The New Normal

(August 29)

It is Saturday night and my boys who are still here are all in bed. Three went home for the weekend, and let me just say that keeping track of five little boys happens to be a whole lot easier than eight. Who woulda thunk? (Probably everyone.)

Earlier today I was trying to think about what to blog about and was kind of at a loss, but the past thirty minutes solved that problem.

So hey I’ve got a story.

I have been thinking a lot about how this life is kind of becoming normal to me. It started while I was  sitting in church today and looking out into the giant jungle of mountains and trees and big plants (not a biology major). I thought back to when I looked out at the exact same view when I came for a week in March and thought it was so exotic and different and new. But now? Well it’s what I expect to see when I look outside.

So then I was like oh wow the jungle is becoming home.

But it also made me think of how it is probably not the normal life to live with eight little jungle boys in a thatch-roofed house who speak a different language than you do. Which also made me think I should probably write down what goes on in this house as, well, it’s probably not what goes down in the average house.

All to say, here’s the last thirty minutes of my life.

Every Saturday night the kids all gather together in Casa Grande to watch a movie. They get so excited about it. It is usually a nature video in Spanish, so while the kids watch it the staff have some time to hang out in the kitchen and make random food and talk in English.

So that’s what happened tonight. We squeezed fresh orange juice and Omar cooked up some noodle tomato thing which was divine and we laughed a ton and it was fabulous.

Then at 9:15 it was time to head back. Dani’s in the kitchen this week so she stayed behind to make some pancakes for tomorrow while I headed to the house with my 5 boys: Wilfredo, Hugo, Rodrigo, Henry, and Fermin.

On the way there I had to get Wilfredo and Hugo to come to the house instead of tackling each other. But it was honestly adorable as they’re brothers and they really love each other. Also Fermin was having a grand old time playing hide and seek in Casa Grande as he thought I’d go around looking for him. But I was tired and knew if I just left he’d follow behind, so I did. Once we got to the house he tried sneaking in through the door but I grabbed him and hugged and kissed him and he went on and on about how much he hated it when I’m pretty sure he hid just so I would do that.

And, well then they went insane for a few minutes. I am not quite sure how to explain them going insane.

Basically Wilfredo sometimes becomes a different person. Like he sticks his hips out when he walks and hits random things or he lays on the ground and chases bugs. I’m not kidding. It’s rather entertaining.

Fermin lays on his bed thinking if he hides there long enough he won’t have to brush his teeth.

Hugo runs around and pokes people and then giggles.

Rodrigo? He is either playing with a toy or grabbing me and refusing to let go or giggling with Hugo.

And little Henry sits on the counter and brushes his teeth for about a year and a half. And also tattles a lot.

So yeah. All that was going on. Until I said it was time for them to brush their teeth. Because after I said that I went to the bathroom and by the time I got out (I was only in there for like a minute I promise) chaos had gone down.

Wilfredo was teasing little Henry who was sitting on the counter distraught. So I told Wilfredo to apologize and he did but then Fermin started joining in. So then I told Fermin to apologize as well but somehow Henry got confused and apologized to Wilfredo. So then I was like oh my goodness who is teasing who.

AND WHY CAN’T I SPEAK SPANISH.

So then I just took Wilfredo and Fermin into my room and gave them a little talking to about how they needed to look out for Henry as he is younger than they are. Which really just ended up being a total and complete fail as I asked Wilfredo how old he was in an effort to prove he was a lot older than Henry and he responded with “ten months.”

So after that super unsuccessful effort to put my foot down I told everyone, once again, that they needed to brush their teeth.

Everyone declared they already had except Fermin. He ran to his bed and hid. I went over and he said he couldn't because he had no toothpaste.

Dani has more toothpaste for them but I don’t know where it is so I said he could use mine for tonight. Well then, naturally, all the boys suddenly had no longer brushed their teeth. Why? Because they wanted to use my toothpaste.

So what do you do. The reality is maybe they didn’t brush their teeth and, well, I brought a whole lot of toothpaste. So I gave a little bit to all of them which ended up being a long process because Wilfredo went insane with his toothbrush and it was so entertaining we all just took a few minutes to watch him.

But after I finally managed to give them all my toothpaste? They ate my toothpaste.

So then I regretted giving them my toothpaste.

Okay so fastforward a bit, like two minutes.

They all went insane again. So I got out my camera and now I have some pretty wonderful videos that I know I will watch one day when I am no longer here and treasure.

But after a whole lot of laughing and tickling and adorableness I called it quits and said it was time for bed. Right after I said that I saw the door wide open and realized Wilfredo was gone. So I was in the midst of running outside to find him when the door swung shut. And there’s Wilfredo, inside the house hiding behind the door. My goodness he laughed so hard and so did all the other boys that I couldn’t help but join in.

So I decided to punish him by tickling him as literally these boys laugh so hard when they’re tickled and it is the cutest thing in the world. So I tickled him and he laughed harder than I have ever seen him laugh before. But, well, I guess I should have taken that as my warning sign as he went from laughing to crying in about a split second. So then I felt pretty bad and didn’t really know what to do with this crying boy on the floor. Rodrigo waltzed over and declared that I could solve it by tickling Wilfredo just a little bit more, but I told him that probably wasn’t the best idea and to go to bed.

Wilfredo finally pulled himself together and crawled under his mosquito net and I’m pretty sure he’s mad at me.

Then I prayed with them and turned the lights off.

Anyways, that’s thirty minutes with them out of nine months. Also that’s five boys out of eight.

So yeah. Maybe that gives you an idea of the normal here.

So many times this week I have felt so much love for these kids.

Marcos never passes without giving me a giant hug and he is so incredibly precious and sweet and I adore him.

Juan Carlos walked into my classroom after a long day and called me Mother.

Angelica, a girl I’ve barely spoken to here, wrote me a long letter and called me her mom in it.

One of the boys, Alan, who has the greatest smile I have ever seen wrote a letter to the staff sincerely asking us to pray for him. It was so incredibly touching and made me think of how we can never know what’s going on in someone’s heart.

And there were so many other hugs and smiles and “Teacher, I love you” that I couldn’t even begin to write them all down.

At the end of every worship service during the weekend, we all get in a big circle. Then we go around and hug every person.

Every week I feel more attached to each kid I hug.

There are times when I feel so overwhelmed by the language barrier or the teaching or the task of being a mom to eight little boys.

But every time I’m overwhelmed one of the little kids gives me a hug or a letter or calls me their mom and I know.

I know I am blessed beyond words to be here.

I know this experience will change my life forever.

I know I will never be the same.