Day 10: Focussing on the smiles

​Hey Schoolies Rev Families,
(sorry if this sucks but I tried lol)
 
Day 10 started off with Ingrid waking up an hour earlier that everyone else in the room and dragging out her damn suitcase and flashing for stupid light in our eyes just to make sure we were awake. After that horrible experience my day turned around with Juliet treating us with pancakes! 

​When breakfast was done and dusted, and everyone was ready to go 10 minutes after the time we were meant to be ready (oops I guess), we walked down to the village of hope to continue our work from the previous days. Walking into the village we are greeted by the children who had the day off from school since it was a report writing day, which resulted in the kids repeatedly telling us that they were bored and wanted us to stop what we were doing and play with them. Our work consisted of finishing the rendering of the last house and starting to build a kitchen between two of the houses and painting the first of many houses. When it came to lunchtime we walked back to the house, some of us running to get to the showers to avoid the everlasting line but also to have some lunch provided again by the wonderful Juliet but of course the beautiful Kendall thought it would be a great idea to play the drum and sing everything he saw, that was fun…
 
After Lunch I think everyone began to get a little nervous because we were heading to the Home of Hope to visit our new little friends again and we weren’t sure what to expect again since our last visit was quite confronting. As we pulling up the nerves I was feeling just left and I think I just knew that it was going to be a good afternoon. Getting out of the bus, we were greeted by the caretakers who spend most of, if not all of their time taking care of these children and they looked so happy for us to be there so they could have a rest for a few hours.
 
Walking into the home this time it wasn’t as confronting as the first time and that was because we weren’t focused of the situation the kids were in, we focused on the smiles that were on their faces when they saw us. The caretakers asked us to take most of the children outside so the kids could enjoy some fresh air before they had dinner. Some kids needed to be carried outside but as soon as they were out there all they wanted to do was play in the sandpit and pass the ball back and forth with each other.
 
The first time we went to the Home of Hope I fell in love with a little girl named Teddy and I promise her that day that I would come back and see ‘my sister’ again. So after looking after for 10 minutes I found her sitting in the T.V room and I walked up to her and said “How’s my sister?” and she turned around with the biggest smile and for the rest of the day she didn’t leave my side again. After leaving the Home of Hope I think everyone felt better than they did the first time we left the kids, knowing that we can’t change their situation but we can give them happiness that would leave them feeling over the moon for weeks.
 
A non-traditional dinner was served that night which was Quiche that was followed by a debriefing where everyone was really open and honest about the things they were thinking and feeling throughout the last few days.
 
I just want to end my blog by letting my family know that I’m alive and haven’t been eaten by a lion yet and that I love and miss them all.
 
~ Kasey x