It Has Been Awhile

So I wrote an extremely long e-mail and then it just got deleted so I am going to try and remember all that I wanted to say.
Yesterday I took my housemates to the orphanage at night and I had a really hard time with it. After the initial excitement of all the kids seeing me they ignored me and only talked to my roommates. It sounds really selfish but I just want to explain it. I spend every day with these kids; morning until night. IT IS HARD and draining. I see the good bad and the ugly. I get hit, spit on, peed on, pooped on, and kicked.

I have to break up fights and take care of these kids when they are sick and snotting all over my clothing. I have to help them when they are crying non-stop or when they cut their foot on glass. These kids also get angry at me very often. They have such trust issues that the littlest thing can push them over the edge. If one of the boys wants to use my phone and I tell him to wait because my parents are about to call he takes it personally and won't talk to me.Then I get my housemates who get to come and only get the good side of them. They get to get loved on and hugged and then go home and not come back until they want. I stood there alone as the kids swarmed them and I do understand but it was so hard for me.

As I was leaving one of the boys Emmanuel walked up to me and grabbed my hand. He just looked at me and said, "Don't be sad that we weren't talking to you because we know that tomorrow morning you will be here to see us and they will not". That is all that I needed to hear and the funny thing was that I wasn't acting sad or angry. I was still smiling and laughing because no good comes of showing that you are upset when you’re around these kids. But he knew that inside I was feeling down.

I have been spending a lot of time at the pitch (the football field). The boys have been on a funny school schedule because they were finishing up their final exams and so they would take me to their school (next to the pitch) and introduce me to all of their friends. Seth always jokes around with me by saying everyone in Labodi (part of Accra I live in) knows Claire. I really have made a lot of friends here, which is a good feeling.

My friend David works at the pitch because he is a manager of a football club. His co-manager, Rama, has convinced me to play for their girls football team. I told him that I am very bad at football but he just laughed and said don't be embarrassed most of the girls are not very good and I'll teach you. He is a really nice guy but I don't think he realizes what he has just gotten himself into.

Leaving the orphanage for a full week is going to be hard. I am so excited for my parents and Lizz to come but it will be challenging to take that much time away from the kids. Everything else is good. I am not sure when I will write next because my family comes Sunday!!!!