Here is Sonia, the very first child that I visited. She is eleven years old and lives with her grandmother but she was visiting her aunt during the summer vacation. Sonia is very reserved and quiet but clung to me when we first met. I was laughing in the beginning of the video because I thought that I had recorded her speaking earlier but had forgotten to push the record button, so she was having to do her video over. She was good natured about it and definitely didn't like being in front of the camera. Neither do I, but I had to take the video!! She is so beautiful. Her aunt is the lady in the video and she teases her about needing to be more feminine. She is very sweet and funny too because she could not believe that I was not married and did not have any children. I know that this is the tradition there and she could not understand this about me. Anyway, enjoy the video!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Francisco and His Family on the way to the Mall
I love the way that Francisco says, "Padrino Steve!", indicating to Evelyn that she did not say that part! Gabriell was concerned about all of the gifts being left in their room with the door wide open but the aunt was there to keep watch. They probably all share everything anyway!
Francisco trying out a new toy in his home
Francisco in his home with a new toy
Me with Franciso, Evely, Samy, and other relatives and friends, I am holding Samy, baby sister is being held by a cousin
Mom, Samy, and sister Evelyn
Francisco with little brother, Samy, as you can see Samy is now wearing Francisco's necklace :)
Monday, July 4, 2011
Meeting with Francisco at the center
Learning how to do etch a sketch
I've decided to post Francisco's photos first because he is a group sponsorship and I know that his group sponsors would love to see him. Hopefully I can get those videos started today too.
Another Wonderful Visit!
I am finally back in North Carolina after leaving on Sat., taking the plane and then the train back. No internet connection was available in my hotel this time or at any of the train stations this time either, so this is the first time that I have been able to do more posting.
After having two great visits with Sonia, Yiseth, and Francisco, my last visit was to be with Bleidis. The visit to Bleidys' home started off pretty rough because the hotel forgot that I needed transportation to the city of Barranquilla, which they promised earlier to provide. So after learning that I had to be up at 5:30 a.m. in order to catch the only van that would get me to Barranquilla by 8:30, I was really rushing. This is why I forgot the flip book that had Bleidis' pictures that I wanted to give to her. Anyway, the ride to Barranquilla was very dangerous because the driver was going at least 100 miles an hour passing everything in sight. Driving like this seems to be the norm! While I held on for dear life, everyone else was taking a morning snooze before getting to their jobs. We made it to the Children International center and the driver promised to pick me up at around 4:00 p.m.
When I arrived at the center, they were waiting and took me on a tour around the center. Ruth, my translator, took me around to meet everyone which was very informative, I had a chance to meet everyone who was translating letters for the kids, one of our CI Lifters, Emelisa included. She had a photo of pretty little Stefani, her sponsored child on her desk, and was showing me how she was following the blog that I have on LiftOne! It was great to see how diligently everyone was working and everyone was so caring. One young man was a former sponsored child who explained how he became a part of this special group of people. You could just see the joy in his face as he was speaking!
After the tour it was time to visit Bleidis and I learned that her name is pronounced "Blaydis" with a long a.
I have only been sponsoring Bleidis for about a year, so I was wondering how the visit might go. Bleidis lives in another poverty striken community called the Village of Hope and when we arrived she and her little sister, Marie, were standing outside in the yard looking like little princesses. They had dressed up and had their hair fixed in beautiful hairstyles decorated with glitter! When I got out of the car, they greeted me and gave me lots of hugs. Bleidis looked just like she does in her photos, beautiful but very thin. Ruth explained that her appearance is the norm for children who live in their conditions, although she is not malnourished.
After opening gifts, the children invited me to see their bedroom which has two good sized beds with a colorful blanket on the children's bed and Bleidis showed me where she kept all of my letters that I have written to her. Then Bleidis grabbed my hand to show me their new puppy who was tied up in a little area next to their bedroom. They danced around me like two little fairies the whole time :)
I was able to see the their home consists of two rooms, a pretty good sized multipurpose room which was the family room and the kitchen, however, they do not have a kitchen stove. They also do not have a bathroom and use an open field. One of my goals is to see if I can raise funds to have a toilet and shower constructed for the family but it will be a surprise for them.
While I was there, Bleidis announced that she wanted to come live with me which was kind of awkward. Her mom looked a little sad and Ruth and I explained that this would make her mommy sad but that we could write to each other and be friends. Bleidis seems to be a child who is not afraid to say what she wants and told me that their TV was broken and that she would like to go to the beach! Since the day was pretty well planned, the beach trip would not take place today but we all climbed into the van to go to the mall. On the way to the mall, both girls fell asleep and I think that they had probably stayed up all night, too excited about this day!
Once we arrived at the mall, we had to wait awhile before the food court opened, so we went ahead with the rides. Both Bleidis and Marie were a little timid about getting on the rides, but Bleidis gradually tried some of them. She seemed to really enjoy getting on the trampoline, dancing and acting with a puppy!
After the rides, we ate and everyone had the same meal, some kind of beef with soup and veggies. Bleidis would not eat as much as she needed to, so her mom fed her at times.
After eating, we went to do grocery shopping and during this time, Bleidis mentioned that she had just had a birthday and did not have a birthday party! As I said, she is pretty outspoken,so since we were near the cakes and pastries, I asked if she wanted some cake for her birthday. She selected a slice of delicious looking cake and said that she wanted me to eat it with her. I explained that as much as I wanted to, I could not eat it and that it would make me happy to see her enjoying the cake. Then Miss Bleidis grabbed my hand and insisted that I get a piece of fruit instead!
Both girls picked out some cute outfits and Bleidis also saw a sticker book that she liked, so she was able to get that also.
After groceries, it was time to get back since I had to catch the van back to return to Cartagena. The CI staff had also made a reservation so that I could get back before dark. On the way back home, both girls fell asleep again and when we arrived at the house, I wasn't able to get out so Bleidis' mom thanked me for everything and I told Bledis to listen to her mom and to study hard in school. She said that she would and waved at me from her front yard as we drove away. She is a sweet, bright little girl with a lot of potential, seemingly trapped in a cycle of poverty but hopefully with the help of Children International, that cycle of poverty can be broken. When I was there I realized that her young mother needs as much support as she can get. I know that she had dreams once of being a princess like Bleidis, but the cycle of poverty stole those dreams.
Anyway, the ride back to Cartagena was just as crazy until we saw an accident where a car had flipped over an embankment. After seeing that, the driver slowed down some, and I was grateful for this!
I have many more photos and then videos of the visits which I will post, some tonight and some tomorrow. I will also post some on LiftOne and Facebook.
After having two great visits with Sonia, Yiseth, and Francisco, my last visit was to be with Bleidis. The visit to Bleidys' home started off pretty rough because the hotel forgot that I needed transportation to the city of Barranquilla, which they promised earlier to provide. So after learning that I had to be up at 5:30 a.m. in order to catch the only van that would get me to Barranquilla by 8:30, I was really rushing. This is why I forgot the flip book that had Bleidis' pictures that I wanted to give to her. Anyway, the ride to Barranquilla was very dangerous because the driver was going at least 100 miles an hour passing everything in sight. Driving like this seems to be the norm! While I held on for dear life, everyone else was taking a morning snooze before getting to their jobs. We made it to the Children International center and the driver promised to pick me up at around 4:00 p.m.
When I arrived at the center, they were waiting and took me on a tour around the center. Ruth, my translator, took me around to meet everyone which was very informative, I had a chance to meet everyone who was translating letters for the kids, one of our CI Lifters, Emelisa included. She had a photo of pretty little Stefani, her sponsored child on her desk, and was showing me how she was following the blog that I have on LiftOne! It was great to see how diligently everyone was working and everyone was so caring. One young man was a former sponsored child who explained how he became a part of this special group of people. You could just see the joy in his face as he was speaking!
After the tour it was time to visit Bleidis and I learned that her name is pronounced "Blaydis" with a long a.
I have only been sponsoring Bleidis for about a year, so I was wondering how the visit might go. Bleidis lives in another poverty striken community called the Village of Hope and when we arrived she and her little sister, Marie, were standing outside in the yard looking like little princesses. They had dressed up and had their hair fixed in beautiful hairstyles decorated with glitter! When I got out of the car, they greeted me and gave me lots of hugs. Bleidis looked just like she does in her photos, beautiful but very thin. Ruth explained that her appearance is the norm for children who live in their conditions, although she is not malnourished.
After opening gifts, the children invited me to see their bedroom which has two good sized beds with a colorful blanket on the children's bed and Bleidis showed me where she kept all of my letters that I have written to her. Then Bleidis grabbed my hand to show me their new puppy who was tied up in a little area next to their bedroom. They danced around me like two little fairies the whole time :)
I was able to see the their home consists of two rooms, a pretty good sized multipurpose room which was the family room and the kitchen, however, they do not have a kitchen stove. They also do not have a bathroom and use an open field. One of my goals is to see if I can raise funds to have a toilet and shower constructed for the family but it will be a surprise for them.
While I was there, Bleidis announced that she wanted to come live with me which was kind of awkward. Her mom looked a little sad and Ruth and I explained that this would make her mommy sad but that we could write to each other and be friends. Bleidis seems to be a child who is not afraid to say what she wants and told me that their TV was broken and that she would like to go to the beach! Since the day was pretty well planned, the beach trip would not take place today but we all climbed into the van to go to the mall. On the way to the mall, both girls fell asleep and I think that they had probably stayed up all night, too excited about this day!
Once we arrived at the mall, we had to wait awhile before the food court opened, so we went ahead with the rides. Both Bleidis and Marie were a little timid about getting on the rides, but Bleidis gradually tried some of them. She seemed to really enjoy getting on the trampoline, dancing and acting with a puppy!
After the rides, we ate and everyone had the same meal, some kind of beef with soup and veggies. Bleidis would not eat as much as she needed to, so her mom fed her at times.
After eating, we went to do grocery shopping and during this time, Bleidis mentioned that she had just had a birthday and did not have a birthday party! As I said, she is pretty outspoken,so since we were near the cakes and pastries, I asked if she wanted some cake for her birthday. She selected a slice of delicious looking cake and said that she wanted me to eat it with her. I explained that as much as I wanted to, I could not eat it and that it would make me happy to see her enjoying the cake. Then Miss Bleidis grabbed my hand and insisted that I get a piece of fruit instead!
Both girls picked out some cute outfits and Bleidis also saw a sticker book that she liked, so she was able to get that also.
After groceries, it was time to get back since I had to catch the van back to return to Cartagena. The CI staff had also made a reservation so that I could get back before dark. On the way back home, both girls fell asleep again and when we arrived at the house, I wasn't able to get out so Bleidis' mom thanked me for everything and I told Bledis to listen to her mom and to study hard in school. She said that she would and waved at me from her front yard as we drove away. She is a sweet, bright little girl with a lot of potential, seemingly trapped in a cycle of poverty but hopefully with the help of Children International, that cycle of poverty can be broken. When I was there I realized that her young mother needs as much support as she can get. I know that she had dreams once of being a princess like Bleidis, but the cycle of poverty stole those dreams.
Anyway, the ride back to Cartagena was just as crazy until we saw an accident where a car had flipped over an embankment. After seeing that, the driver slowed down some, and I was grateful for this!
I have many more photos and then videos of the visits which I will post, some tonight and some tomorrow. I will also post some on LiftOne and Facebook.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Blogger continues to actup!
The gifts for Francisco's siblings and cousins were placed on one of the beds as we prepared to leave for the mall for games and shopping. His mother mentioned that one of the beds was broken and that it was being held together by plastic. Gabriel and I went outside to wait for Evelyn and Samy who had to get ready. During this time I took photos and videos of the rest of the children in the family and friends. They were very excited and liked the attention. One little guy even said that he was Francisco's brother.
Once we were at the mall we decided to get some lunch before games. The family decided on chicken and fries and I got some type of beef dish which was very tasty. Gabrielle and John, the driver, got something else. Francisco has a pretty good appetite and ate 2 pieces of chicken. He offered to throw away the trash and even ate a piece of beef on my plate that I had not eaten. I noticed that the people in this country do not waste food!
Games and rides were next and the children had an enjoyable time, riding whatever they wanted except for little Samy who wanted to ride the big rides too :) But Samy finally found a game that he loved which was shooting at little objects while riding on a horse. He looked so cute!
Francisco wanted a soccer ball and Evelyn really wanted a large bouncing ball to sit on but her mom said that she needed shoes instead. Francisco also received a new pair of sneakers. The ones he had on looked really beat up. Samy wanted balloons made into Spiderman. Samy also slipped away from his mother a few times so we had to keep a close eye on him. His mom seems to be a little overwhelmed with all of the children to me. She has her hands full!
The family was able to get plenty of food and baby supplies which will hopefully last for awhile. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this possible. Francisco is very thin to me and is supposed to be getting nutritional supplements but his mom said that he wasn't. I am going to call to see what I can find out.
Finally it was time to say good bye and little Francisco began to cry. He
let me hold him for awhile and then he wanted to get down and ran inside. I hope that he enjoyed his day and all of the gifts that he received. He is a special little guy and I am happy to be a part of his group sponsorship!
The gifts for Francisco's siblings and cousins were placed on one of the beds as we prepared to leave for the mall for games and shopping. His mother mentioned that one of the beds was broken and that it was being held together by plastic. Gabriel and I went outside to wait for Evelyn and Samy who had to get ready. During this time I took photos and videos of the rest of the children in the family and friends. They were very excited and liked the attention. One little guy even said that he was Francisco's brother.
Once we were at the mall we decided to get some lunch before games. The family decided on chicken and fries and I got some type of beef dish which was very tasty. Gabrielle and John, the driver, got something else. Francisco has a pretty good appetite and ate 2 pieces of chicken. He offered to throw away the trash and even ate a piece of beef on my plate that I had not eaten. I noticed that the people in this country do not waste food!
Games and rides were next and the children had an enjoyable time, riding whatever they wanted except for little Samy who wanted to ride the big rides too :) But Samy finally found a game that he loved which was shooting at little objects while riding on a horse. He looked so cute!
Francisco wanted a soccer ball and Evelyn really wanted a large bouncing ball to sit on but her mom said that she needed shoes instead. Francisco also received a new pair of sneakers. The ones he had on looked really beat up. Samy wanted balloons made into Spiderman. Samy also slipped away from his mother a few times so we had to keep a close eye on him. His mom seems to be a little overwhelmed with all of the children to me. She has her hands full!
The family was able to get plenty of food and baby supplies which will hopefully last for awhile. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this possible. Francisco is very thin to me and is supposed to be getting nutritional supplements but his mom said that he wasn't. I am going to call to see what I can find out.
Finally it was time to say good bye and little Francisco began to cry. He
let me hold him for awhile and then he wanted to get down and ran inside. I hope that he enjoyed his day and all of the gifts that he received. He is a special little guy and I am happy to be a part of his group sponsorship!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
The Outside
Francisco, Evelyn, mom, Samy and the baby live in the room on the right, that has the open door that people are coming in an out of on this video. The aunt and her family live in the left area on the left, where the refrigerator is, so there are like 2 rooms connected.
continuing
After the meeting, we took the CI truck to Francisco´s home. It was another wild ride and when we arrived, many of the children were there like they were when Steve visited. We went into a pretty good sized room which Francisco´s mom said was their home and I was confused because this did not look like the inside of the room that we saw on Steve´s video. In the video there was a small space with what looked like a back storage area, a refrigerator in the front w-TV , and a small bathroom to the side. So this is what I thought Francisco lived in with 12 other people but this room that I entered was a little larger with two good sized beds with some room to walk around so I asked Gabriel, the translator about it and he was confused too. He was confused because when he saw the initial SNG report of how much it would cost to add an additonal room for Francisco´s immediate family, he thought that the amount was much too large for a small additional room or to do the back storage area as an enclosed room as we had thought about. Anyway, we found out that this room that I saw was actually Francisco´s dwelling and he lives here with his mom, Evelyn, Samy, and baby sister. So there are only 5 people living in this room that has the 2 beds. It is right next to the area that Steve saw. The rest of the family -cousins and aunts-live in the area that Steve saw. Will try to post photos and a video of this room.
Thursday!
Blogger has been acting up so I was not able to continue with Franciso´s visit. I´ll be back in a few after getting something to eat and continue with Francisco´s visit. Today I also visited Bleidis who lives in Barranquilla, about an hour away. The day started off rough on the ride to Barranquilla but we had a busy and fun day! Back on that later and I will also try to upload some of the photos and videos from all of the visits tonight.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Day 2 - Visiting with Francisco!
Today has been a very busy day with Franciso and his family. First of all I want to share that Francisco is the sweetest little boy. He can be very serious and loves to share his things with his siblings and he has a very energetic side too!
First I was picked at the regular time and we were told that Francisco and his mom were waiting at the community center. So we drove straight there and he was sitting, looking very shy and holding his ID badge. Franciso is very thin, it is very noticeable and he is very small for his age. Of course he did not know me so I introduced myself to him and to his mother and and asked if he understood that he was sponsored by a group of sponsors. He said that he did and we looked at the beautiful collage of sponsors that he really liked. We went over each sponsor's name and country and also located his country and some of the sponsors' countries on the globe. This was a little hard for him to understand but he liked the globe. Gabriel read the letters from Elen and Barbara and I also showed him my photos.
After this he received his gifts and loved all of them. He really liked a little stuffed bear from Ellen and dressed up in his costume that Barbara sent. He loved it and looked so cute! I took photos of it and will post later. Another lady from the center came in and took photos of Francisco and me for a publication and then suddenly we had to leave the room because they needed the room for an important meeting. In the rush, I forgot to take photos of Franciso with the sponsor collage and with Ellen's bear.
!
First I was picked at the regular time and we were told that Francisco and his mom were waiting at the community center. So we drove straight there and he was sitting, looking very shy and holding his ID badge. Franciso is very thin, it is very noticeable and he is very small for his age. Of course he did not know me so I introduced myself to him and to his mother and and asked if he understood that he was sponsored by a group of sponsors. He said that he did and we looked at the beautiful collage of sponsors that he really liked. We went over each sponsor's name and country and also located his country and some of the sponsors' countries on the globe. This was a little hard for him to understand but he liked the globe. Gabriel read the letters from Elen and Barbara and I also showed him my photos.
After this he received his gifts and loved all of them. He really liked a little stuffed bear from Ellen and dressed up in his costume that Barbara sent. He loved it and looked so cute! I took photos of it and will post later. Another lady from the center came in and took photos of Francisco and me for a publication and then suddenly we had to leave the room because they needed the room for an important meeting. In the rush, I forgot to take photos of Franciso with the sponsor collage and with Ellen's bear.
!
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