The Annual Easter Egg Hunt

The yearly Egg Hunt recently took place at the orphanage. About 150 plastic, candy-filled eggs were hidden for the younger half of kids, and then 150 more for the older kid group. It starts with all of the kids huddled in the doorway of their dining room ...they all got green easter bags with jellybeans and tootsie pops ...then we open the door and they head to the patio, basketball court, volleyball court and field for the hunt. Here they are waiting for us to open the door.

Stampedeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!
Run!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Jaury and Winston

Marianny, Raileni and Raisa

Rachel helping Luz Maria ...who found a few eggs, but did NOT want them going in her bag!

The older kids watching the little kids hunt

Hunting in the field

Luz Maria looking a little confussed about the whole thing

...enjoying both of her suckers at once

Jennifer eating M&Ms

Easter Events ...

After our Easter Egg hunt at the orphanage, volunteers paired up with a kid to participate in a few contests to win some extra Easter candy. Here is everyone starting to line up in the field for the 3 legged race.

pairing up for the 3 legged race

ready ... set ...
go!

GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

next event- wheel barrow race

the kids walked on their hands down, and switched with their volunteer partner for the way back.

A few pics from last week

Is it Christmas in March? Carmelo fashions this lovely winter sweater during arts and crafts time last week. He is holding up the frame of a kite he was building.

Luz Maria coloring
Domingo trying to get a pic with his older brother, Ariel

Jose Luis

Semana Santa Week

Last week for semana santa (holy week, when all kids in the DR are off from school) we went to a neighborhood about 45 minutes outside of Monte Cristi to put on a camp for the kids who live there, and normally don't have activities or much of anything going on in their area. We had 2 volunteer groups working with us- New York University and a high school from New York.

Here are some of the volunteers and kids cheering during the 3 legged race.

Parachutte
Bus ride on ther way there ...pasa la botella

More outdoor games

One of the little girls Jazmin wanted to take back with us ...

Face Painting

Sack Races

Richard, our bus driver, and Jazmin

Story time

some kids from the Green group

Unhappy Camper

another pic of Luz Maria ...not too happy about the Lei someone dressed her up in

Luz Maria

Luz Maria and I ...age 2 ...she is starting to talk a lot more lately!

new kids in town

Cristofer having fun with Eric's kids ....Eric and his family have been here 3 weeks and plan to stay long term ...the Dominican kids seem to be having a good time with the new American kids living on the property!

Victor and Sara making some nice fish lips
Cristofer attacking Victor with the new favorite toy around the orphanage-- a giant stuffed dragon

Food

The Friday lunch buffet put on by Comedor Adela

Recent pics from the orphanage

Jennifer and I with the giant notebook

Marcos, Jennifer and Edwin
Dominican side of the Dominican vs American volleyball game

Jump Rope on the patio

Joanni styles a volunteer's hair

Jessica in Sunday curlers

Marcos, Ariel and Raileni

Domingo in shades

Jose Luis in shades

Independence Day in the DR

Feb 27th-- Leonel and Cristopher (2 kids from the orphanage but also in our English 2 class) carry the DR flag in the morning parade.

Jose Luis and Jessica (also from the orphanage, and also in the English 2 class) carry the Orphanage Outreach flag. Followed by them were about 80 volunteers wearing their Orphanage Outreach shirts.
Rafael walked with his school in the parade, carrying a ribbon pyramid

We had an Independence Day dinner under the new pavilion with all of the volunteers and orphanage kids that night

2 of our Sring interns, Shannon and Rachel, and I at the dinner

Luis and Bryan getting ready to eat ...

eating ... chicken

Toothless Raileni and I

Jazmin and Nicol at the dinner

Marianny and I with some of the decorations from the dinner

Our English 2 students performed the CHA CHA SLIDE (Red class facing the Blue class) at the Monte Cristi Independence Day assembly. Here they are during the part of the song that says "FREEZE"

More of their performance .... get LOW!!!