that screams peace and redemption, and we felt that the moment we stepped foot on its grounds. Later, we came to find out that this property used to be a type of training/housing for child soldiers during the Nicaraguan civil war/revolution (but no, I don’t know which side used it). And to think, now it is being used to love orphans and teach them about their Father in heaven…and THAT, my friends, is redemption!
As far as our work here, we have an assortment of jobs, as a previous blog of mine described. Our two teams have just sort of mashed together, so our work is not so segregated. Our lovely Jordan has been taking care of the little four-year old Julieta and her 18-month old sister Duña. They are adorable, and Julieta is one of the most outgoing little kids ever. She has no fear whatsoever of new people, and she stole my heart after approximately three seconds of seeing her. Her little sis Duña is also beautiful, but took a bit of time before she warmed up to me (the whole hair thing is going to be a recurring problem, methinks). However, I will not be taking Jordan’s job from her, because taking care of an 18-month old all day is an absolutely terrifying prospect. I am content doing unskilled manual labor like mixing concrete or pulling weeds…though I will say that after pulling weeds for over ten hours in two days, I seriously feared that I would go insane.
