So here I am living in the Philippines. Life is crazy, as usual.
We watched all the kids up at the children's home for a night while all the caregivers got a night off to relax and be women; so for us it was utter chaos. Kids climbed on the roof (at least twice) I climbed up after them one time to give them a stern talking to..The kids found a toad and tortured it around the playground for an hour so that was interesting. During shower time, one girl decided she wanted to splash me so that became a trend-but it was fun, it was fun for them to get to laugh and play and be kids.
We got to take my two friends from the children's home out for one of the girl's birthday celebration..that was awesome. These two kids don't really get out much because they are a handful to say the least, so it was good to celebrate and make them feel special for an afternoon. Jollibee (the McDonalds of the Philippines) is the most favorite birthday place of any kid I've met, so we went there and had a jolly time. (Picture to come once someone puts one on facebook so I can swoop theirs..)
We got to take all the girls of the JAZ house (the house where a lot of the Josie's Angels live) to this huge mall and take them Christmas shopping. Asian malls at Christmas time are an absolutely terrible idea, but again, good for the girls to have some normalcy and holiday fun.
I feel like the theme of the last week is been treating the kids to things they don't always get to do. Christmas parties galore within the community, because, well tis the season..
For Thanksgiving, we threw a carnival for the street kids which was awesome and extremely humbling. I was sitting in a circle with all the kids eating spaghetti and fried chicken and the way they scarfed down their food was a site to watch, so naturally I started crying and almost had meltdown in the middle of the carnival.
Some of the women that were friends with from the street kids night left to go 'work' a ways away, then some were held against their will and they ran away and came back. One of the women left because she wanted to get money for her baby so she could give him a proper baby dedication. So when she came back we threw a dedication for her and her son. Two of the four that left have since left again to go back and 'work,' money's better there I think than here..
We had a white elephant Christmas party for all our gang because the gangs all here right now, so that was interesting. Stipulations were it had to be less than a dollar or something from your pack, so people got creative. I gave a roll of toilet paper, and got a Canadian dollar (our Canadians are a running joke on our squad.)
Digging is finished, we dug for a month at least (there was that much dirt..) trying to get the ground level for a birthing center they're building. Hoping to have the floor poured before we leave Saturday.
Painted where we live, looks nice I think..
The guys have been going to the Community Garden (an orphanage type place for guys) everyday to hang out with some awesome dudes and have made some really good relationships there, thats been cool. Being here for six weeks has really made an impact on the relationships that were formed, when I walk around where we stay, I feel like I know the neighbors and the people around here. They know my name, they wave and smile, the comforting and welcoming feeling I get here is nice.
For me, this has been a month of children. Hanging out at the playground, having Bible studies for the girls in the community, jumping on the trampoline, reading children's books, eating popsicles and ice cream, piggy back rides and spinning kids around, running around just being a kid again. It has been good to be a kid this month. I rarely know the time or date, food is put on the table for me, no real worries..Kids here are different though than the kids I know back home. They have a toughness about them that is unheard of back home-probably because we baby kids. Most of the kids I know have to be tough because they have to to survive. I have heard of kids being raped, by their stepdad, their dad, their brother, uncle, neighbor, whoever. Kids who were sold as an infant by their own mother, were tied upside down in the closet, kids who's scars tell their stories, kids who lived on the street, kids who 'work' (sell themselves any and everyway-in case you didn't pick up on that..) kids who survived. Yet they are still kids who like to play with toads or climb roofs or swim or yell as loud as they can or hit each other or get their fingernails painted or make a necklace or shop or swing as high as they can or get in petty gossip fights like little girls do or slide down the slide or catch spiders in match boxes or hang out with the coolkids down the street or climb on you like a monkey.
This month has been crazy, for me personally, for my people here, and for the community. It's always hard to try to explain everything or really anything in these blogs because I never really know what to say. Blog to come about what I'm kinda struggling and working through, but for now, just the details on what we have been doing here..
Took some awkward family photos through the holidays..
halloween costume with the old crew..(living on a budget here..) back in Africa
thanksgiving (I am aware I look ridiculous-no need to acknowledge that..)
christmas party
