Laughing Has No Language

Today I woke up at 6:00am to experience the community in the way I know best; running. I gathered a few other people together and we took off through the town. As we weaved past a variety of people, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the mountains and the scenery. Running is a great way to let my mind go blank and be present. Although the sweat rolled down my back about 2 seconds in, I enjoyed every minute of the 4 miles. Next, we headed to the orphanage that’s run by Hearts In Motion. There we got to play with 10 children between the ages of 1 and 6 as well as 6 kids that were a bit older than that. The thing that stunned me the most is that kids are kids regardless of where they grow up. We had to break up numerous fights over toys and tell the young ones to share. Oh and nap time was a struggle just as it is anywhere else. The bottom line? Kids are kids whether they’re in a mansion or in an orphanage and I loved that bridge between us. For lunch, we helped the sweet older ladies in the kitchen make tortillas! As simple as this task seemed, let me just tell you it is not that easy. My tortilla came out quite uneven and oval with lumpy chunks throughout. Although Nancy smiled at me and said “bueno”, I saw her laugh when she turned around. It was so cute to watch her laugh and joke with me as I continued to fail with my hand patting motion. Eventually she showed the other lady, Sarrah, my tortillas and they laughed together. I loved it. After lunch the younger children went down for a nap and we went out back to play with the older children. Some of us started to paint and let me just tell you these kids are not only smart, but very artistic. I decided to make a picture of a sunset and half way through I looked over and noticed Pablo was copying my exact drawing. He smiled at me and said it was beautiful. It was certainly the best form of flattery. Eventually the day came to a close and we said our goodbyes. We hugged each kid and gave them all the toys and clothes we had brought. They were so appreciative and sweet. When Pablo asked if we would be coming back, I felt terrible to say no... still, he gave us one last smile and sent us on our way. I enjoyed the simple tasks of today and the impact time has on young souls. The act of playing and communicating is sometimes the best gift you can give. Even I felt so loved and happy when spending time with the children. We constantly laughed and made fun of each other even though we didn’t have a clue what the other was actually saying. As we drove back to the hotel, I couldn’t help but think about how similar we all are in this world. No matter where you go laughing is laughing and loving is loving. It has no language barrier.