Orphanage Donation

Well I´ve got 3 more days left working at the orphanage. I really can´t believe that it´s gone by so fast. There have been highs and lows over the month for sure but right now, if I didn´t have grad school applications due very shortly after I get back, I would extend my stay here for another month. I don´t know what I´m gonna do when I have to leave those kids. I really hope that they are used to having old volunteers leave and new ones come in because I really don´t want it to be upsetting for anyone but me when I leave.

This morning I went shopping for some things for the orphanage. I spent $80 American on colouring books for everyone, a bunch of childrens books in Spanish, packs of diapers, wipes, shampoo and baby creams. The rest of the money ($290) I am giving to the orphanage this afternoon and asking that it be spent towards diapers (which believe me, make life a lot easier for the Tia´s and free up a lot of time for them to spend with the kids) and towards the purchase of a new high chair which they have been saving up for. I mentioned before that I was going to buy new clothes for the kids but after speaking with one of the Tia´s I reconsidered. The kids all have a bunch of sets of clothes already and I´ve never heard any of them complain that their clothes are old. Actually last week, everyone got a new set of pajamas anyways.

I hope that everyone who sent some money for the orphanage will be happy with that. The money is mainly going towards neccessities, and the kids don´t lack in toys to play with. Also, I fully trust the orphanage staff so no worries about the money being spent inappropriately. It´s a private orphanage run by the woman whom I´m giving the money to and she is a real fierce protector of those kids.

Well, I have about a hundred things to do to wrap up my time here, including taking about 100 photos of the town and the kids and my family which I don´t know why I put off till the last week. I have bought a photo album to give to Gina because she mentioned that she wanted to buy a photo album one day for the photos of all the volunteers who stay with her family. So I need to take some good photos of all of us so I can get a few developed for her album before I leave on Saturday morning. I am also hammering out the last details for the next week which I will be spending travelling around Guatemala. So I am really excited, busy and sad all at the same time. Ciaou.