Miranda's Mommy

The definition of jet lag = being wide awake at 2am and not being able to turn off your mind. Yes, I spent several hours wide awake in the middle of the night. Then I finally fell asleep and overslept in the morning! Dad said he was awake at the same time, too.

This morning we went to Miranda's house and as soon as she saw me she raised her arms so I would pick her up! Some language is universal!

One of the little girls was fascinated by dad's beard and kept touching it. We tried to see if Miranda would touch his beard but she wasn't too sure about that!

We went with Miranda to her pre-school class today. There were 15 children ranging in age from 2 to 4 or 5. They started with singing (with varied amounts of participation from the kids). Miranda clapped her hands but did not do too much singing. Then the teacher taught them different colors in English. The teacher asked them to find items in the room that were different colors. One little boy came over to me and pointed out that I had a green shirt one. Then some of the kids realized that Dad and I had blue eyes and seemed quite fascinated with that. Miranda is one of the youngest children and is a little shy. Some of the others were more outgoing and loved to get attention from us. I sat on the floor during playtime and my lap was always full. The kids were pushing each other to be able to sit with me.

We did some grocery shopping today so we would have supplies for the next 2 weeks. The orphanage is definitely off the beaten path - it took about 40 minutes to get to the grocery store. Dad has been trying to learn the directions and is frustrated that the roads to the orphanage are not on any map (nor do they have names or road signs).

The orphanage is next to a game reserve and we saw a giraffe up on the hill when we came back from shopping! Dad also saw a reebok (and no, not a shoe) when he was walking to our lodge. The wildlife is definitely a little more exotic than we're used to :)

This afternoon we went to play with Miranda and a whole group of kids rushed up to tell us where she was. We were excited because they were calling me 'mommy' but then some of them were calling dad 'mommy' too! I guess it is a little hard for them to know what the title really means. As soon as Miranda saw me she gave a big smile and lifted her arms to be picked up.

We played at our lodge and Miranda seemed a little hesitant at first. She would snuggle in my lap and look all around with big eyes. We played ball and were clapping whenever she threw it. Soon she was clapping for herself, too. Grandpa gave her a cup of cut-up grapes and that was a big hit! She was very deliberate and only took one at time but she ate them all. By the time we started playing with blocks she was much more animated and talkative. Unfortunately, our Zulu is still non-existent so we have no idea what she said.

When we went back to her house she started walking up the hill. However, when I stopped and held out my hands she quickly decided to be carried. I certainly got a good workout as it is a pretty steep hill and it is quite hot. I will be in better shape when we return :)