Tour Guide

I’ve decided to give you all a little tour of the home. This is my general routine upon arrival at the home most days – when the kids are all home, anyway.

I pull up on my trusty one speed shiny purple beach cruiser, and secure it to a pole so the little kids who seem to lack a single ounce of fear can hop on and wipe out. Laquisha and I have this conversation often:
L: You can carry me on your bike? (Can I ride your bike)

S: No, you’re too little. You weigh less than my pinky finger.

L: No! And I weigh more than your thumb, too! (I’m completely serious, this is her rebuttal)

I turn the key in the lock, successfully ending the argument, and walk in through the kitchen, where a few of the ladies and the older girls are teasing each other in creole and cackling away. After saying hello and updating Faye on Mya, her dog that lives at the volunteer house with me (the one pitbull that I actually don’t mind, probably because she doesn’t want to eat me), I usually run into a bit of a traffic jam in the skinny hallway, often due to a wobbly wandering baby. By the time I hit the computer room I’ve usually run into a couple kids with a few tears and an argument that needs dissipating. More often than not, one of the girls, usually Mia or Lee-Lee has made Josiah cry, poor guy. As I stop to talk to Reyna or Zaira, Edgar sneaks up behind me, gives a little shove and yells “BLAH” followed by a little giggle. He usually then has something really important to tell me in all seriousness, like a new scrape or bike injury. Turning the corner into the playroom I find various combinations of kids sprawled on the couches watching Hannah Montana or something along those lines. I greet the Gual’s and Boi’s and sit down to hang out for a bit, strategically avoiding the area where Jacob is being beat up by Alicia and Colleen, probably getting what he deserves, little punk haha. As soon as the little ones notice I am there, they wander over, knowing full well I’ve got lots of hugs to spare them. Nathan usually slides under one arm as DJ crawls right onto my lap and pops his thumb into his mouth. As soon as I can no longer stand Miley’s crazy antics I continue out to the back porch where Dora, Indora, and Lorena are hanging out, chatting and folding the laundry and keeping an eye on a baby or two. I like spending time here. There’s something calming about folding towel after towel, and Dora keeps me up to date on the house gossip and drama. The basketball court is usually scattered with a few of the older boys and we greet each other with friendly threats to whoop each other at the sport. They reluctantly admit I can hold my own on the court and sometimes we have pretty good matches. Heading towards my little classroom in the front yard I usually run into Marlon on his silver bike and agree to hand over my camera because he loves to take videos while riding his bike around and around the house. It kills the batteries but I usually get cute clips of the kids with Marlon singing made up songs in the background. Nearing the playground I grab whatever Benjamin’s got in his mouth away from him, and try unsuccessfully to wipe the dirt off his face. I scoop him up, and depending on the day, he either squirms and whines or won’t let me put him down for the next half hour. JR, Mia, and Kayleen love to chase each other around on the bikes; putting obstacles in their paths to make the ride more interesting. I call them crazy, chase them around for a bit then go sit on the teeter-totter where Crystal is playing the guitar. We chat for awhile about the latest music – Taylor Swift, some Disney sensation or other, and Chris Brown. At this point, Alexis comes up and with her whiniest voice and saddest eyes lets me know she wants some water. I laugh at the little drama queen, grab her tiny little hand and we head back towards the kitchen again.