Day at the Orphanage

Today I went to an orphanage for Thai children whose parents have passed away due to HIV/AIDS. I volunteered with a group of other students I live with. We essentially just got to play with babies all morning. We did this in order to help the kids get used to strangers and thus make them more likely to be adopted. If the kids aren't exposed to strangers (people who don't work there) they will likely cry when prospective parents come looking to adopt and hence make them less likely to get a good home.

The above picture is of the child I played with for the entire duration of my volunteer shift. He was seriously so adorable and would not let go of me the entire day. He was the sweetest child and did not cry at all while we were playing. He mostly slept in my arms and he could barely walk but I got him to move around while he held my finger in his hands. It was an amazing experience and playing with him today has made me change my mind on wanting kids one day.

Although it was EXTREMELY hard to drop him off back in his housing area (he cried a great deal when I put him down) I definitely want to stick to doing this every Wednesday. If he is there next Wednesday I would love to play with him again and if he isn't that means that he found a good home. :)