Dear Reader,
Today I was so ready. Ready for what you might ask? I was ready to leave. Today Kit and I left the orphanage 8 minutes earlier because I thought I was going to lose my mind and the only way to fix it seemed to be a stop a McDonalds for not only a McFlurry, but also an apple pie. Yeah, it was that bad. I'll start from the beginning.
Today started off as a pretty normal day. I woke up, showered, got dressed and then went to the kitchen to have breakfast, which was french toast (yum!). Kit and I then headed for the shelter at 8:15 and that's when things started going down hill. First of all when we arrived almost all of the babies were either crying, screaming, or both. And let me just say 20 vs. 2 is not exactly fair. We took sides of the room strategically going from baby to baby to hold them and calm them down. Within 45 minutes we were able to turn a hurricane into a calm storm, but that was enough craziness to tell me that today was not going to be fun. In hindsight today was just as stressful as any day and being an unaccustomed 18 year old who is definitely not ready to have a kid was probably a huge factor in making the day as bad as I thought it was. Also, today I had to change the dirtiest diaper I have ever seen in my life. I swear this kid had a nuclear reaction happen in his pants and it took two of us (Seely and I) to change him.
Jose is a 3 year old who should probably no longer be in diapers, but considering most of the kids in the orphanage are behind due to reduced resources, it's not surprising that he still wears them. However, even though Jose still wears diapers, he lets all of us know that he is no longer a child, thus he resists and refuses to have anyone change his diaper. In fact, Seely told me the last time she changed him, he kicked her in the face hence why I was there: to be the man-power and hold him down. The only thing worse then having to change Jose's dirty diaper was the fact that he'd eaten pineapple just before...and had gotten it all over his clothes. So not only did he smell like rancid poop and diarrhea (remember all the kids have that mysterious disease that gives them diarrhea and stomach cramps), but he also smelled like pineapples, one of my favorite fruits or it used to be anyway. For me, pineapple will never be the same.
Jose immediately knew what was happening. All we did was put him on the bed and he started kicking and screaming. I instantly pushed his arms and chest down to reduce the flailing while Seely went for the diaper. Jose already smelled pretty bad with his clothes on, but with his clothes off, the smell had no layers to fight through in order to get to our noses. It was disgusting and my gag reflex kicked in immediately. I usually have a pretty strong stomach, but I almost vomited on this kid right then and there and it didn't help that he was kicking his legs and flinging poop everywhere. It was overall a horrible experience, one that I know I won't be forgetting anytime soon. Seely and I did eventually get Jose cleaned up and into a brand new diaper and while Seely went to the bathroom to wash the poop off her hands, I proceeded to put Jose into new clothes, something he also didn't like. Jose just didn't like when people touched him in general.
I know this was a humorous story where I was able to exercise my ability of brilliant comedic timing and my flawless complaining skills, but it did actually have a point. Jose's not the only 3 year old at the shelter still wearing diapers, that hasn't started reading or learning and is essentially living the life of a child under one years old. Many of the kids in the orphanage are in his same position, but they shouldn't be and that's not necessarily the fault of the shelter, but their limited resources. At 3 years old I was already potty-trained and I'd started reading on my own, but these kids haven't come anywhere close to that. The shelter is already understaffed meaning they barely have all the resources and the teachers to the teach the girls let alone their children. Also there are no resources at the shelter to support potty training the kids either. In fact, the baby room in the shelter is not even baby proofed. Seely and I often find child dangers such as way-ward pencils and pens in the possession of the kids. What's amazing to me is that even with all of these problems the shelter just keeps running. I know I've said this many times, but every once in a while I just look around the shelter and I wonder how it's able to keep going. They survive on minimal donations and the shear will of the girls and the people that work there. It continues to astound me everyday. The set-backs also serve to push me harder as a volunteer and a worker. I wanna be the very best I can be for these kids, so I may complain, I may scream in frustration (and come very close to crying), but at the end of the day it's for a good cause. It's for something that I believe in. I may not be able to give these kids all the opportunities I've had, but I try like hell to do so.
Once Kit and I left the orphanage (again 8 minutes early), we started our walk home and ended up at good old McDonald's just a few blocks from our host family. Early on Kit and I made a deal that we'd go to McDonald's whenever we missed home or one of us had a really bad day. McDonald's might just be another fast food place, but for us in a foreign country it's a tie to home and in some weird way it's really comforting. We went inside, waited a little bit (the Mcflurry machine needed to warm up...or at least I think that's what they said. We all know my spanish isn't that great so...), used the wifi and talked about home. We both then ordered respective Mcflurries and McDonald's apple pies. I know it's fattening (tell that to my widening hips and thighs), but it was sooooo good and just what I needed.
I went to Spanish class that day renewed and recharged. Today we had a special Spanish class. Jaime, Kit, Seely, Seely's Spanish teacher, Salvador (Kit's teacher), Cœn (an A Broader View intern) and I went to the Market to buy donations and supplies for the orphanage. It turned out that the baby from the orphanage in the hospital was able to get a heart test for free from one of the cardiovascular surgeon's that heard his story and how he got to be there. It was really sweet and I was happy to hear that, but it also meant that Kit and I could donate our money in other ways, hence today's visit to the Market. The shelter needed a hoard of things, but here's the general list of what we bought: diapers, toilet paper, panties, bras, lotion, rash cream, baby wipes and socks. We also got great deals on our items on account of Seely's Spanish teacher being 'the queen of the market.' She goes there every week and knows all the best deals, plus she's really great at bargaining. Though I almost died several times, because the market is in the middle of a really busy street with cars continuously passing through, I had a really great time. I didn't talk much, Seely's teacher did most of that, pretty much defeating the purpose of Spanish class, but it was a cool opportunity to experience culture. Many people in Guatemala go to these markets to either buy for their families or provide for their families. In earlier posts I've talked about agriculture, well this was the finishing touch. Farmers plant and grow the crops and then they take them to the markets where people buy them. It's been interesting to see the whole process in the time I've been in Guatemala.
After Spanish class/shopping session, we carried all the stuff, which was super heavy, all the way to the A Broader View office to pick up the following day. Kit and I then walked back to the cafe to finish up what was left of our Spanish lessons and then proceeded home. Today was a great day, in spite of my earlier frustrations and set backs. I did something meaningful today, something that I can be proud of and that means everything to me.
Sincerely,
Journey White
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