My last day there, a few of the younger kids were participating in Sports Day. Sports Day is the most amazing day of the school year, and I'm jealous that I didn't grow up with it. It's an intense inter-school competition where the kids compete in everything from running to relays to Muay Thai. They really go all out with new uniforms for the competitors and elaborate costumes for the "cheerleaders". I went as the proud parent/crazy soccer mom, but apparently it is a very Western thing to watch your kids at an event like this. Our kids were the only ones with fans cheering them on and buying them all sorts of sweets and treats, but they were definitely the happy kids there.
Zorbay being awesome and owning a tennis ball throwing competition... he got one of the farthest distances!
Adelle is one of two Australians that I hung out with whenever I needed some time away from the home. This is her taking pictures of some children she does not know. These are a few of the cheerleaders in elaborate costumes that I was talking about!
We spent a rather eventful morning at Sports Day, and then I went back to the home to spend some time with the kids who were there.
Natasha and Jen are the two amazing girls who run and fund the home. On one of my last days there, they came up to see the kids and bring LOTS of donations. It was Natasha's birthday just a few days before they came, so I thought it would be fun for all of the kids to make her a birthday card to surprise her with when she got there. Little did I know it would occupy them for HOURS. I can't even describe how excited the kdis were for Natasha and Jen to come, and they were even more excited to have something to give them when they arrived.
They were all so proud of their cards! Matay only arrived at the home a week before I got there, so when we were making the cards he had never even met Natasha. But of course that didn't stop him from putting just as much love into his card as the rest of the kids did into theirs. His card was actually the product of quite a few kids' (and my own) handiwork, which I think makes it even better. And, he learned how to say "Happy Birthday" and "I love you", so he definitely had the right to want to show his card off!
After all that hard work, it was time for some fun. Or for a nap, as evidenced by Nichi sleeping in the background!
I was serenaded by the little girls for at least an hour, and treated to some (very Traditional) Burmese song and dance...
In anticipation of Natasha and Jen's arrival, all of the kids put on their best clothes and did their hair and make up. They even got me all dolled up... Natasha paid me the "compliment" of saying I looked like an 80's pop star. Once they were ready, they all sat quietly and patiently in the main room, just waiting. After nearly two hours, they finally arrived and you should have seen these kids' faces. They came with TWO VANS FILLED WITH DONATIONS, and the kids could not get out the door to carry everything in fast enough.
They were SO eager to help unload the vans, and not because they knew the things were for them, but because they just wanted to help.
SO many boxes! And this is only about half of it. Lots of awesome frozen food and TONS of cheese that they absolutely hated. They said it tasted like armpit.
Now, this goes against absolutely everything I stand for, but these kids are worth it:
Zorbay being awesome and owning a tennis ball throwing competition... he got one of the farthest distances!
Adelle is one of two Australians that I hung out with whenever I needed some time away from the home. This is her taking pictures of some children she does not know. These are a few of the cheerleaders in elaborate costumes that I was talking about!
We spent a rather eventful morning at Sports Day, and then I went back to the home to spend some time with the kids who were there.
Natasha and Jen are the two amazing girls who run and fund the home. On one of my last days there, they came up to see the kids and bring LOTS of donations. It was Natasha's birthday just a few days before they came, so I thought it would be fun for all of the kids to make her a birthday card to surprise her with when she got there. Little did I know it would occupy them for HOURS. I can't even describe how excited the kdis were for Natasha and Jen to come, and they were even more excited to have something to give them when they arrived.
They were all so proud of their cards! Matay only arrived at the home a week before I got there, so when we were making the cards he had never even met Natasha. But of course that didn't stop him from putting just as much love into his card as the rest of the kids did into theirs. His card was actually the product of quite a few kids' (and my own) handiwork, which I think makes it even better. And, he learned how to say "Happy Birthday" and "I love you", so he definitely had the right to want to show his card off!
After all that hard work, it was time for some fun. Or for a nap, as evidenced by Nichi sleeping in the background!
I was serenaded by the little girls for at least an hour, and treated to some (very Traditional) Burmese song and dance...
In anticipation of Natasha and Jen's arrival, all of the kids put on their best clothes and did their hair and make up. They even got me all dolled up... Natasha paid me the "compliment" of saying I looked like an 80's pop star. Once they were ready, they all sat quietly and patiently in the main room, just waiting. After nearly two hours, they finally arrived and you should have seen these kids' faces. They came with TWO VANS FILLED WITH DONATIONS, and the kids could not get out the door to carry everything in fast enough.
They were SO eager to help unload the vans, and not because they knew the things were for them, but because they just wanted to help.
SO many boxes! And this is only about half of it. Lots of awesome frozen food and TONS of cheese that they absolutely hated. They said it tasted like armpit.
They are ALWAYS in need of donations, whether it be goods or funds. There are 36 kids, 4 staff, and 2 houseparents all living off of the kindness of two twenty-something girls in Bangkok. If you would like to help in any way, you can contact me or get in touch with them directly by clicking here. Every little thing counts, and even the smallest acts of kindness go such a long way with these kids!
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