Day 8 - wrote 3 pages

"Do you have cough drops?" - Janelle
"Cough drops? No." - the checkout people at the gas station
"This, in my mouth, you don't have this?" *gestures to one of her last cough drops*
"No, we don't."
*looks around and finds a ton of Halls* "This! This is what I've been asking you for!"
"Oh! No no -- that is 'halls' not 'cough drops'!"


So today we filled up the rental van and headed out to THE park to do a few more things in the garden (dug beds) and shacks (painting the screws with tar)... We played with the kids in the Creche (daycare) + gave each one a slice of banana + took more pictures.

Cute little booger was conked out!

Few 'lil manly men

Learning vowels! :)

 Kristy, Kristie & I were talking with Jacki about what would happen with Violet's kid (who we met on the home visits) because of legal & cultural issues.
Legal issues = he (Thimbi) isn't actually an orphan, esp. if there is a real dad in the picture, but in this case nobody really knows for sure...
Cultural issues: the medics/sisters/care takers/OVC administrators, "father", and a foster family are all trying to take custody of the kid. Basically it is all a crazy mess so far, and it is only day 2 of us trying to help his and his mom  :/

This was Thimbi the first day we met him, in a snowsuit that is wayyy too small for him :(

This was after the care taker bathed him and found him some new clothes(!!) when Violet was telling him she was going to the hospital and didn't know when they'd see each other again...

Phokeng was good times -- the neighbor kid nicknamed "Peter Pan" is my new buddy =) Isaac & Gift can DANCE, man! kinda jealous...

So we played some street soccer again today: "Yanks" vs "Bafana Bafana" - they won by 1 point... which is pretty impressive for our guys haha. Then we shot and printed pictures for the kids here too.

We tried to hit up the mall on the way home but it was all closed after we were there only 10 minutes -- except for the Pick & Pay (which was the most important stop anyway) so we grabbed everything we'll be composing care packages with, so it was all good in the long run.

"Eeni Meeni Miny Moe...": At our Lincoln/dinner next-day-run-down we were deciding who was going to stay back at FP with Johannes and Dave. It came down to Taylor or myself so Lincoln just did "ennie meeni" and landed on me - so tomorrow, I learn something about linoleum! :)

Soap? Prison joke? ....What? (the girls had to explain it to me an hour and a half later when we were going to bed haha)

After showering I came into the boy's flat. I walked in and scoped out the place as to set down my stuff and popped-a-squat. The first thing I hear directed at me is from Chris. At first I was thinking about if I'd done anything he wouldn't've liked (as team leader) and was about to chew me out. But I was surprised:

"Hey Lyz?" - Chris

"Yes?" - me

"Have you ever thought about being a teacher?"

"I... umm... When I was younger yeah I did hope to once"

"well, you could cuz you're doing really awesome with the kids!"

That conversation made my night! & it made me second guess my future... again... great.

I feel like I should be writing a lot more, but nothing new is coming to mind...