School's Out!

Official last day of school! Today was the fiesta at the Jungle School, and the kids (and me) had tons of fun. There was some work finishing up exams in the morning, and then David brought up all the equipment from the Hogar to watch a movie. That movie captivated all of the kids immediately, which was perfect for us to serve the food. We had bought the food for the fiesta the day before as a donation, and then passed plates out. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough plates or silverware so with no other option we had to reuse them without washing as kids finished, and pass them back out with new food. But that is how a lot of things are over here. We do the best we can with what we have, though it is rarely ideal. Later, there were some nice sized pieces of cake for all of the kids. I spent Sunday night helping Eddy bake three enormous cakes for the party. It took about 3 hours but it was so much fun and they turned out deliciously. We even got to make a mini cake for us- chocolate banana. Mmmmm. A mini talent show followed the movie, and some time for dancing. It was a little bit crazy in the one room with about 90 kids, plus more parents and siblings. Kids were dancing and running into each other, falling down and tripping others. It especially didn't help that some of the boys would not stop fighting, and every time we broke them up they claimed they were "playing". But no one got hurt. I think it is so funny the difference between kids here and in the states. Its incredible. Here, there is so little supervision of what kids do or where they are. You see them playing in the street, hanging off of fences, and doing all manner of things that would stop a mothers heart. At the fiesta today there was a little baby a few months old that her older sister (about 7?) was carrying around, and none to carefully. Also, my heart just about stopped when the piñatas came out. There was hardly any room for the kids to swing the bat (excuse me, piece of wood), and when Santos had it, he took a back swing that must have come within three inches of Carolinas face. She didn't even flinch. I kind of gave a mini yelp. Then, when the candy started coming out, it was literally, in every manner of the word, a dog pile. Kids jumped on it, ignoring the bat swinging above, and then fought each other for it. I looked down and it looked more like fish in a net when they are pulled up. It was kind of funny, and I thought how different it is in the states where the parents carefully monitor all safety rules. Haha, it works out somehow. 

Mom- a special not for you. Remember how I signed us up for sponsoring a kid? Well, we are sponsoring Daniel. He is so smart and sweet. Anyways, when you are a sponsor, you are considered the kids "Madrina" or "Padrino" which is Godmother of Godfather. I told him that you were his "Madrina" today and you should have seen the enormous smile that lit his face. He gave a small whoop and then did a back flip right there. I laughed so much. You should be getting a letter from him pretty soon :) A chance to practice your Spanish? Haha, miss you. 

Sponsoring a kid is such a big deal here at the Hogar. The kids really love talking to and keeping in touch with their Madrina's and Padrino's. When we pull up pictures they spend so long looking at them. A sponsorship is their way of knowing that they have someone special that cares about them. They are important to the Hogar and School as well, because sponsorships are almost the only way that money gets to go to the general programs that HHK runs. They pay for food, for salaries, and for the things that keep the kids healthy and happy. Many times groups or individuals raise money for construction or other specific projects because it is nice to see a finished project that they contribute to, which is awesome, but it is more difficult to raise funds for general upkeep. That is where sponsors come in, but at the moment we are severely lacking in the number needed to pay for the monthly upkeep at the Hogar. We are working to expand our sponsor base as best we can, so hopefully some new publicity will bring us a little bit of help.