First Days at the Orphanage

We are back at the hotel for some rest tonight! The first night at the orphanage, we only got about 4 hours of sleep. All night, we heard banging. We thought someone was trying to break in! It turns out that there are bats in the storage room next to us, so they were banging against the door all night! Last night was much better rest. The bats were still active, but we knew what they were so it wasn't as scary. The first day at the orphanage was good, but somewhat difficult. We didn't really know how to relate to the kids because most of them do not speak english. Also, the women that work there wanted to serve us like guests, which is not what we were expecting, but it is a cultural thing and it is what they wanted to do. Yesterday was good with the kids. They came home from school and we just played outside with them. It was really good! They are so precious. I want to bring them all home with me!! Maybe one day I can adopt some of them :). Today was really good! We got up and went to the water pump with the kids and got to help them pump water to bring back to the orphanage. Soon I am going to attempt to carry it on my head! We will see how that works out! After getting water and eating potatoes for breakfast, yes potatoes for breakfast, we watched the kids make necklaces. They are gorgeous and this is how the children help support the orphanage. We made some beads as well. They laughed at us quite a bit... I was not so good at the whole bead making thing! But it was good. After that, Tiffany, Ms. Agnes, and I caught a taxi. By taxi I mean 14 seater van that about 23 people cram into! It's a great experience. Today the whole way into town a little girl from one of the villages was sitting on my lap. I am in love with these African children!!! Once we got into town, we got on a boda boda (not sure how to spell it). Basically, it's a motorcycle with a seat on the back and they serve as taxis. It was so much fun! I got on and these are the questions that were asked to me. First, "are you married?". Second, "do you have a boyfriend?". Then he said "I need some mzungu friends!". Mzungu means "white person". It was a fun experience though! The days here keep getting better and better. We are getting into somewhat of a routine. The first day at the orphanage was pretty hard. We felt a little lost and weren't sure what to do, but the kids are beginning to feel comfortable around us as well as the women that work with Ms. Agnes. It's going to be a great summer! Thanks so much for all your prayers and encouragement!