6-29-2011

We had a “Spanish Lesson” last night with one of the lady’s from Church.  She is trying to learn English and is practicing on us while we…or more like Michaela and Natalie are practicing Spanish on her. So it works. My mind can only take little bits at a time. That night I learned how to ask, “Are you okay?”.  I find I want to use that phrase a lot. When kids get hurt, or when a young girl looks at if she wants to cry and not knowing why (which happened yesterday). A young girl Dayana looked in her eyes as if she wanted to cry at a point before PFK was over. I don’t know why but I knew I wanted to ask if she was okay. Since I didn’t know exactly how to ask I just said, “Bien?” in a way she understood. That night I decided to start paying attention to the things I find that I want to say to the kids at different times and start asking Michaela how to say it. That is my thing lately.

Dayana really loves to play with her own hair and so yesterday as she was sitting out of a game I ask to do her hair (by pointing…since I can’t ask in Spanish, lol). She actually let me! A minute later before I was finished french braiding her hair she was needed to join in with the others and so I figured that it was the end of it…I had to stop doing her hair at that moment. But I didn’t know if she actually liked that I was doing her hair in the first place. When PFK was over she was waiting for me to walk back with her to dinner. I was surprised when she asked me to finish doing her hair. She was even talking to me a lot too, and she’s not a talker as I’ve seen so far. Wow, it’s been a huge blessing!!!! I want to try and write letters to a few of the kids in Spanish before I leave, using google translate or something of the sort. I want them to know that I care by also taking the time write out in their own language what I wish I could have said to them in person.

Yoel is another boy from the program. He is pretty funny. He will say or do something and then realize that it might not have been the nicest thing, or he will actually accidently do something and he’ll come right up to me, give me a hug and a pat on the shoulder saying, “Perdón, perdón!” He’s a sweet kid for sure.

One little boy (oops, can’t remember his name) loves it when I chase him before PFK starts and will come and find me over and over so that I will play. During PFK he wanted me to sit by him and didn’t want to let anyone else, lol…don’t I feel loved : ) Actually this same boy was trying to talk to me, and was asking if I speak Spanish and I reply saying that I don’t speak ENGLISH! I mean how messed up can I be, huh? LOL! I told him that I didn’t speak English. To funny, I guess!

When we were playing tag afterwards I at one point was standing about two feet from a square metal post..(to hold the roof up, lol). A girl begins to chase me and what do I do? I quickly turn around and run right into the post!!!!! I can now feel a bruise from my shoulder to my elbow. Well, there’s one good thing about, at least I didn’t hit head on : )