Today we went to visit and play with many kids at an orphanage in Guayaquil. I unfortunately did not find out the name of the orphanage, but I did have an experience of a lifetime. When I first walked in to the building, kids began to come up to us and hug us. Once we entered the courtyard, I became overwhelmed with emotion and my eyes filled with tears. It was a beautiful yet sad sight to see all the children excited to see us. They immediately began to play with us and were interested in all the toys we brought. After four hours of chasing, playing, and picking up many children, we had to leave. It was one of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had to do. Many of the kids had grown attached to us and began to cry as we started to leave. Before this trip, I never felt a connection to children. I did not enjoy being around kids and avoided it as much as possible. After this experience though, my feelings towards children have completely flipped. I hope in the future to do more work with children. This service learning project was one from the heart. I felt extremely grateful for the opportunity to bring a smile to these children. During my time there, I was told that whenever there are visitors, the children become ecstatic. Someday I hope to eventually find a way to help other orphanages or even go back to this orphanage in Guayaquil.
