Today I volunteered at Hogar de Cuna. Rather than orphanage, probably a better description is "children's home." It for kid 0 - 6 who either didn't have a responsible adult to care for them, or the government removed them from their families due to neglect or safety reasons. One of the babies was only 3 weeks old. The children are looked after by three full time caregivers known as "Las Tias" (the Aunts), along with a part time nurse, a teacher, and a psychologist. The kids were taking a nap when I arrived so from 12:30 - 2:30 I gave the ladies a break by helping with laundry and cleaning. Then I helped give the kids a snack and hung out with them until I left at 3:30.
Funniest moment here in Costa Rica so far:
A 5-year-old girl is "braiding" my hair, while I sit on the floor. Our conversation is all in Spanish, that is Spanish on her part and broken Spanish from me.
I ask "Que color es mi pelo?" (What color is my hair?)
Her answer "Blanco" (White)
"No, mi piel es blanco, pero que color es mi pelo? (No,my skin is white, but what color is my hair?)
She pokes the top of my head and reiterates "Blanco" (I'm thinking she's referring to my scalp)
I grab some of my hair, lift it up and say "Es café" (Brown).
She pulls a few strands of my hair down in front of my eyes.
OH NOW I UNDERSTAND. YES ALTHOUGH INSTEAD OF BLANCO, MAYBE SHE SHOULD HAVE SAID "GRIS" (Grey). Yes kiddo, you are correct :-)