Time to say Goodbye to our children at the Orphanage :(

We leave Arusha tonight on our flights home so we thought we would try to get up at least one more blog, about the children at our orphanage.

The time has flown by so quickly.  Our routine of going to the Orphanage to be with the children each day had become familiar and comfortable.  The Children have taught us so much. Last week was our last day at the orphanage and we had to say goodbye

We arranged to have a little party lunch, since it is was our last day.   We saw the children have porridge for lunch one day, but not like we have at home, it is thinner and they drank it from of a cup.  Another  day we saw the House Mama burning the feathers off one of her chickens that they had just slaughtered so we know they eat chicken as well, just not a lot of it.  We brought bananas and cookies for snacks throughout our weeks here.  It is fun to watch the children take apart a cremed filled cookie just as the kids at home take apart an oreo cookie.

On our last day we brought peanut butter and banana sandwhiches, fruit juice, cookies and lolly pops.  Some of the kids don't know how to eat a sandwhich they pull them apart, dunk them in their juice, or pull off the banana pieces.

Every day when we have left before we have had said Kesho (tomorrow), on our last day we used the word "Kwa Heri" for good bye.  Aichi, our House Manager wrote us a note in Swahili so the Mama who owns the orphanage could tell the children how much we have enjoyed getting to know them and thanking them for sharing their time with us.  The note also explains we have to go back to our family in Canada.

We brought a world map for the classroom and have showed them where we live and where Tanzania is located.  These kids really only travel back and forth to school (the younger ones don't even go to school) so I believe the geographical distance between us is lost of them.

Saying good bye was very sad for Emma and I.  It is different for these children, volunteers popping into their lives for 3 weeks or 3 months is a way of life for them.  They take the news well as I am sure they knew it was coming.  

After Mama read the note, we had them line up for a picture.  Mama must have explained it is a party because they start singing Happy Birthday!!  It was very sweet.

They ate, we played frisbee, skipped, chased balls, pushed them on the swings, trying not to think about the fact this will be the last time we see them.

Here are some pictures of the children throughout our time at the orphanage

xo Julia and Emma