This week 55 orphans stole my heart. They ranged in age from 2 years old to a remarkable young man of almost 17 named Peter.
The orphanage we went to is fairly well run. The children are given chores, tend their garden, and, when guests are there, behave well. It does have its downfalls, though. Many of the children smoke, give themselves tattoos, and know more about evolution than of creation.
Pasha took to us instantly. He's 13 years old and has a very sweet disposition. We used charades to communicate with him when there wasn't a translator around. He was always coming in our rooms and enjoyed wrestling with Zheynya (one of our translators).
Ten of the kids went off to a camp Wednesday morning. Pasha and Igor, another of our favorites, went with them. This was our first set of goodbyes.
Wednesday-Friday we became closer with Peter, Andre, Nadia, Sasha, Timoor, and Igrik. We also had more time to play with the little kids and better learn their names.
Wednesday afternoon I had 8 children surrounding me, all waiting for a chance to whistle on the piece of grass I held between my thumbs. The giggles I heard brought joy to my heart.
We played our hearts out yesterday. We knew we were about to say goodbye and didn't want to hold back any love we could give these kids.
The internet here is unpredictable but I hope I can upload some pictures soon!
Looking forward to some pictures and to see your face in Nice.
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