Shift #2

I'm back in Cape Town after shift #2. It went really nicely. I left with a much better feeling about how the kids are being treated and our role there. We were also dealing with a different shift of women, for the most part, so I'll really be able to judge when that other shift of women come back on. My main quams with them have to do with the way they grab the children and the disciplining that sometimes goes on behind closed doors... as I mentioned, these are things I'm not used to in the states and although they may be part of the culture here, they aren't things that I'm comfortable with. It hasn't happened again and I'm hoping it doesn't again. Although I don't want to come in and act as if I know better than the women I'm working next to, I am confident that the ways in which I've been trained to deal with children are the most effective and beneficial to their well-being and growth.

I will comment, though, on a statement I remember many people making when I came out here. "It's going to be so hard" was something I heard a lot. I thought last evening about what most people meant when they said "hard"...I imagine it was because of the medical condition of most of the children. I feel the need to reassure you all that, although some of these kids have HIV or other diseases or have been abandoned or orphaned, they are just like normal kids. They act like complete and total imbeciles most of the time and run around like psychos and make me want to scream sometimes. When I'm with them, I don't think in my head, "Look at ___________. He has HIV. I feel bad for him." I'm actually thinking "Look at ___________. If he asks to watch "Finding Nemo" once more, my head may spin!!!" I don't treat these kids any differently than I have the other kids I've worked with. At the end of the day, they're still just KIDS. I think I may have forgotten about that when I kept thinking about how "hard" it would be. I have had to put kids in "time out". I have made some kids cry because I took away their lego or not let them eat the toothpaste. I am not MR. THERESA. I may hug them a little harder or try a little more to let them know, when they're not making me crazed, that I care about them. That someone cares about them.

They are cute, though. They run to me the minute I walk in the door and scream for me to put on Barney. They sit on top of me the minute I sit on the floor. They laugh when I dance and scream when I chase them with the T-Rex hand puppet. They probably don't understand a word I say but I know my enthusiasm gets through to them. They repeat English words after me. They make me hug them, kiss them and give them 5 before they can get in bed. They laugh hysterically when I tickle them. They are great. Maybe people meant leaving them would be "hard"? That will. There are already a few I want to adopt (Mom - we'll talk about that later). ;-) Maybe the only way I can make it through these days is by forgetting about how "hard" it is and just having fun with them. That's all I keep reminding myself to do...HAVE FUN!

I will be having some fun tomorrow! At 9:30am, I'm being picked up by a guide from White Shark Projects to be taken to Gansbaii for my Great White Cage Dive! I am so freaking excited! I hope I come back in one piece...

The only thing about blogging is that you read and close it and then I don't have any idea what's going on in your life. Some say their day to day is trivial but I'd love to hear from more of you. I hope you are well. :-)