Daily Reflection Wednesday April 6th

The final day at Sheltering Arms was the best so far. I woke up feeling excited to begin the next part of our project but also sad knowing that I will have to say good bye to these kids today. Once we arrived, I noticed that the class that I had been helping had their assistant teacher, lead teacher, and only five kids. So I went to another class that had eight children of two and three year olds and asked the teacher, Ms. Laronda, if she needed my help and she said "Yes!". This was Classroom #6 and I honestly had so much fun with them. They were very responsible for that age and almost all of them were potty trained which is always a plus. One little girl was talking to me and I honestly forgot for a second that she was three, not twenty-five because of all of the witty and intelligent things she was saying. After a little bit I noticed they were already hugging me when we were getting ready to go outside.

It was gorgeous outside today so I played with them for a good hour. I ran around the play ground with them and made sure they took turns when riding tricycles. It was a lot of fun getting to know a different age group and seeing the differences in development between one classroom to another. Once we went back inside I helped them take off their jackets and got them ready for lunch. I noticed that all the lunches for the children at Sheltering arms have been very healthy and full of nutrients. The children all devour their lunches, which is nice to see them eating healthy and enjoying it at the same time.

Once it was time for them to get ready for their naps Claire and I went to the store to buy all sorts of necessities for our trip to Belize. It still hasn't hit me yet that in five days we will be embarking together on a journey of a lifetime. I guess it won't really hit me until we are there.

After we did that and got lunch we then went back to Sheltering Arms for a final few hours spent with the children. I went to Classroom #5 which was combined with four children from that class and the eight children I played with this morning from Classroom #6. They were having their afternoon snack and I helped one of the teachers put their cots away that they used for their naps. After that it was time for a dance party. The songs consisted of anything Kids Bop. Not going to lie it was all very catchy and I was dancing with the two and three-year olds. After a while of dancing and playing it was time to go back outside. I played with them for an hour in this beautiful Spring weather. I talked to the teachers while I played outside with the kids too. There were a few girls that were incredibly advanced named Della and Michelle. I had to remind myself that they weren't my age. After playing with them for a while I realized it was already time for me and Claire to say goodbye. We said goodbye to the teachers and children and left a place that has been a wonderful experience for us the past three days.

Once I got home I filled out paperwork that I need to have for my pediatric oncology internship tomorrow at Scottish Rite. I also researched some more on pediatric oncology and I feel that I am as prepared as I possibly can be for my experience tomorrow. I wanted to be even more prepared so I even drove to the hospital tonight, because luckily I haven't had to make too many trips there and I am very unfamiliar with the hospital area. I made myself familiar with the location of the hospital and the parking deck as well. Once I went home I started to log and blog about my day that is closing one chapter of our senior project and opening another. :) I can't wait for tomorrow!