Vamos a la playa

Summer is almost over for the kids, with school starting again soon. I had only one boy in my English class today, but he did really well, despite the rest of the boys playing crazily all around us. It was amazing we could hear each other at all...
After that we all got ready and went to the beach for about two hours. It was late in the afternoon, so I could handle the sun without getting too red. Ran into the girls there too, but they quickly got separated from the boys to another part of the beach. It's not often they get to interact with each other, except during celebrations.

I love to see the kids being free to be kids away from the tall walls of the orphanage. Some of the boys were catching fish by using anything they could find on the beach, cloth or plastic bags and a broken bucket... Brought back fun childhood memories of me doing the same in Sweden, but with my butterfly catcher. Others were diving in the big ocean waves. My favorite part of the day was when one of the workers dropped a wet, shivering little 4 year old, wrapped up in a towel in my lap. I got to snuggle with him until he got warm.
We also found a tangled up fishing net someone had dumped on the beach. The kids and I dug through it for crabs. One of the workers was going to eat them for dinner when she go home... No health department regulations here. I was a little nervous on her behalf, since we don't know how long they had been sitting in the sun, but she brushed me off and said they were OK to eat.
 
There are 3 little round pools on the beach, and the water is warmer and cleaner than in the ocean. The ocean here is actually pretty polluted due to all the fishing boats fishing close to the shore. I really loved watching the older boys help the little ones in the water. It's great to see them behave as a family and look out for each other. I hope they will grow up and take care of their own children, so they won't end up in orphanages and continue the cycle.

Went to the movies tonight and had a hot dog for dinner, wondering if I will regret that bold move...
There is a party on my street, so I'm shutting all my windows and plugging my ears hoping I will get some sleep before the daylight is here again.