Longest Day

We survived our full day at the orphanage, but I sure am tired. We played ball and made flags out of crepe paper in the morning. The nuns are amazing. One came in this morning to read Little Red Riding Hood along with a CD that had music, which the kids really enjoyed. Then she dragged a mattress out of one of the cribs and was teaching the kids how to do acrobatics. Davi was pretty good at somersaults and they all like being stood on their heads. Jocko, who cries at almost everything, loved being flipped with somersaults. After that, this nun, who was not exactly young, was running up and down the outside ramp with them, getting them to do races. I got tired just watching.

They all took naps and after a snack, we played with stickers and books. Kailane never would go to sleep and finally climbed out of her crib. I was surprised that she sat on a bed with me for over a half an hour reading the dog/number book I made the other night while Larry and Chiquinha scrubbed and mopped the whole place, end to end. Since tomorrow and Friday are holidays at the orphanage, everyone was leaving this afternoon. They all got baths and spiffed up to go home for the weekend. We waited with them in the daycare for their parents until it was time for us to leave at 4. I don't know what happens if their parents don't show up. At left, Jocko after his bath. Clarinhia at right.

We arrived back at the house late for our last Portuguese lesson. Marina is a great teacher. I wish we had more time with her. She invited us to her boyfriend's band's concert at a bar on Friday night. We'll have to see how tired we are. It doesn't start until 10pm.

I forgot to mention that when we went out with Bruno yesterday afternoon, we passed by Fonte Nova stadium where we attended the soccer game last fall and a month later a section collapsed, killing seven people. We confirmed that as we thought, it was the section where we were sitting that collapsed. It gave me chills just to think about it. We sat on the row behind the row that collapsed. People with us sat on the row that later collapsed. Earlier this week, there was an article in the paper about the proposed plans for the new stadium once this one is torn down. It has been closed since the collapse in November.

We have capoeira class again tonight. I doubt I'll make it past the warm up this time.
Judy