I was back in the Castle of Miracles for my shift this morning. Karina, Kate, and I were there to help children make pillows or give stars to the Star Fairy. As I was helping another family find their star on the ceiling of the Star Tower, I realized why the whole thing is so important to the people who come to GKTW. The stars are a lasting piece of all the sick children who have stayed in the Village. They will forever be there hanging on the Castle’s ceiling. Later, a woman came in to find her son’s star from six years ago. It was still in the same place and his name was still clearly written. Seeing her only solidified the importance of this small part of GKTW.
About 30 minutes later, a father came in with his three children. I helped his son, Mitchell, give his star to the Star Fairy and make a pillow. Afterwards, I played with his children for an hour and a half. We started by playing on the slide. This morphed into us playing house. Emily, the youngest girl, was my mom/ was the princess and I was her daughter/ knight. I didn’t completely understand her thought process, but that didn’t matter. Then, Mitchell decided he was a swarm of killer bees and we had to run from him. I was “killed” by bees at least ten times. Next, the oldest sister, Katelyn, joined in and we all played tag. I have no idea how children have so much energy! Though I loved playing was those three adorable kids, I was relieved to get a break after they left!
In preparation for our shift tonight, the group decided to learn the Hoedown Throwdown. At all the previous evening parties, this song has been played and our group has awkwardly struggled through the dance moves. This afternoon, Sarah J., Nana, and I got to work and learned the whole dance. It was so much fun and we were really anxious to show off our new moves!
Tonight’s themed party was Kid’s Night Out. Parents can drop off their children for a few hours and take a break. Afterwards was the Village Idol Competition. In theory, the volunteers for Kid’s Night Out are supposed to be matched up with a child one-on-one. However, because of a low turnout, Sarah K., Sarah J., and I did not have kids to play with. Instead of being down, we decided to have fun anyway. When helping serve dinner, we made up cheers for the French fries and danced around like fools. Sarah J. also found herself a boyfriend. A young boy named T.K. had the biggest crush on her!
After dinner, our group traveled to the theater to watch Village Idol. In addition to our group, several kids came with their families to participate in the show. Before the competition started, we KU students opened the show with a stunning performance of the Hoedown Throwdown. Admittedly, we did an awful job, but we all had such a great time! When the show started, we cheered on all the performers and held up signs like “Good Job” or “10!!” At the end, the judges announced that all the performers were winners and streamers shot from the ceiling. As we were helping clean up the streamers, Scott and Shandi started doing rhythmic gymnastics around the theater. It was so much fun!
I was really sad to return back to our housing tonight. We found and killed several cockroaches around our dormitory today (My room is pictured on the left). It was disgusting! During our reflection, many of us said our housing situation was our low of the day.
High: Playing with Emily, Mitchell, and Katelyn this morning. They were all so spirited and giggly! Had I not helped Mitchell make his star, I would have not known which child was sick. However, thinking that Mitchell has some form of illness is really sad! I pray that he continues to be healthy and full of energy.
Low: During reflection, Nana called us all out. She said that she was saddened by how much our group complained about our housing situation. Yes, our water is really hard and smells like sulfur. But in Ghana, her family went for three days completely without water. We are all incredibly lucky to be able to be here in Florida volunteering at such an amazing place.
Bucket Filling: Sarah J. did an awesome job tonight playing with T.K. He was very shy at the beginning of the night and didn’t want to play with anyone. She helped him come out of his shell and have a good time. Later, when he wasn’t feeling well, she cheered him up. Also, a big high five to Nana! Though she embarrassed us all, she helped us remember that this trip is not really about our unfortunate housing at all. It is about making children feel special and giving them a wonderful vacation!
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