I spend my days working in the clinic and my nights spending time with the kids. Every morning I wake up with a smile because I know that I get to spend the day doing what I love. The kids are absolutely amazing and each one is so special. Special in a way that in only three short weeks these kids have changed my life forever. The little ones make me smile when they hold their cup of morning tea in both hands and blow on it like little adults. I just started drinking tea this year and these little five year olds have been drinking it practically since they were weaned off their mother's milk. The older ones work harder than any American teenagers I know, not only do they clean and cook but they also take care of the younger ones, doing their laundry and making sure they take a bath. That being said they are also normal teenagers, they have homework and they love music...... especially Justin Bieber!!!. They have taught me so much and they find it so funny when I try and do something they have been doing since before they could walk. The crowd that accumulates to watch me do my laundry or try and cook chapatis, is comical. But slowly I am getting better and faster and at least I am impressed by myself.......going to college will seem like a breeze after this.
It is not just the kids who have taught me so much but the staff as well. "Mom" and Mama Rosie have been so kind and caring to me. Taking me in as one of he kids but still respecting me as a young adult, by including me like they would each other. They take care of 55 kids everyday without complaint. Mama Rosie reminds me of my own Mother and I enjoy spending time with someone that feels so familiar. Like my own Mother she is amazingly strong and caring and loves every child like they were her own. Having a mother figure so close has helped me so much especially since I miss my own Mom immensely.
The biggest comfort though has been finding a friend. Grace is a fellow American and who is the nurse in the Rafiki clinic. Although she is 6 years older than me , she has embraced me as a peer and not as an annoying teenager, and has become a closes friend. She is the type of person I want to be after I have finished college. Understandably, I do sometimes feel alone, in a country where you are surrounded by new smells, sights, and sounds and so it is nice to find someone who can relate to the familiar smells, sights,and sounds of home. Working in the clinic with her has helped me confirm my goals in life and attending church on Sunday with her and the kids, has helped me reopen a door in my life that I had slowly been closing.
I am so thankful for the opportunity before me and I will continue to accept the challenges I face with a smile. It is funny but before coming to Rafiki I could have told you the exact week I was on of my trip and how many I have left to go, but now I wouldn't have even realized that I had reached the half way point of my trip if my Aunt Sara hadn't told me. Time flies when you are having fun. I still miss home everyday and it sometimes hurts to think about those I have left behind, but now I have people around me to help me through the tough times and make the good times even better. I am so thankful for my new rafikis at Rafiki.
Love Always,
Niamh
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