Kumbaya

Without mention of the lice, this has been a great week at work. On Tuesday night I stayed overnight at the Hogar for my third time. I really enjoy sleeping over once in a while because it allows me to experience the night time activities and to observe/participate bed time rituals. On Tuesday night we had the most hard core, barefoot match of futbol (soccer) that I´ve played yet. Getting all the Tia´s (the other volunteers) out on the field and Julio, the head Tio really gets the kids into it with a full field of eager players. After some fancy footwork, good laughs, bumps and bruises and a good workout we were all ready for supper. Once inside the kitchen filling my cup up with room temperature water, Julio and I shared a good laugh as we glanced down at my black feet that Julio described as looking like ¨the feet of a Honduran man¨. After gobbling down baleadas and left over pastellitos from lunch I brought the CD player out to the hall to put on some of my newly bought, burnt reggaeton CDS that I had purchased on a road side for one dollar a piece. Quickly enough a flock of kids had congregated, dancing to the beat that they all seem to be born with I had 6 year olds to 16 years olds dancing with me to their favourite songs in a way that was forbidden even once we hit junior high school. As bed time drew nearer, the music was taken away and replaced by books and volunteers were reading one on one for children with assigned reading times or in groups on their beds and in the hallways. After reading a couple of stories, settling a couple of arguments, and chasing Wilmer down to retrieve my keys and sandles I grabbed my camera and headed over to the girls room. Passing Joel scarffing down cookies outside Julio and Stacey´s room I made it in perfect timing to just catch the girls reciting their bed time prayers. Shortly afterwards down the hall and to the left there was Gerson now leading the boys in their prayers as well in perhaps one of the cutest moments I had ever experienced. There perched on the end of their beds were little scrunch eyed and hunched over boys repeting their prayers while six year old Angelo kneeled alone in the middle of the floor trying not to fall over as he held his prayer positioned hands in front of his chest and spoke his bed time prayers. Choosing to stay behind as Julio left the room I snapped a couple of photos of the picture happy boys pretending to sleep before I turned off the lights ready to sing them to sleep. Having sung the more upbeat, yet tranquil version of Kumbaya to the girls during a previous sleepover I thought that the boys might like to be sung to aswell. Without question I began to sing this soft and comforting lullabye to my sweet attentive boys. After taking the special time to sit by each one of them as I sang and gave hugs and kisses to outreached arms I was being stopped on my way out the door and being asked for more songs and hugs. Touched by the peaceful and gentle attentiveness of eyes that followed me around the room I appreciated the appreciation that I could feel circling around the room. Wishing sweet dreams to sleepy eyed boys I too retreated to bed, cuddling up for a good nights sleep letting my softly playing celtic music bring me home and sing me to sleep.