It seems like things change day to day. Home of Hope is going through many changes right now, and they are very unorganized at the moment. They are throwing different hours on my everyday, and I just never quite know what to expect. This is also testing my Patience in every way possible. I know it must be difficult on the kids, who need routine, to come in and find something different everyday. So, hopefully with much collaboration between the owner, the teacher, and myself, we can get things straightened out and get the kids and incoming volunteers into a regular routine. It would be great, for me and my patience, if all this hard work actually led to something visible in the next couple weeks.
I can not leave this post about patience with talking about Bubba. I can't remember if I mentioned Bubba in previous posts, but I will just start from the beginning just in case. Bubba is the mother of the owner of the orphanage. She is about seventy years old (but she's a feisty one!), and fosters four kids herself. She lives in the house connecting the orphanage that I am placed in. Two of the kids that I care for in the daytime are her daughter's foster kids. So, needless to say, she feels that she must have input in my day to day involvement at the orphanage. She meets me every morning at the gate (when I am trying to struggle four little ones inside so they don't get flattened by cars) and begins to tell me what I will do that day. She is SO incredibly hard to deal with! She started off this week with telling me that I must watch her kids until one because she was supposed to have the mornings off. Well, this begin an argument between her and the teacher, because I was also supposed to help the teacher between 12-1. After much fuss, Bubba won (probably because she's ancient!) and I am now watching her kids until one every afternoon. But, now I have to tell the part that really caused me to loose my patience!
Today, Bubba asked me to bring the kids to her house and feed them lunch because it was warmer and the kids were too cold in the orphanage. So, I carried the kids over, gave them lunch, and put them down for their naps. Then, I stayed and talked to her for a bit while I waited on the teacher to get back. When the teacher got back, I got my bag and was going to walk back over to the orphanage to help her out with organizing the classrooms. But, Bubba had other plans. She grabbed my bag, put it back down on the table and said, "No, your bag stays with me until one. (It was 12:45 at the moment). That way I know that you don't leave until you are supposed to leave." I was totally shocked by it, because I was going to end up being there much later than one as it was. So, I ended up explaining to her that it was my bag, with my stuff in it, and that it was coming with me. If she really didn't trust me and wanted to assure that I didn't leave before one, she could have just looked out the window at the car sitting parked in her driveway!
Ugh! Patience!!! It is so hard to keep sometimes.
This is a very short video of the kids going crazy. I had to cut it short because one was playing with a plug and one had to "go make a wee".
Everyday is different. Some are good, some are trying, and some are just completely exhausting! I am now scared to say that I have a technique down that works with the kids, because as soon as I do, they prove me wrong (what a child-like thing to do). But, I can see the difference that can be made in these kid's lives by my effort and patience with this project! So, it will all be worth it in the end! ~
Sammie, you just need to throw your arms in the air and holler as loud as you can, "YOU WANT SOME OF THIS BUBBA?!?!" LOL! Sounds like you REALLY have your hands full!
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