My new sounds

Thursday 4/26/07
Around 5:30am the sound Rubbermaid trashcans being drug along the concrete sidewalk literally outside my bedroom window. My room sits 1/2 underground, and my one and only bedroom window opens directly onto the main sidewalk used by everyone all the time. The sound and dust of sweeping are next. Theses are some of the chores that must be completed before breakfast at 6am and school at 7am. The sound of children chattering as they come and go, and a house mother (Hermana) calling after them for one thing or another. About 10 paces from my apartment door is a nice swimming pool (thanks to the Ex-President of El Salvador who used to own this place before he was exiled). It's cleaned daily but I've yet to smell chlorine. Just recently they've started "swim classes"- yet based on the number of squeals I hear, and number of boys tossing in unsuspecting girls, I'd say this is only loosely a "class". After school is hear girls (and some boys) jumping rope, and singing a cute accompanying jingle. No way am I going to break my who knows what trying to do this! I'll just take my turn at turning the rope, thank you! Later in the evening, I paused before I entered the "Griffin" girl's house- for ages 4-7. I hear they are in devotions, so do not enter. But the boys in the "Griffin" house see me nearby and asked me to join them. The Hermana was using a flip chart like I remember from childhood Sunday School. It had a pic of Jesus calming the sea on the front for the children to see and the story and related questions on the back for the adult to use. These boys are my favorite, and they really enjoy the devotion time. They sing their songs with all their heart and to the top of their precious lungs. They answer the questions to the Bible story with such energy, and then they nearly tackle me with night night hugs. This make my world feel right, and nearly eases my broken heart from leaving my own precious nephews and niece.

Today is also Secretary's Day here and it's a pretty big deal since a high percentage of all working women are Secretaries. I was invited to join the Secretaries (two) from the orphanage and 4 from the huge Christian book distribution center for lunch at Bennigans! In San Salvador, the capitol, you can find almost anything...even a Bennigans! It was in a modern outdoor mall similar to the one near my house. It just seems so nuts for their to be such extreme contrast...the one part of the city which is so modern and obviously has money...and then all else to be so obviously poor.