Posts

The Endeavoring

Image
  Welcome to season 2! Well, two months into it at least. Let's cover some of the highlights so far. When I came back in January, there was another houseparent in control of the house. She is a Bolivian, so she knows the culture and language much better than I do. The kids respect her more for that, and she doesnt let them get away with much. The first few weeks were vacations for them, until school started in February. A few of the older girls were staying with us until other housing situations could be settled (they try to keep the older and younger girls separate, because the age difference causes a lot of dissonance in the house). I had a really hard time with one older girl in particular. When I left on vacation a month prior, she was sweet and pretty much kept to herself. But when I came back in January, she was bossing around the little kids like nobody’s business. In fact, to a point I was uncomfortable with. She was the strictest, harshest person I had ever seen on the cam
Post a Comment
Read more

Interlude

Image
  So.   I’ve not posted here for two months. And I sometimes beat myself up for not posting more frequently. But honestly it might be because I have had difficulties, and I’m not sure if and how to convey my experiences to you. But at the same time, I also think that you should know that being a student missionary isn’t just the pretty pictures that you see on Instagram or on my blog. It’s also having to change overflowing poopy diapers, washing giant loads of piss-smelling clothes by hand for hours, getting lice from your kids, having all sorts of new infections and illnesses, dealing with four-year-olds screaming every night at 2 am, being called and needed by all ten of your kids at the same time, having people insinuate that you’re not good enough, and not always getting the time you need to feel okay. October through December were some of the hardest months for me in terms of responsibility, sleep, stress, and parenting. As the houseparent, I no longer have someone else to send th
Post a Comment
Read more

Grounding

Image
  Oh. My. Goodness. A lot has changed since I last talked to y’all. Before coming, I was told that I would have to get used to change. But man, I didn’t know that it would be THIS much change! When I got here, the houseparents in charge of my girls moved to another house on campus within a week of my arrival, and the big house where I live underwent major surgery. A big red brick wall was raised right down the middle of it to divide it into two halves—one for the younger girls, and one for the older girls. The adult daughter of the houseparents that left, a very capable Bolivian woman named Rosalia, stayed to be come the houseparent for the younger girls. I was just her house assistant who lived upstairs, a separate living quarters only for volunteers. After about a month, Rosalia had to leave due to familial circumstances, making me step up to be the other houseparent with Laura, another SM from Southern.   I want to pause and elaborate a little. There is a big difference between just
Post a Comment
Read more