28-9-2010

First day I came back, I went to take them home from school. Lemar´t sat on my lap.

The kids had so much fun at the first day of therapy after I came back.

Lemar´t wore the jacket he got hold on to so tightly.

Lemar´t pretended to eat a vegetable.

I´m finally home! After an almost 3 weeks of vacation, I found myself ready to take on the work again that I left off. But most importantly, I couldn´t wait to see the kids. Yesterday I arrived quite late at around 6:30pm after they started dinner. Brígida was just about to leave, and so we greeted and talked about my trip in brief. In the middle of our little conversation, I heard a voice screaming enthusiastically, "Tío Ryan!" It was Gregorio, so I went to give him a hug and told him that I missed him. So I told Brígida that I should drop my bag off and have dinner with the guys. When I went in the dinner room, the kid I was looked pleasantly surprised there, and they all greeted me with smiles, hand shaking and looking. Oh, Francesco screamed out my name when I went in. It was really sweet! I sat with Luis, Sara and Elvis who are some of my favorite kids, and I showed them the pictures from my camera as they asked me how my trip went. I also gave them some Arequipeño snack called ´alfajores´ that I bought from Arequipa which I bought specially for them. After dinner, I shared them with others who weren´t at my table. Afterwards, I went to kínder´s room although they were all asleep. I was so happy to see them, and I couldn´t help but smile and go to give each one of them a kiss.

This morning, I first thing I did was to see those boys and girls of kínder. I went straight to their dining room where they were having breakfast, and they all looked shockingly happy, and I couldn´t help but look at Lemar´t´s big shocking grin! As I went in, they all rushed to the door and tried to give me a hug. Of course, I couldn´t hold all of them all at once, but I did try to hug as many as I could. Jhosmelyr was really funny by keeping saying, "Tío Ryan, papa de Lemar´t!" The tías and I laughed. I told them how much I love and miss them, and I brought some Arequipeño chocolate toffees just for them. They were all very excited. Some ate them right away, while some others kept them for snack in school. Joanka was one of those who kept it, and she asked me like 5 times where I brought it from. I think she was trying to show it off to her classmates that her uncle bought some sweets for her in Arequipa. I didn´t ask, but if she did, I would be really glad that she has a chance to do something like this. She and Jhosmelyr picked some chamomile flowers for me from the lawn. It was really sweet! Lemar´t wouldn´t let go of me, and so I was with him the whole time, while other kids were around me. As I took them to the van and got them on the bus, Lemar´t pulled his frowning face as he wanted me to go to school with him. Of course I went with them, but the trouble was that all of them wanted to sit with me! So eventually I had Lemar´t on my left leg, Jhonatan on my right leg while Marcos and José Luis sat on the right and Jhosmelyr on the left with my arms around them. They even wanted me to stay in the school with them! I told them that I couldn´t but I would come and pick them up from school. Lemar´t wouldn´t let go of me still, and so I settled him down in the classroom before I left. I went to pick them up at noon, and similar scenario happened and they all wanted to sit with me! Lemar´t wouldn´t let me go after we got home, and he wouldn´t let other tías to help me anything but me! So I helped him change, wash up and get ready for lunch. He directed me to sit next to him, and wouldn´t let me leave. I explained to him that I would eat with the bigger kids, but I will stay with him after the prayer. Finally we said goodbye as he started eating.

After lunch, I had therapy with them. They had been asking me who would have therapy today. I decided that I wouldn´t follow the schedule and have play sessions with all of them. We sang, danced, pretended to be different things like animals and alphabets, played games and I gave them treats. I found myself not very strict with them, and I kinda let them play and be silly and crazy. Well, it´s the first day since I came back, and I don´t really feel like disciplining too much. I realize I really love all of them a lot.