We started off the morning playing soccer with some of the boys. The longer we played the more kids joined in. It was an amazing exerience! They are so talented and I just looked like a chicken with my head cut off. My team one, but with no help from me (minus my really positive encouragement that is).
After this we had the boys dancing with us the music they had playing and that was fun too. They weren't as in to the dancing as the "gringas" but some enjoyed with us anyway.
After lunch we loaded up and made our way to the Water Park/ Zoo. And wow was it cool. I mean it's nothing like the American style is far less low key, but when we arrived there was almost no one there and in seconds 130 people were in the park enjoying what it had to offer.
Playing with the kids in the water was so much fun. As I mentioned before its so funny how quickly you can build relationships with people. The kids you felt a small attachment to in the children's village grew so much more at the park. It's amazing how they trust you.
I was so amazing to see how the older kids step up to take care of the younger kids as well. The village has house moms who care for the kids but there are to many kids for a lot of extreme one on one interaction. But the older boys and girls took time to grab the littles and help them swim in the deeper water or take them on the slide without even being asked. It really is so touching seeing how they look after one another and love one another like a huge family.
While playing in the water I enjoyed so many different things. I played volleyball for so long until one of the girls, Myra asked me to join her on the water slide. So I did that then I jumped back in on ball. But, after awhile I felt pulled to go play with the littles in the shallow end for a bit. I then had the chance to take one of the littles down a water slide.
I also came back and played with one of the little boys who has touched my heart. He looks about four or five and had spent music time with me each day's today in the pool we played and I tried to help him figure out how to swim but he was a bit afraid of the water. And when he started playing monster when some other "gringo" Carlito would run grab my hand and used me as protection.
After that I got to know a little girl, named Yohana, who was about eight and take her down the slides too.
After about three hours of swimming I decided to get out to dry off before ingot in the car but then one of he older boys named Denis asked me to pay what started of as volleyball and turned into monkey in the middle. I told him while playing that I was terrible at this game and he replied. " you're not terrible. You are having fun I can tell because you are smiling and that is all that matters is that you are having fun, so you are not terrible." That was such a powerful rememberable statement that just sits with me. That someone who has so much less than me can have such a positive outlook on life and encourage me in such an extreme way. I hope to grow up someday to be like Denis, a sixteenish (age is a guesstimate) Honduran.
Heartfelt moment:
One of my tender moments of the day was a boy named Louise. Louise was crying his morning so I went out to see what was wrong. He had been pushed down so insist next to him and he just snuggled up until He felt better and then he stood up and helped me up and stayed close. Then at the pool he hit his lip and I heared him crying again so I come again went and loved on him and when he was better took him down the slide. I hope the attention ment has much to him as it does to me to get to give it, because I don't believe he would have been given that attention if I wouldn't have been there. The one kids would have made sure he was alright yes, but I feel like it is so important for kids to know an "adult" is looking out for them and cares.
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