Life is a Highway

Thankfully my head cold turned laryngitis was a bit better today and I was able to go to the orphanage. I’m on day 4 of no voice, but at least today sounds come out when I try to speak! The cough is getting really old; I pray that it will be better before the long weekend.

I could go on about how frustrated I am with Wicked Witch of the West (WWW), and how today was a long day because she was there, but I instead want to fill you in on what I did this afternoon.

I was asked by the head mistress to accompany a "house" (group of children that live together) on a field trip this afternoon with another CCS volunteer and two British volunteers. We were led back to the orange room where 11 expectant two and three year olds were preparing for their big excursion. We hopped into a large van and we madly tried to buckle kids in as car seats are unheard of, and Moroccan drivers are easily 20x worse than NYC cab drivers (Side note: who knew 2 lanes drawn on the street could mean 4 rows of orchestrated chaos weaving in and out?! Oh, did I mention we saw a bloodied man in the middle of the street today with chalk around him? Yeah, not cool).

So ANYWAYS, back to my important story. Yes. Eleven two and three year olds bouncing up and down in a van as we weave in and out of traffic, stop WAY shorter than I would ever stop (take that, Jo!!), etc. etc. The kids were stunned. They sat there with their mouths open, silent as could be, with their little eyes scanning each and everything we passed. I asked through one of the British chicks as my interpreter when the last time was that they got to go out. Expecting maybe 6 months as the longest possibility, I was stunned to hear that they've NEVER LEFT THE ORPHANAGE. These two and three year olds, most of whom were brought to the orphanage just hours old after being dumped by their mothers, had never left. Zyed in the back all of a sudden lets out a scream, scrunched up his eyes, and had sheer panic written all over his face. I held his hand from afar and looked around as every other kid was doing the same.

It was then that I realized they had never felt the wind on their face. Such small things that we take for granted and don't even think about that these kids have never experienced! What started out as terror later turned to joy as we zoomed our way home over speed bumps and around sharp turns. They clapped with joy and tried to get extra air as we flew around Rabat stopping first for chocolate bars and chocolate milk at the river and later at the Marjane (Moroccan Wal Mart) for ice cream. When we arrived back at the orphanage the van was quickly surrounded by the remaining children who looked on as we were celebrities about to enter the red carpet.

As you drive around town wherever you may be, roll down your window and feel the wind on your face as the kiddos did today for the first time. May it be a reminder of how big, yet how small our world truly is.