A better day

Today was a much better day. I think I just needed time to process what I saw, smelled and felt yesterday and having done that I'm feeling much better. I truly believe the orphanage is doing the best it can with the resources they have. The kids are darling and they get bathed everyday and they have clean clothes to put on, that alone is saying something.

Tad told me it was fine to bring back souvenirs but not to bring any children home with me. I told him I wouldn't but it's going to be harder than I thought. There was a French couple at the orphanage today and they are adopting a little boy. It was so precious and I can tell they will be a wonderful little family. They came to hold him and play with him as they wait for paperwork to get finished so basically he's on layaway. I don't know what the time line is but they said they would be back tomorrow and I'm looking forward to seeing them again.

When we were outside one of the older kids, a young boy maybe eight or nine years old, was being a little ornery and this worker hit him upside the head, knocked him down and put her foot on his upper back/shoulder when he was on the ground. I so wanted to do the same thing to her but I just gave her the stink-eye instead. This culture is so different from ours. Some of the things that are unacceptable or even illegal in the US are not just tolerated here but accepted.

As I'm typing this "call to prayer" just started. It reminds me of the "noon whistle" in Stockton when I was growing up except it happens five times a day. The first time I heard it I thought there must be cattle nearby and one of them must be stuck in a mud hole. Wrong. That guy's throat has to be sore.

Okay, I digressed, sorry. After we finished working Sandrine and I went back to the medina. We actually took the bus instead of a taxi and it was quite an experience. When we got on it wasn't too crowded but we still had to stand. By the time we arrived at the medina it was body to body and no Right Guard was on duty. I told Sandrine that I didn't know how much more my sniffer could take.

I've lost my connection several times since I started this post but luckily it saved to draft so I didn't have to start over. I'm going to go ahead and get this posted before the internet goes down again. Good night.
P.S. - Tad, please water the plants and feed Mulligan. LY