I have found two of my favorite things here: the sweet morning time with my babies and doing laundry. I don't know if I touched on laundry in my last post, I'm too lazy to check, but I'll recap if I did. So you get powdered soap and two buckets, pour the soap in one and wash with a bar of soap as well, rinse, and hang up to dry. For me it takes about 40 minutes and it's been one of my favorite things to do here. It's so therapeutic for me. I listen to the neighborhood sounds, smell the clean soap smell, feel the cool breeze in the middle of the hot day, and reflect on being here.
Being here grows on you fast. Saying hello and smiling to everyone and having them do it to you first reminds me so much of the south, but so much friendlier! I love my kids so much. Being with them means the world to me. So much so that when I leave this weekend for Cape Coast I will be so sad to not spend this afternoon and tomorrow and Sunday with them. The way of life here is so laid back. Time means nothing because it's the quality of the time spent that matters. Being with family and friends takes precedent over everything else.
My other favorite thing is the morning with my babies. I am not a morning person. Repeat: I am not a morning person. And it took me a week to finally get up at 5 and pull the morning shift. But the past two days I have and it's been wonderful! After I finally wake up and come to my senses we are at the orphanage and all the little naked kids are running around showering. We bathe the younger kids, but getting their clothes together is chaotic and sometimes they don't like taking a bath(aka this morning Michael had an episode and refused to get in the tub and we had three people holding and washing him. Come to think of it, I think Princess was the same this morning). But it's the moments where they are sleepy or quiet and come rest their head on your lap and shoulder, want to be loved and have their backs rubbed, and have their tears dried that tug at my heart.
I also love talking to the older girls. There are 5 or 6 of them that I've gotten pretty close to the past few days. They have dreams and goals and desires and I wish I could help give them every opportunity to see them reach those goals. The kids are starting to recognize me and remember my name, and it's the best feeling in the world to have a little voice call your name or smile because they know you.
I'm learning and growing here so much too. I don't want to go back home. Home is scary because it means I have to live where time means money and money means wealth and wealth means success. I don't want to. I want to live here where being friendly, good, and giving your all to the Lord and your family are all that matters. I'm learning that my voice needs to be heard. I have a mind that thinks just as well as the person next to me, a heart that feels deeper than I can even recognize, and every opportunity to do what I want with my life. And I want to help. I want to help these kids realize that their dreams can be reality. I'm becoming me and it's the start of a truly incredible journey in my life. It feels good!
Sweetness
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