The DeYoung Diaries

Oct 26, 2009

Hola all,

Hope this email finds you well. I just came on and realized that this week is Halloween and I totally forgot about it. Its funny how these things just escape you when you are so far away from it.

As I said in my last email, we are doing a unit on transportation. Weve been doing all kinds of games, songs, lessons, etc. with transportation and the kids love it. I am putting pics on my facebook right now of our peanut butter cookie cars and our bus ride outside the orphanage. I let all the kids take turns sitting in the drivers seat, honking the horn, turning the steering wheel, pushing the gas and brakes (there were no keys in the bus of course) then we went on a ride and sang wheels on the bus in Spanish. The orphanage choffer gave us a lesson on how vehicles work. Its great how the kids can get so excited about such simple things. On Wednesday I borrowed my roommate Joses hat and dressed up as a bus driver and we set up a fake bus in our classroom with seat numbers, tickets, etc. and did a math lesson with kids getting off and on. Today we played transportation charades, and tomorrow were going to marble paint blue oceans and cut and paste in a boat (drawing by my husband). Im trying to work out motorcycle rides for this Friday, but if I cant I think we will just get our pictures taken on them (not as fun, but enough to excite the kiddos).

As I talked about before, behavior and mostly aggression/violence is a MAJOR issue with a handful of our kids, and so Wednesday when I was dressed up as bus driver and in full song, I noticed police officers watching through my classroom window. I wasnt sure why they were there at the time, but they came and talked to the´conduct kids´ in the school about their behavior and taught them about jail and real-life consequences. I dont know how much it will affect them long-term, but it was enough to scare most of our tough teenage boys into tears for the day. The thing is that they have so much hurt inside, and just comes out in anger and aggression and violence, when there is so much going on so much deeper that I wish I could just reach in and fix.

Thursday it was my turn to get sick. Even though I didnt want to miss school I knew I had to, so started writing plans and searching for someone to help in my room around 6a.m... .our volunteer coordinator said she would take care of it, but she is not anywhere near reliable with anything ever, so my helper Maria ended up all alone for the whole day. I felt bad to leave her on her own, but it sounds like she did an amazing job and Im really proud of her, and hope she really gets to get her teaching degree and a job someday. By Thursday night, I was feeling better... and Dave is now too.

Saturday I spent most the day in San Pedro shopping with Nicole (volunteer librarian from Switzerland) and Katarina (volunteer therapist from Germany) trying to get things to set up her new therapy room (and eating LOTS of pizza). Met all kinds of nice people willing to help... came home to work on reports (getting a head start this time) and found the kids abusing a kitten in the park and took it home. The kids had pulled its limbs out of socket and thrown it on the ground, and it couldnt walk, eat, or do anything. We thought we could nurse her back to health and have it be our volunteer house pet, but she died yesterday. Jeanvie (volunteer from Haiti) built it a casket but we havent worked out the funeral details yet. Cats and dogs arent domesticated here like in the states and its so hard to see the way they are treated.

Sunday was Family Day, where living parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, neighbors, etc. could come visit the kids in the orphanage. I painted faces and played games with the kids in the park for hours among the festivities. It appeared that less than half of the kids actually had visitors, and a fair amount of the ones that did were not happy to be with whoever was there (possibly the person who abused or neglected them?) It was really hardbreaking, and I kept a few of the really sad ones close by my side through the day and held them and bought them lollypops. That evening we had a 2 and a half hour church service, and one of the kids handed me his sisters baby who I ended up holding the whole service and who was the most beautiful baby I think Id ever seen. I told the great grandmother who was with him that he was beautiful and I wanted to take him home... JOKING... and she left to discuss it with another relative and explained that his mother was not good and couldnt care for him. I tried to explain again that I was just kidding, but it really seemed like she tried to sneak out of the church while he was still asleep in my arms. I had to follow her out to give him back. I wonder if he will end up back at the orphanage someday too. Sometimes I wish SOOO much that the kids here were up for adoption. Maybe I will end up finding one though outside the orphanage grounds before I come home. Well see... :)

I will finish my novel now for this week, but Im putting pics on facebook as we speak if you are able to check them out. Looking forward to a visit from my dad and brother in 2 weeks, and my sister-in-law in 4 weeks, hoping we will get to do some traveling around the country. Love and miss everyone back home - Happy Halloween!!! Take care and God bless!!!!

Love,
Kristin