Monopoly: Two Months Celebration

So it's official!!! Today marks the two month period that I have been working at FEJ in Haiti!!! How time just flew by this month! When you are busy, everything just flashes before your eyes. So at the moment, I am in Kenscoff doing the September reports for the children. I have three days to observe all 24 children, do art projects for each age group (babies, toddlers, older children), read letters and show pictures to all the children who have adoptive families, observe the staff in their work, take tons of photos of each child, and give tours of the orphanage to visitors. Of course this doesn't include just spending time and playing with all the children, which is my favorite part of the process.

This was how the people helped me carry my bags to the orphanage! I had a bag on my head, as well.
It's the Haitian way!!!

It has been busy, busy, busy, to say the least. I have been working like a mad machine! Getting things done and with high quality. The art project that I had in mind this month was making lanterns. Why lanterns you ask? Well it is because the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival was this month and it is also known as Lantern Festival in the western world. So I thought, making paper lanterns would be a fun idea. Needless to say, the children and I had a total blast making the lanterns and they did an awesome job!!! (*I can't show any photos due to confidentiality issues, but believe me, it was awesome).

Coke and Biscuits party made by the children for me! (Water and Rocks were the materials used, one child accidentally drank it....didn't taste quite like Coke I am guessing???)

Art work done by one of the older boys. Isn't it beautiful??? This was what the outside of the lantern looked like! 

So what better way to celebrate the two months mark than making lanterns with the children??? Why, playing Monopoly of course!!!!! The daughter of the director of FEJ, Sarah, has a new Monopoly that her dad bought, but she doesn't know how to play it. She asked me to teacher her how to play Monopoly, so that was what we did. Everyday we played Monopoly and she is getting the hang of it. It has been a long time since I've played Monopoly and I've forgotten how fun it is to play board games. I love board games and it was an awesome time playing with Sarah and Mr. Duncan at Kenscoff.

I also gave a tour of the orphanage to visitors from the Ministry of Justice, USAID, and some people from the United Nations. It was awesome to talk about the adoption process with the visitors and they completely fell in love with all the children.Two of the women have vowed that they will come back and volunteer with us! How awesome is that???? They also brought over a suitcase filled with toys for all the children and that was greatly appreciated.

I feel very blessed with all these awesome people around me. There's always something to learn from each person that I meet and I am forever grateful for these abundant sources of knowledge.

Happy Two Months to Me!!!!!! May the next one be even better!!!!