The Orphanage

Okay, my most scariest experience in Morocco to date; the orphanage. Seriously, what was i thinking when i put my hand up for that? I mean, I know that kids scare me, so i then go and volunteer to work in an orphanage???

So anyway, i arrive there, and I'm asked first where i would like to work, the infants or the toddlers. I say the infants, because i figure they're pretty cute until they learn how to walk and talk, so they say great, then take me straight to the toddler's section. Huh?

Unfortunately the nurses in the toddlers section don't speak any english, and they're not terribly friendly either - i guess that if they've met one volunteer they've met them all. When I first arrived I was led to a small nursery with two rooms and 12 toddlers in it. Whilst I do think that the nurses were somewhat amused by the look of sheer panic on my face as I was surrounded by crying, sniveling toddlers all calling out 'mama', mama', and trying to all be picked up at once, they (the nurses) were soon yelling at me and waving their arms frantically, which i interpreted to mean that they wanted me to do something but i never did work out what exactly. Eventually I took a couple of the toddlers out to the garden, and tried to entertain them for 4 hours. Thank god there were other volunteers there, playing with their own toddlers, so i just tried to do what they did. I kind of thought that this would help me become more comfortable with kids, but I actually think that the opposite is happening. All of the kids seem to be a big puddle of drool and other less nice fluids for most of the time - i knew i should have been more suspicious when i was given a smock to protect my clothes when i got there!

It's actually pretty sad seeing all these kids here, they're just so desperate for love and the slightest bit of attention. The bedrooms are scary, all these tiny cots lined up like domino's. And the kids have the oldest eyes that just stare at you. I had to drag one little boy kicking and screaming back to the nursery when i left, and it was just heartbreaking 'cause i knew he wouldn't get out again for the rest of the day, just be stuck in this tiny little room with the others. Some of the older little girls - say about 6-9 - are beautiful, so incrededibly polite and quiet; if i was going to adopt any i'd adopt one of them. Somewhere in Darwin Damien just got a chill up his spine and doesn't know why ;)