Christmas With Kasisi Children's Home

Back in May, I emailed Sister Mariola of Kasisi Children's Home in Lusaka, Zambia about the possibility of spending some time at the orphanage during Christmas. I discovered them while reading an article online. After a lengthy application process which included two recommendations from colleagues (thank you Monica and Alex), I was welcomed to come. I left Victoria Falls in Christmas Eve and flew to Lusaka from Livingstone on an airplane that was half the size of the bus I had been on for the last two weeks. I did my best to manage that flight but never again!
Sister Mariola and Sister Maria picked me up from the airport after a phone call a nice agent let me make. Truth be told, I had no idea what I was doing at Kasisi my first day there. It's been three days now and I am happy to say that I have a better idea now. It's really up to me as to how I want to spent my time there. I've sort of figured out a routine. In the morning, we have 7am mass. I am not religious, spiritual but not religious, out of respect, I attend the services. Besides, having 11 year old Alice say to me every morning, "Chapel?" is tough to turn down. I connected with Alice during my first day here. She is living at the orphanage with tuberculosis. She follows me around now whenever I make an appearance out of my room. The Sisters were nice enough to let me stay here at the orphanage ... feeding me as well!
There are 219 kids here from the age of 4 months (she is the newest member as her mother passed) and of those 219 kids, 60 of them are living with HIV. To be admitted to the orphanage, the child's mother must have passed. I spend a little bit of my mornings with the toddlers but I've connected well with the 10-12 year old girls so I spend my days reading, doing math and drawing with them. I take them one by one during the day..not very structured at all and they all have different levels of motivation. Alice likes to draw so I watch her draw.. I am finding that even when the girls are not very social.. they like it that you're around. The highlight so far of my stay here is teaching Alice the names of each finger. It's been three days and she's remembered them all now. The way she giggles and lights up when I tell her she is right is amazing!

Hope everyone is having a Merry Christmas and see ya'll in the New Year!