We officially celebrated Spring Day yesterday and unlike back at home, it was sunny with a high of 75. That's right all you Oregonians and Seattlites, blue skies is exactly what I enjoyed. Apparently, I was told that today is "Casual Day" meaning everyone wears their Springbok jerseys for the Rugby and the nice ladies at the checkout sell you a sticker for 10 rand (about $1.50). Around here, people really get into the national holidays.
This week I was able to visit another haven called Adler Haven. It's run by a South African couple with 6 babies between 12 months and 20 months. Things were mighty different than what I was used to at Baby Haven. There is a strong sense that the kids raise themselves. And, the house better be clean if I see you playing with the kids. Oh and the number one rule: the men are always served first in front of the t.v. with a platter (no joke and for some reason ). Once when Kati (the German volunteer like me) and I poured some juice for dinner after asking permission, we were told to pour some out of our glasses because her husband had not been served yet. That night, the husband told us that we were "loving and hugging" the babies too much. Haha. If their only complaint is that we are loving the babies too much, then so be it. We are those crazy international volunteers that are teaching these babies to love and be loved if only for a week.
Besides the clash with the adults, the babies were absolutely precious. It's official, a 2 year old HIV positive baby has my heart. There was also a special needs baby there and sheesh, I think he has a part of my heart too. He is paralyzed on his left side and developmentally delayed because his mother used drugs during her pregnancy.
While I was at Adler, I also visited what is known as a Place of Safety, where I got to meet 7 more babies including my first white baby, She is adopted and joining her new forever family on Friday. Outside of this building, you can literally find a box (similar to a mailbox) where mother's will leave their babies. As soon as the baby is set inside, it sets off a sensor alerting the staff that a baby has been brought. You may think this is crazy, but after the countless stories of babies being abandoned in buckets, thrown in trash bins, or buried alive, you wouldn't think this is such a bad idea. To be quite honest, there are going to be abandoned babies so we might as well offer a resource for mothers to leave their babies in better hands.
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| Me at the Place of Safety with one of the girls. She had such a beautiful smile and personality. I hope she finds a home soon! |
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| The "baby basket" that I mentioned. |
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| I took an empty bubble container inside and one of the staff told me "we don't have anything to make bubbles". I asked her if she had dish soap and she said "oh yea" to which I replied, "this is all I need". Homemade bubbles can be a wondrous source of entertainment for kids who hardly know how to play. |
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| The young boy with many disabilities. Here I am teaching him how to stand tall. Such a champ! |
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| Pajama party! |
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| I was wearing as much food as he was by the time we finished. |
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| Having a blast on the one and only swing that had never been used. As you can see, they all loved it. |
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| This is what Kati and I woke up to every morning, a little face peering back at us. |
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| Gotcha! This little man wins the most determined to walk award. We have a hilarious video that I will post once I get better internet. |
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| This is Katharina, the German volunteer who I've worked with. She just turned 22 while she was here. She says she can tell I'm German too (lol). |
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| Meet the Princess of the clan. This little diva has quite a voice on her. But you can't help but love this face: ) |
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