So I couldn't stand the orphanage yesterday. I couldn't stand the smell, the flies, and the stuffy feeling.
Maybe the kids couldn't stand it either?
This morning, Haiti's sun chose to be generous and the rain clouds retreated, so Rosie (a nurse from LA who epitomizes her name) and I got a wagon and a few wheel chairs and picked the kids up, one by one, to wheel them out of the orphanage, away from dampness to to play in grass, sun and water. We learned the easiest way to lift the older children was for me to put one hand under each shoulder and Roise to put one hand under each knee.
It took two trips but we got everyone out to sit in the grass.
I threw my frisbee and smiled at the toddlers to make sure they saw it. They fizzled their tiny legs at the knees and stomped clumsily after the flying toy, clapping their hands at it.
Some of the kids just lay on their backs in the sun. One of the boys who did not talk to or look at anyone yesterday riped grass up from its roots and threw it to shower over him. He called out, laughed, and then smiled.
The three-year old boys who do not have disabilities don't talk in the orphanage. They reach up to be held, point to body parts that hurt, and grab for food and toys. But, in the sun's glow, they started talking to me in creole.
Stephan said, "Mwen te fe pipi" (I went potty by myself). His friend asked me to carry him so I scooped him up under his belly and ran around on the grass, carrying him like an airplane. He giggled.
Rosie and I handed out cups of water because we were all getting thirsty. Stephan took his cup, signaled mischief at me with his eyes and then spilled the contents into the air. He darted his head back at me to observe my immediate reaction. I laughed. I couldn't help it. What a good idea!!
Rosie agreed so she went to get a bucket of water and bottles for the kids to play with. The kids crowded around it to splash, swish, and sprinkle. A clean, cool way to play.
The smell?
It was mineral soil, grass juice, sun-kissed wind, and dry leaves.
The best part?
I didn't look at my watch the whole time. At 11:45, Rosie said, "They need to go back for lunch now."
Just like me, the kids needed to get out of the musty sadness.
