Special Invite

From time to time, some of the Dreamers get invited to different parties and celebrations. Usually, if all of the Dreamers aren’t able to go, it’s the older three that get to go. This time, the four youngest Dreamers, Joel, Fernando, Isaura, and Juan Daniel received an invite to a birthday party.

The four youngest after the party.

The barber/stylist that cuts the Dreamers’ hair has a little son. And for his son’s second birthday, He and his wife were planning a costume party and decided that they wanted to invite some of the Dreamers to come.

The kids had a good time getting all dressed up, and an even better time playing and meeting new friends at the party.

Romon

Are My Parents Bad People?

“Are my parents drunk?”

This is the question I was faced with this past week while spending some time talking with Juan Daniel.

The Dreamers rarely ever talk or even ask about their parents. So when Juan Daniel asked me this question, I was a little surprised. Trying to buy time to come up with a correct response, I asked him where he got that idea from. “Benancio.” he responded. (For those of you who don’t know, Juan Daniel and Benancio are brothers.)
I sat them both down to have a conversation about the topic. I was honest. “I don’t know if your parents are drunks or not. And neither do either of you.”

“Do you even remember your parents?” I asked. They both shook their heads, acknowledging that they didn’t. “Well then you can’t say that they’re drunks, can you?”

“No,” Benancio replied.

“But are they bad people?” Benancio then asked me.

For a moment I wasn’t sure what to say, but I quickly gathered my thoughts. “Let’s not focus on if they are bad people or if they are drunks. Let’s think of some good things to say about your parents. Let’s assume they are good people. What are some good things you could say about your parents?”

“That they are smart,” Juan Daniel replied.

“That’s a good one, Juan Daniel,” I responded. “What about you, Benancio?”

He thought for a while before finally responding, “My dad is handsome and my mom is pretty.”
We all agreed that that was a good one, too.

I went on to explain to the boys that sometimes things go wrong in life, and that no matter how it looks or feels, we should always try and give people the benefit of the doubt. They thought that was a good idea, and agreed to talk about their parents positively from here on out.

Please pray for the Dreamers and staff alike. Pray that the staff will be able to respond clearly and correctly when questions like this come up in the future. And pray that the Dreamers will be receptive and open minded of the responses to their questions.

Romon

Kindergarten Graduation 2012

Our kindergarteners had their graduation last week. Yeah! We are so proud of them!

Can you recognize: Fernando, Isaura, Joel, and Juan Daniel in this picture?

How precious they are in their caps and gowns!

The day of the ceremony the second graders had a special song for the graduates to officially welcome them into grade school.

Jhamil, Jose Luis, Benancio, and Emelin getting lined up to present their number with the kindergarteners sitting on the stage behind them.

Congratulations graduates!

- Angie

Pics at School and Some Fun Facts

Because everyone (me included) loves the pictures…

A bright new year full of shining possibilities for Roberto and Emelin

Juan Daniel is swinging into the rhythm of school life

Joel, Juan Daniel, Isaura, and Fernando are proud to be part of the Kindergarten class

The looks on their faces are priceless

In the spirit of learning here are some fun facts for you:

• School is more commonly known as ‘el colegio’ [coh - LAY - hee-oh] here in Bolivia, rather than the more formal ‘la escuela’ as is used in some parts of the world.
• Most kids shorten the word to simply ‘cole’ [COH - lay]
• Teacher is ‘el profesor’ or ‘la profesora’
• The kids usually use the endearing form of these words and call their teacher ‘profe’ [PRO - fay]
• According to “Bolivia Bella” : About 87% of children attend primary schools, but only about 35% make it to high school.
• While classrooms in other parts of the world fill with pink, red, and white hearts on February 14th it’s just another day in Bolivia.
• Bolivia celebrates ‘El Día del Amor’ (the day of love) on September 21st.

- Angie

Home Alone

Last school year, Joel, Fernando, Isaura, Juan Daniel, Bridgit, Vladamir and Alicia stayed home all day because they were too young to go to school. This year, Joel, Fernando, Isaura, and Juan Daniel all started kindergarten. Brigit was adopted last year, and Vladi was adopted about a week ago. That leaves Alicia.

Alicia is now the lone Dreamer in the house during the day. Don’t feel sorry for her though, she is absolutely loving all the attention. She plays, colors and helps the morning tia with laundry and cleaning the house. She’s having a blast.

Please pray with us as we are hoping that Alicia will be adopted sometime soon in the very near future.

Romon

How was your first day?

Last Monday, February 6th, was the Dreamers first day back to school.

This year we have 15 Dreamers enrolled in school!

 

When they came home I asked a few how their first day went….

Isaura  (kindergarten) gave me a huge smile and a thumbs up!

 

Juan Daniel (kindergarten) said he likes his school and wants to go back.

 

Jhoselyn (third grade), said she was happy because she made a new friend.

 

-Marisol

 

Birthday Boy

Yesterday was a very special day at the House of Dreams. It was Juan Daniel’s 6th birthday! This marked his first birthday celebrated here with us at the House of Dreams. He was so excited and seemed to be loving all of the attention.

An excited Juan Daniel playing with Joel on his special day.

As you may have read on last Friday’s blog, Juan Daniel is our newest Dreamer. He will be entering into kindergarten this year and is the younger brother of Benancio.

Happy Birthday Juan Daniel!

Romon

A Long Way

Almost a year ago, Juan Daniel arrived at the House of Dreams. Understandably terrified, he barely said a word for weeks.  He played alone and mostly stayed in his room. At times, at bedtime he would cry for an hour or so. Needless to say, it was a pretty tough transition for this little guy.

As the staff at the HOD patiently waited, he slowly became acclimated. After a couple of weeks he began participating in small conversations. A little later, he would flash a smile here and there.

Juan Daniel going to bed with a smile on his face.

Today, Juan Daniel can be seen playing with the other Dreamers, and laughing and joking with the HOD staff. We are so grateful to have the opportunity to be able to help Juan Daniel have a better life and to be able to put a smile on his face.  It has been amazing to see this transformation take place, he has truly come a long way.

Please pray for a smooth transition for Juan Daniel as he starts kindergarten this year.

Romon

17 Resolutions

With it being a new year and all, I had a chance to sit down with the Dreamers and ask them what were their goals/resolutions for this year. Here is what they had to say:

Anne: “I want to be on the honor roll and be the best student.”

Isaura: “To eat.”

Benancio: “I want to go to school this year.”

Estefani: “To learn English.”

Jose: “I want to be older.”

Juan Daniel: “Go to school and start kindergarten.”

Yamil: “I want to learn something special.”

Shirley: “I want to grow taller and buy a cell phone.”

Jhoselyn: “This year, I want to go to the pool and learn how to swim.”

Some of the Dreamers enjoying some Christmas candy they received over the holidays.

Gabriel: “I want to be a better student in school.”

Jose Luis: “I want to make a dinosaur.”

Alicia: “I want my snack!”

Fernando: “I’m going to learn English in school this year. I’m going to kindergarten.”

Vladimir: “I want to have a birthday.”

Emelin: “I’m going to be good this year.”

Roberto: “I am going to learn how to play soccer better.”

These are the resolutions of our Dreamers! I’m hoping and praying that they are all able to reach their goals this year!

*Note: Joel was unable to answer because he decided to take an impromptu nap while we were having this conversation. We’ll have to ask him for his later.

What are your goals and resolutions for this year? Care to share?

Romon

Making new friends

“We are going to see our new friends!” shouted Fernando last Wednesday morning.  Our youngest dreamers recently had the opportunity to make new friends with children from another nearby orphanage to give the children from both homes an opportunity to grow in their socialization skills.

Juan Daniel playing with his new friend

Joel playing tag with his new friend

The first Wednesday playdate, the kids met at a local park, most were shy, but soon started playing together.  Last Wednesday, we invited their new friends over to the House of Dreams and were happy to play together.  Next Wednesday our young dreamers are invited over to their home for a morning of games.

With 3 dreamers starting kindergarten next year, I’m hoping that these playdates will give them to confidence to make new friends when they start school.

-Marisol