Monday, January 29, 2007

Morning at the Hogar

Today I went to the Hogar, like I do. There weren’t many girls there because some of them were at camp. I brought out the new books and the few girls that were around came to see what I had. They kept saying things like “Prity” and “qué linda.”

They took what they wanted to read and I took a couple to read to the two new girls, sisters Sinilda, 10, and Maria Isabel, 7. Neither have been to school. There’s a bit more information about them on Tía Sue’s site, which I highly recommend because of her story on her trip to Manchuca.

I read “La aventura pirata de Dora” to them first with the help of Enibeth. She likes to take turn reading pages with me. After a bit, however, it was just Sinilda and me. Enibeth and Maria Isabel ran off to create their own adventure. So I read more stories to Sinilda. Afterwards, as we were chatting, she told me she had been at the home for two days. Turns out she’d been there since Wednesday. She doesn’t have any concept of counting. I told her next week we can start learning the letters to her name so she can write it. We’ll work on handwriting because I learned she can’t write, then I’ll read more to her. I want go over numbers with her as well. So much to do and so little time. I’m sorry I’m only at the hogar once a week. She’s very sweet and quiet, right now anyway.

Next week I’ll have Padre Mickey post pictures of the newly painted hogar. A couple of weeks ago, some of the students from Instituto Episcopál San Cristóbal were there painting. I wanted to go back with the camera to take pictures but got wrapped up in schoolwork. Now the painting is done and it looks really nice. They added some cute flowers around the bottom of the walls. “¡Prity! as the girls say when they like something.

Count down: Padre Mickey comes home tomorrow night! Yippee!!

3 comments:

episcopalifem said...

Glad to hear Dora was a hit with the girls.

It's good to be reminded that the world is so very different then here in many places. When my kids are bogged down with homework, and crying, etc., and I feel frustrated, I need to be thankful that going to school and having homework is part of everyday life for them.

Anonymous said...

The girls were really funny with Dora. It's bilingual in the way you mentioned. She says "Let's go" and "come on" instead of "vamanos." But with "come on" they wanted to say "co-meh on." "Come" means "eat," which made no sense at all in the context of the story. One girl insisted on reading the word as "co-meh" until I carefully explained that it was English.

episcopalifem said...

LOL! Eat on, baby! That sounds like my kind of party! Bring out the chips!

Dora's cool.

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