We woke up on our last day here at the orphanage with heavy hearts. Our time here went by fast yet it feels like we’ve been here for ages. I think it’s from the warm welcoming we are greeted with every morning with the children. It’s Sunday here, so everyone is home from school. And today is nothing short of a jam packed day.
A local family arrives. And when I say family I mean parents, kids, aunt and uncles, grandparents and more. The oldest daughter, Keko is celebrating her 6th birthday and chose to spend it here at the orphanage. Keko’s family knows how to party! They showed up with a small truck filled with toys, giveaways, goodie bags, balloons and lunch for everyone here, including us. A clown played host for the party engaging the kids with games and toys. At around the 6th or 7th game (I lost count) a friend I had made during the week picked me to be her partner in the next game. I noticed all the kids picked us all to participate in the next game. Oh boy! I nervously smiled and knew I wanted to make my new game partner proud, meaning we have to win! Given the rules from a clown with very little English I think I understood. In one breath we were supposed to say “happy birthday keko” and whoever said it the longest won. Simple. Ok! Logan started the game and was quickly triumphant by Greg and myself. I took on some dance moves I had learned earlier in the day and added in some Balinese dance into my song. Lastly Lindsay took winner (by a few seconds) and I’m sure channeled in her middle child syndrome to be heard the loudest from when she was young. The party ended shortly after lunch and you would think the kids were exhausted. Nope.

We spent our last afternoon at the beach. On the short walk there I joined the kids in the back of a tractor, the quicker we get to the beach the better, right? Didi joined us which meant the kids could swim. A little different then I had imagined. Swim meant going in deeper then their knees and sitting and playing with rocks. How could I say no when asked to come swim.

 

Back to the home just in time for yoga and mediation. Dinner was a little more somber as we said our goodbyes to the kids before bed. I donated my favorite hat and a scarf to the girls I became friend with during our stay. A few of us even workup at 5 am the following morning for one last hug and well wishes before they went to school.

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