Today was the day! We finally got to start volunteering!! Because our first shift was not until after 5:00 this evening, we all slept in and recovered from our tiring road trip and shopping experiences. We found out that we are only half a mile from Give Kids the World Village (GKTW) so I decided to take a walk and see what the property looked like from the road. Though I couldn’t see much, I did see a lot of bright colored buildings and was anxious to see the rest.
We arrived at the Village that evening having no idea what to expect. Our group was split into several different shifts. Two people went to the Castle, two people went to the carousel, and the remaining five of us were assigned for Candyland. Though we had no clue what that meant, we were excited to get started. At first, few people told us what to do. One man was around us gathering materials but denied our multiple offers to help. Finally, we were given instructions to push carts carrying snow cone and cotton candy machines to Matthew’s Boundless Playground. 
The playground was incredible! It was not only huge, but was a life size Candyland board. There was the Candy Cane Forest, an Ooey Gooey Swamp, and a path of colored spaces. We helped unpack a closet full of more giant sized games. There was a checkers board with pieces bigger than plates and Jenga blocks the size of bricks. Though we still didn’t know what exactly we would be doing, seeing all these materials really piqued our curiosity. Finally, a lady name Monai explained Candyland to us.
The Candyland party was one of the nightly themed parties hosted by GKTW. While there, families can play life-sized games, make gingerbread houses, and be pieces in a game of Candyland. My job was to help with the giant game of Jenga. I would play with kids while we carefully tried to remove the large wooden blocks. The most fun part of the evening was when the tower would get to a point that removing blocks was nearly impossible. Then I would look at the kids and ask if they just wanted to knock the tower over. The excitement in their eyes at this proposition was so comical. One little girl, Alexandra, would build towers of her own just to knock them over. We had a lot of fun, and I learned that the more outgoing I was toward the children, the more friendly and open they were are with me. The two hours we spent throwing that party were incredibly fun. I was not worried about getting sweaty or if my hair was messed up. All that mattered was that a group of children were able to ecstatically play a handful of childhood games.
Tonight we all sat around the kitchen table and shared our experiences from the day. We shared our high points, low points, and “filled buckets.” Bucket filling is complimenting members of the group on something they did well that day. The goal is to fill everyone’s bucket as much as possible and not dip from anyone’s bucket. I hope to share my highs and lows from every day here on the blog. We also decided shifts for tomorrow. I will be working in the Castle in the morning and helping with Halloween tomorrow night.
High: Actually, my high today was Shandi’s high. She was working in the Castle and had the opportunity to meet a family with quadruplets. Their father lined each of them up by the wishing well and handed them pennies. He then explained that they would have to think of their wish really hard and throw their penny into the well. Afterwards, the four children shared their wishes, and begged their dad to say what he wished for. He responded, “My wish is that one day I will have four college graduates.” The gravity of this statement weighed heavily on all us; it was a real reality check. We are all so fortunate as to be able to be healthy enough to attend college. Some children never even live that long.
Low: My low came this morning. After two long days of being in the car, I really wanted to get out and get working. Having to sit around and wait for our 5:00 shift made me really restless. I have to admit, I was not in a very pleasant mood because I just wanted to do something.
Bucket Fill: Today, I would like to fill Nana’s bucket. She put aside her inhibitions and danced the Cha-Cha Slide and the Cupid Shuffle with a large group of children. It was incredibly cute and the children were very happy.
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