Bittersweet

Emuti got ahold of Steff's bra at Longano. She kept asking what it was, but somehow knew perfectly well how to put it on? Such a squirt!
All the girls burrying Hussen. Hussen is the president of the youth group, and Steff invited him to come along for the day. I think he enjoyed all the attention!
All the kids in the mini-bus we rented for the day!

Well, we made it to Lake Longano safely and back- no bruises, cuts, drownings or other mishaps. The kids had a great time and it was a fun way to spend time with them all before they left for three weeks.

There was a bit of a mix up before we left. Steff told me to open up the closet where we keep donated clothes to get some shorts out for the kids, because they don't have swimming suits. Well pretty soon Daro, Abuka and Fatuma were all standing around wanting tshirts and shorts as well. I thought they didn't have anything to swim in and felt bad, so I gave them shirts and shorts. Then all the little kids wanted shirts and shorts. I was so confused and just figured they all didn't have stuff to swim in. Boy was I wrong. The teenage girls freaked out when they saw everyone with their new clothes. Basically everyone thought I was giving a free handout. I was upset at myself for being the cause of such a scene, and mad at the adults that work here for basically making me give them clothes, when they knew that they didn't need them. Steff was mad at the teenage girls for being selfish and ungrateful because just the day before she had taken them to Awassa to go clothes shopping. What a mess! For FHE the next night our lesson was on Gratitude. It was supposed to drop a silent hint to the kids about being grateful, but Fayissa didn't know he was supposed to drop a settle hint and let the ball drop, saying specifically that if they are given clothes they are to say 'thank you'. The girls were silent the rest of the night.

Monday we drove all the kids to their homes. It was sad to see them all go, they were all crying, but it's nice to know they'll be home in about two weeks now. It was so amazing to see what kind of homes they came from. We took Abate and Ayisha to their grandmother's house and it was about an hour drive over dirt roads and through cactus fields. Their grandmother lives in a little mud hut in the middle of a scorching onion field. Steff and I talked afterwards about what home's they've all come from and how they are so blessed with clean food, water and nice clothes as well as an education and an actual bed to sleep in at night at VOH. Simple things that we take for granted everyday. BUT at the same time, those things don't really matter to the kids when it comes to family. When there is love at home, the children would probably much rather be with family living in the dirt with nothing to eat, than everything in the world with no one to love.

This week Steff went to Addis to work on the logo for the youth group t-shirt design. She was going to go for only a day, but they needed more time so she ended up being gone until Saturday. I had so much fun staying with the girls and the babies! Steff and I found a recipe online how to make bread, and so Emuti and Mariama and I had so much fun making it three times this week. The little girls liked making little animals and cutting the dough with scissors to make strange creations. The twins have gotten to be real pills lately. They have hit that toddler stage and are getting into everything! The little girls get very frustrated with them when they are playing with their toys and the twins come crashing through wanting to play and rip everything that is in sight. There really are no baby toys here or a good playpen that they can stay in. The single mother that is adopting them is really in for a surprise!

So my two months anniversary of being here has come and passed this weekend. It is quite bittersweet to think of the time I have been here and the short time I have left. In some ways I want to stay here forever and never leave these kids. At the same time there is only so much I can do, and these kids really need parents, not a farenji that barely speaks their language, but loves them all the same. In other ways it will be nice to get back to the States, because there is so much to still learn, and then turn around and apply to future humanitarian services. There is also a lot of progress to be made at VOH and in some ways I want to be around to see it happen, but in other ways I know how slow things take with an NGO and I would seriously have to be around for another year or two to see all the goals of VOH come to life. I admire Steffanie for her dedication to VOH and how much those kids love her!

I have also thought about the kids and their relationships with the people that come and help at VOH. It is easy for a foreigner to say, 'sure, I'll come out to Ethiopia, have my humanitarian experience and then go home to my plush life in America'. And so often these kids have seen it. There are three or four expeditions that come out every year for about a week with Lon or DeAnna, helping with health expeditions or the like. Seven days later they pack their bags and go. There have also been a few American females like myself that came out and helped at the compound for a few months last year. We get really close with these kids and then we up and leave. How fair is that to the kids to expect them to love us as much as we love them in return for us taking off after a few months?

Yesterday Steff and I took Emuti, Mariama, Dibabe and the babies into Awassa just to have some fun. We bought some stuff for PB&J sandwiches and then went to a hotel on the lakeside. There were these monkeys there that were seriously too close for comfort. They were jumping onto our table and stealing our food. It was nerve raking having a baby in your arms and monkeys jumping in front of you, potentially willing to jump on you in order to get food. Steff kept sticking her arm out at them to shew them away, but they only thought she was feeding them so they would grab for her arm. It became quite hysterical because she would scream and jump out of her chair with Balditu in her arms! Dibabe looked on in complete embarrassment, here she was with two farenji's who had made a complete spectacle out of themselves and all she could do was sit there and wonder when it would be over?

Steff and I also took the twins back into Awassa today to go to church. We decided it would be nice for Abuka and Daro to get the day off from watching them while we went into town. They both fell asleep on the bus and we had to carry them about 6 km to Emanuel's house. Margitu also pee'd through her diaper and onto my skirt, so I had to walk the whole way with a HUGE wet spot on me. Danni, Emanuel's son, was so cute playing with the babies. I think everyone enjoyed having the twins to gawk at while we listened to an April 2006 Conference talk today. Today is also fast Sunday, so it was such a bad idea to decide to carry around two 20 pound babies with our backpacks on in 90 degree weather with no food in our stomach's. Why we do the things we do, I question it myself sometimes. But only then is it too late!

It's been quite the day to be fasting too, in some ways perfect. It's been such a great experience being here, and in some ways I take everyday that I'm here for granted. Steffanie says that it is going to be harder for me to leave than I think it will, she can see it in my face whenever I'm with the kids. And I know it's true.