Tia

Ola Friends,

Today I became a "tia." In Portuguese and Spanish "tia" means aunt and that is what all of the helpers are called. The first couple of days I wasn't bestowed with this lovely title; I was simply Sarah. However, today one of the girls came up to me and addressed me by it. Warmth filled my heart and soon all around me, outside when we were playing, I heard "Tia!" as many different kids tried to get my attention to toss the ball with them. I am lucky enough to help with the four to six year old group and they are just plain adorable. All of them are full of energy and love. When we sit in story time half of them suck their thumbs and giggle as Lila, one of the main story tellers, delights them with a story. As for today we had many activities. None of the teachers showed up due to the bus strike so it was all hands on deck to entertain the 30 children that came. First we had a coloring contest. I colored along with the girls and taught them how to say a few colors in English. Then I had the hard task of having to choose just one as the winner when they all were holding up their prized colored pictures and smiling away with anxious faces. After that we played games and ran around for a bit before story time and games. Then was lunch which consisted of rice and beans and chicken. I learned a new phrase during this time, "Senta!" which means "sit down!" because it seems like some of the kids were not interested in the meal. After I waved goodbye as the kids were picked up by their parents or started to walk home. We haven't been able to have a full day of class, complete with both shifts, because of the bus strike. Next week we are going to start a type of summer camp for the kids, which is a bit ironic considering it is winter here. It is basically like a VBS complete with art and crafts and story time, except we will have a theme for each day. I'm really excited about this, as are the children. Keep me in your prayers!

Love,

The Newly Dubbed Tia