Wait Mode is Difficult
Our interpreter left for Kiev yesterday and we are on our own. We are barely able to negotiate living here as not a soul speaks any English. Yesterday two old ladies walked by and started talking to me in Italian. Surprisingly I understood them, thank you Pimsleur Italian I tapes. If only I listened to the Russian / Ukranian tapes. This language is difficult to learn as 99% of all words make no sense to me. To see it written or to hear it is completely foreign to me. I find it hard to even memorize the simplest words where Italian seemed to easy. Because of this we both find ourselves almost complete idiots trying to communicate. I should have brushed up on my mime-ing skills or gestures. They are barely getting us by. I am getting good at pointing like a two year old.
The weather here is around 50 to 55 degrees, and we spend most of our time playing with the kids in their makeshift playground. Slide, steel thing with rings attached, a building to bounce balls off, and a mini race track to run around. It is becoming increasingly difficult to come up with new games to entertain the kids with. Our day starts with us going to the doctor's office to sign them out. Then we take them to the playground and open our "pink" bag. They recognize this bag and head straight for it. This bag contains all our "bribes". Chocolate, gummy bears, cookies, orange juice, apples, bananas, plus the occasional toy. I fear that without our pink bag we would be in a bit of a mess. After we engorge them with our bribes its off to a vigorous game of Slide where Alex shouts the names Spiderman, Batman and Superman (in an Italian accent). Each of these super heroes is a signal to me to throw him up in the air on one of 3 styles. It makes me feel 800 years old on my back but it must be done. I tried to tempt him with lesser known super heroes like the ever popular "Library Man" (he just sits quite and reads). He didn't take to that one as much. So I tried getting him to emulate the Indestructable "Sit Down quietly and Color Man". Nope. So it was back to the original three. My back screamed in delight. I think I will need to get back into the gym to keep up with these two.
With Nikki it is easier, she is lighter, I can lift her up into the tree branches which she seems to love. She has taken to heights quite well as befits her stature at the orphanage. We were told that she is extremely popular here. One day we brought in food for her entire group of 11 kids and she stood there in all of her two foot frame barking out unintelligable orders (at least to me) and handing out individual items to her crew. Once she finished it was off to her room to change into her evening wear. She came prancing out with a new outfit and seemed quite taken with herself and her accomplishements. It is hilarious to watch he strut around like she owns the place. All the other kids seem very shy. Not her.
I'll sign off for now.
Cliff
The weather here is around 50 to 55 degrees, and we spend most of our time playing with the kids in their makeshift playground. Slide, steel thing with rings attached, a building to bounce balls off, and a mini race track to run around. It is becoming increasingly difficult to come up with new games to entertain the kids with. Our day starts with us going to the doctor's office to sign them out. Then we take them to the playground and open our "pink" bag. They recognize this bag and head straight for it. This bag contains all our "bribes". Chocolate, gummy bears, cookies, orange juice, apples, bananas, plus the occasional toy. I fear that without our pink bag we would be in a bit of a mess. After we engorge them with our bribes its off to a vigorous game of Slide where Alex shouts the names Spiderman, Batman and Superman (in an Italian accent). Each of these super heroes is a signal to me to throw him up in the air on one of 3 styles. It makes me feel 800 years old on my back but it must be done. I tried to tempt him with lesser known super heroes like the ever popular "Library Man" (he just sits quite and reads). He didn't take to that one as much. So I tried getting him to emulate the Indestructable "Sit Down quietly and Color Man". Nope. So it was back to the original three. My back screamed in delight. I think I will need to get back into the gym to keep up with these two.
With Nikki it is easier, she is lighter, I can lift her up into the tree branches which she seems to love. She has taken to heights quite well as befits her stature at the orphanage. We were told that she is extremely popular here. One day we brought in food for her entire group of 11 kids and she stood there in all of her two foot frame barking out unintelligable orders (at least to me) and handing out individual items to her crew. Once she finished it was off to her room to change into her evening wear. She came prancing out with a new outfit and seemed quite taken with herself and her accomplishements. It is hilarious to watch he strut around like she owns the place. All the other kids seem very shy. Not her.
I'll sign off for now.
Cliff
posted by Judy @ 4:53 AM
1 Comments:
At 8:42 AM,
Silver Paladin said…
Yes, games for little kids. Well, it's great to run around and burn off some energy, but after there should be some games which involve lots of singing, which will be more one on one intellectually and also teach them a few english words.
An old standby of ours is Itsty Bitsy Spider. You make the motions of the spider and at the end you tickle them. They will go wild, learn a new song with english words and I'm sure bring it back to thier friends.
Another good game is the paddy cake one, and to make it more exiting is to see how fast you can do the hand and knee claps.
If you can't think up little kid songs I'm sure the other parents here can write some down for you.
Sounds like you have two typical kids there. Just like David and Stephanie when they were that age! I would just LOVE to hear Cliff sing Itsty Bitsy Spider lol!
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