A Day in the Life - April

Have a taste of what my weekday looks like! Keep in mind that this is a surface summary - there is so much more depth to what we do.

7:00-7:30ish AM -- Wake up because my body says so. A couple mornings (like today) I felt I must have slept in some, but when I finally convinced myself to open my eyes to check the time, there it was, right on 7:30.

8:30ish -- Go down to Nana and Poppo's house for some "porch time" - this includes good conversation, lots of "Buenos dias" as people come in and go out the gate, sometimes a cup'o'joe, and some lovin' for Bob the dog

9:30ish -- Walk down to the Children's Home (I live in team housing on the other side of property) for my morning responsibilities. Two classes meet in the mornings for the kids who do not go to the public school - I make sure classrooms are unlocked, prepare vitamins and snacks for the kids, and set out water and supplies for the teachers. Then I hang out and visit with the kids until their teachers arrive.

10:00ish -- Teachers come and kids go up - we make sure they do not have their radios, hats, etc.

Between 10ish and noon while the kids are in class, my time is flexible. I may be helping with something Melissa is doing, taking some time to do a little Spanish studying, visiting with Maicol, or other things. A couple days last week I spent the time with Nana Rhonda, teaching her some of the basics of Facebook. One day, I climbed up to the top level of our play structure and wrote in my journal. (That was so nice!)

12:00 on the dot -- kids get out of class and I go up to give them stickers for their sticker charts if they have had a good day. (Each kid gets 3 sticky notes next to their name in class. If they lose one, they do not get a sticker. If they lose 2, they lose other privileges like being able to play at the basketball court. If they lose three, they have to leave class and are either given work to do or have to be in their rooms.) Once they fill a sticker chart, they are able to redeem that full chart for a prize or privilege of some kind. Good motivation to behave well and respect teachers. After being bombarded by children declaring, "Tres papel! Yo tengo tres papel!" (I have three papers!), I clean up and lock classrooms.

12:15-12:30ish -- Kids in the public school down the street get home and change out of their uniforms. (They do half-days here.) I greet them with hugs and high fives as they come in.

12:45ish -- When lunch is ready (we have a kitchen staff to prepare our meals - more than 50
people eat each meal!) we ring a bell so that everyone knows food is ready to be served. The kids know then to go wash their hands and sit at their tables. We have "family style dining" which means there is at least one adult at each table with a group of kids, and each one has a job in serving everyone else at the table - getting dishes and silverware, making sure everyone has a drink, serving the food, clearing the table, etc. This is probably one of my favorite parts of the day because it is when I really get focused time with a group of a few kids and not the usual running around and interruptions. Right now I have all boys: Berlisson (6), Lones and SonSon (cousins who are both 11), Caleb (14), Roman (15), and sometimes Line. We have been working on using words to ask for what we want, rather than snapping or pointing. "Pasame el agua, por favor." "Una cuchara, por favor." "Quiero mas de ese, por favor." :) It is so rewarding to see them actually practicing the behavior! :D Caleb, Lones, and SonSon especially will ask in English. Oftentimes, at the end of a meal, a couple of us will be left at the table (I am usually the last one eating) and we share words with each other. We ask each other how to say things and quiz each other on what we should already know. I have even surprised them a couple of times by saying words in Creole or responding to something said in Creole. :) It is a good time.

1:30ish -- One of my main responsibilities in the day is that I am in charge of the washing of "Los Platos Grandes." Each of the kids washes the regular dishes and cups once a week - a part of being in the family. But after lunch and dinner, there are also all the serving dishes and utensils from each table that need to be washed. It used to be that the house moms or kitchen staff ended up washing all of these, but they already have so much to do that a new plan was formed. The kids have an opportunity to make a little money by volunteering to wash the "big plates" and so they have to come talk to me beforehand and be put on my list. After each meal I make sure that they get started, check on whoever is supposed to do the other dishes, remind whoever has cleaning tables and sweeping the patio area (there are assigned chores for every day), and then help supervise as all of this happens.

2:15 on the dot -- The bell rings again. This means it is time for everyone to come to the patio with clean hands and feet, plus shoes and their backpacks and whatever else they need for their afternoon class. They are to stay on the patio reading books, coloring, or doing puzzles until their teachers arrive. At this point, I go upstairs again and open up classrooms and get water, etc., for the rooms. When I am finished I return to where the kids are and do puzzles (sometimes we race) and read (or get read to!) until teachers come.

2:30ish -- "Profe (Nombre) esta aqui!" The four afternoon teachers come anytime between 2:25 and 2:45. At that point, I am making sure the dishes are getting finished and those kids are getting up to their classes, too, plus herding any last minute stragglers.

Again, while the kids are in classes (and several are at the public school in the afternoon), my time is somewhat flexible. Sometimes there are immediate things for me to help with or the littlest kids to hang out with a bit. Usually, though, between 3 and 3:30, I head up to my room for some downtime/ communication time until 5.

5:00 on the dot -- The kids are out and I am warding off the masses who want their sticker charts. :) "Pacencia! Por favor!" Again, I complete those, collect drink glasses and whatnot from classrooms, and lock up the rooms for the next day.

5:30ish -- "La merienda!" (Snack!) is the call that comes soon after classes get out. Everyone gets a snack, but it also means it is time for the Day Program kids to get their stuff together and hop in the truck for a ride home. If I do not go with the kids to get dropped off, this is when I am really playing with the kids the most. They show me their flips and walking on their hands, we go on the swings, I watch them play marbles, and all sorts of goodness. :)

7:30ish -- La cena, or dinner, is served sometime between 7:15 and 8. Since lunch is the big meal of the day, it is normal for dinner to consist of something like boiled green bananas (no, not plantains) and slices of salami in a savory sauce, or simply bread with butter, cheese and ham. This meal time is much like lunch, except that there are fewer people and there is nothing to rush into afterwards, so it is a little more "tranquilo" and relaxed. The same routine follows - making sure dishes are getting done, tables are washed, etc. Nana Rhonda is usually helping with this, too. ... Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 of us to get things moving! Kids are kids no matter where you go!

9:00ish -- After dinner, they will often put in a movie and eventually most everyone ends up watching it until bedtimes. All the girls go upstairs around nine and the younger boys get ready for bed then as well. The older boys are allowed to stay out until 10 and so they will often switch the movie to something more thrilling - superheroes or action flicks. Jackie Chan is a favorite. I usually leave between 9 and 10, saying, "Buenas noches! Hasta mañana!" to whoever I pass on the way out.

Eventually, I shut the computer, close my book, turn off the light, hug my pillows, and fall asleep. And then it is time to do it again. :)


So many details of each day make them unique and special, but it is impossible to record them all. This morning I was thinking about how time has been flying. One of my boys asked me today what day I am leaving. "Muuucho tiempo," I tell them when they ask this question, but then I realize that I have been here for 4 weeks already and that a year is going to go by like nothing. I get to five o'clock and wonder where the day has gone, "which is why," I wrote in my journal, "it is so important to make the most of the time." I don't want to miss out on giving a single "Te amo" or smile, hug, or word about Jesus that I have opportunity to give.

Thank you for your love and prayers and support!
You are a blessing!