let them eat cake

Well, guess who got malaria?

Yep, those pesky little mosquitoes got me. But don't worry I'm all better now. A few pills and I was good to go! Getting malaria here is like getting the flu in America. It's kinda no big deal. Carolyn told me she's had it 7 times in the 8 months she's lived here!

So Saturday we had a birthday party here at Susana Homes for Emmanuel. Who's Emmanuel you ask? I have no idea. Apparantly people are fascinated with this orphanage (this kind of nice care for kids is a super rare thing in Nigeria), so they come by not only to give stuff, but just to tour it and be amazed. And then some, like Emmanuel, have their birthday parties here. Chi has tried to explain it to us confused Americans by comparing Susana Homes to Disney World. She says they're kind of equivalent here. HA. Funny stuff.

But nobody really minds the fascination because it means more attention and positive light. And let me tell you, this birthday party was awesome. There was cake. There was dancing. There was cake. There were games. There was cake. There was lunch. There was cake. There were goody bags. Did I mention there was cake? (me and my team mates have kinda gone nuts over here for dessert since Nigerians never eat anything sweet. we were talking about the possibility of cake ALL week...) Oh yes, there was cake. SO much cake. They had this giant Pooh Bear cake which was practically two and a half cakes and then a whole other one that they didn't even cut into! And only a third of the Pooh cake was eaten.... guess who got to keep all of the cake leftovers? :) We've been eating cake like 24/7 now. I'll probably be 20 pounds heavier by the time I get home. I have to say though, Nigerian cake is different then American cake. It's kinda like a dry pound cake-- it's not fluffy and moist. And then their icing is really dry. Or they use fondint- that stuff is really popular here. But I'm not complaining or anything..... but if someone wants to get me a welcome home cake.... I don't think I'd be too upset ;)

So, can I please tell you how amazing the kids are here? I am so blown away bythem. Last year at Amani, since it was a baby cottage, I didn't really get a chance to see how older kids function in an orphanage setting day in and day out. Let me tell you, these kids work ridiculously hard. It would break your heart to see how much they serve the younger kids. They're always helping getting kids dressed, getting meals ready, consoling crying babies. They are so great. I seriously don't think most American kids would work this hard. One of my team mates, Jasmine, came up with a great idea to have a devotional/girls group with the older girls a couple of times a week. So starting last week we've been meeting with them. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays we meet with the oldest girls, the Angel Cakes: Anna, Osi, Miracle, Inhechi, Christy, Eunice, and Happiness. And then on Tuesdays and Thursdays we meet with the younger, but not youngest, girls, the Strawberry Girls: Confidence, Evidence, Becky, Glory, and Aduku. They are all so sweet and so excited about spending this time with us. They ask so many questions! Gosh, I love them so much!

I can't believe we have less than thee weeks left here. I know time's gonna fly and I'm kinda dragging my feet. Part of me is excited about going home. About seeing faces I miss, eating foods I like, having a HOT shower. But most of me is just trying not to think about how much I'm going to miss it here.