I enjoyed a sunny day here in Cusco today but what made it beautiful was not just the surroundings which really are breathtaking but the time I spent playing with the girls at the safe house this morning and the children at the orphanage this afternoon.
It is with great pride that I say that I have now passed on one of my all time childhood outdoor games ´hopscotch´ to the girls at the safe house and it was happily received, the game worked quatro fold because we not only practiced our numbers in English and Spanish, but we got to grip with some balancing (for the hopping part), got some exercise in and absorb the sunshine!
The reception that I got at the orphanage was just so warm and lovely, from the moment the children saw me they were reaching out their arms and jumping up and down in their wheelchairs just desperate to get out of them so they could play and out of their wheelchairs. They seem familiar with me now and know me by name which really is lovely but more importantly it’s such an honour and one of the nicest feelings to know that one of the reasons for the excitement when they see me is because they know that I am there to give them one to one attention on a fun and affectionate level as opposed to the nursing staff who really don’t have the time to spend with them other then to bath, feed and tend to their medical requirements. With the weather particularly nice today I thought it would be nice to take them outside and play on the grass area, they loved just being out of the building that they are stuck in day in day out and were more then happy just to crawl about on the grass and play with a ball.
Being outside was such a novelty for them that even the very boisterous ones were calm and smiley and did not seek any attention in their usual manner i.e crying and/or screaming and genuinely looked very happy. It really is so sad that other then when volunteers take the children outside they are restricted to being indoors because the orphanage just does not have the staff to take them outside and allow them to have a roll around in the grass the reason for this that due to their disabilities they need to be supervised at all times even in a cordoned off area, that brings me on to the saddest part of today which was having to take the children outside for only small amounts of time and on like a rota system to ensure that they all managed to get out in the sun.
On a more positive note however, it is so sweet to see the children playing together they really are a very close knit family and look after each other, making each other smile and give each other plenty of hugs when they get the chance to when they are out of their wheel chairs.
Being with the children really does put things into perspective and shows you exactly what the important things in life are.
In case you are wondering you will be pleased to know that I did win over the Chiquito, Frank, who I had inadvertently upset on Monday, a good few hugs and a visit from the tickle monster has put all right again, as you can see...
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