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Published: September 29th 2010
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View of CCS House from back gardenBack at the Orphanage today…I so wish I could take pictures!! I started off the morning in the pink nest with the 0-6 months. I helped hold babies as Ina changed the sheets and then I dressed the babies after their baths. I still cannot get over the amount of clothes they put on these kids. It is HOT and a little infant will have on thicker onesie and a thick sleeper. The pink nest is set up with a room about 10 x 20 with two much smaller rooms on either side. The rooms on the side hold the babies beds and this larger room is a common room where you can lay on the floor with the babies or sit and feed. I went from one room to the other helping with dressing and then it was time to feed. Of course with all the activity and people coming in to help feed I can feel the sweat running down my back. Fun!
I am so amazed as to the majority of the baby’s patience. At home, they wake up crying and we fly out of bed and rush, rush, rush to quickly make the bottle, etc. Here
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CCS Front Gate it is quite different. Once they are all bathed and changed they are put back in their beds and they wait until everyone is done. Once done it is finally time to feed. Of course they can’t all eat at the same time so some have to wait. I guess they get used to self soothing and waiting.
I have to say again how sweet the nurses are. When they arrive many come over and kiss us each on the cheek twice and welcome us. Fatima is a wonderful nurse about 50 who has the softest skin ever…. We were all amazed. Most all of the women do. She told us just soap and water and nothing else. It can be hard to communicate since my French and Arabic are both very bad but that we understood. LOL!!
After most of the babies were back in their beds and quiet I moved across the hall to the yellow nest (6-12 months). I hopped in the huge 12x12 playpen with Jean, Ina and Christine and 8 of the little ones. Pretty soon I was juggling two - a sweet big cheeked little boy named Fayoud and a little girl
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View of street where I am who was not feeling well. Inside of this huge pen is like an exercise mat with sheets covering it for all of us to sit/lie on and a few toys scattered about. I was switching toys to keep them entertained when I grabbed a red foot looking toy and one of the other volunteers said, “Watch the roach eggs.” Huh! Apparently inside the grooves of this toy (and many others) the roaches lay their eggs. Double ewwwh!! Ina had to chase a roach out of her backpack at the CCS house today.
Pretty soon it was time to take the kids outside. I grabbed my cutie pie Fayoud and headed outside. I entertained him outside along with Amir. Amir is about 3 and has severe CP. He can’t sit, talk, walk, etc…we just take him out (and others like him) and lay him on the blanket in the sun. What a sweet personality. It really makes you wonder how much brain function they really have. Are their minds active but trapped inside a body that won’t serve them? With some you do wonder….
I have been trying to work out my weekend plans. We are ‘off’ on weekends.
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View of house after going through gate About 12 are headed on the Desert trip (another 12 will go next weekend). A handful are headed to Fes and some are staying here. Me, Ina and Heidi have decided to journey to Chefchaouen (prounounced Chef shal wen). Chefcaouen is about a 5 hour bus ride from Rabat in the Rif Mountains. It was founded in 1471 as a base from which the Riffian Berber tribes could launch attacks on the Portuguese in Ceuta. The town grew with the arrival of Muslim and Jewish refugees escaping persecution in Grenada in the late 1400’s. It was those refuges who built the whitewashed houses with tiny balconies, tiled roofs and patios that give this town it’s famous Spanish flavor. The town itself remained isolated and almost xenophobic until occupied by the Spanish in 1920. In fact prior to the Spanish occupation Christians were forbidden entry and only did so on the pain of death!!
It is supposed to be gorgeous, laid back and has a fabulous and almost mystical atmosphere. I have emailed a hotel to see if they have occupancy for a triple and am waiting to hear back. Tomorrow we need to get a taxi to the bus
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Where meals are servied station to buy our tickets for late Friday afternoon. Hopefully we find it okay…I had our program manager jot down the name of the bus station in Arabic so I can give it to the cab driver. Almost no one speaks English here and I haven’t seen many American tourists.
After another good lunch we had Arabic lessons again. Let’s just say I don’t think languages are my forte! Plus I am trying to pick up words in both French and Arabic! Standard Arabic is the national language however; it is a written language only in Morocco. They don’t speak Standard Arabic - they speak Darja or Moroccan Arabic. In addition there are 3 Berber dialects. So our Program manager speaks one dialect and our House Manager another. They could not communicate with these dialects alone so they speak in French or English. It is very confusing the language! The hard ‘h’ I cannot seem to pronounce and I am not alone there!
Afternoon - spent some time on the computer with this blog and doing some PRS work. FUN!
Evening plans…Think I’ll just hang around tonight. I am kind of tired and don’t feel much like venturing
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Resource Room out this evening. I have to walk down to the Acima (like a grocery) soon to get my passport copied. We are supposed to keep a copy with us.
I have added some pix’s of the CCS house so you can see where I am living…
Beslama (goodbye)
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mike wagener
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charity
so cool, so wonderful! I am inspired with each email from you!