May Update 2012

Happy Mothers Day from Berline!

May holds a number of special holidays.  Haitian Flag Day is on the 18^th of May.  This year that day fell on a Friday.  The children at the Toddler House enjoyed a parade of singing and flag waving through their neighborhood on the morning of Flag Day.

Haiti is a truly beautiful country and if you have had the opportunity to come visit GLA you will know that the view from the balconies of all of our homes is truly breathtaking.  In order to honor that beauty we have been blessed with, I wanted to highlight the incredible landscape we see each day by taking pictures of the kids with this view as the backdrop.  The lighting posed some problems with the sun coming in and out but I think this months photos capture a small glimpse into the beauty that Haiti holds.

May also holds a special holiday we call Mother’s Day, which is celebrated the last Sunday in May here in Haiti, the same as it is in France.   It is an honor to recognize the mothers that are waiting for their children to come home.  It is certainly a special calling to be a mother of an adopted child and whether this is your first adoption or you have adopted several children, we at GLA want you to know that you are appreciated and loved by us and by the child who is waiting to be at home with you.  I am sure with the passing of Mother’s Day this month you have thought about the child this update discusses.  This month I did my best to write the update from the child’s perspective to give the update a different sort of spin.  I hope you enjoy it!

Hi Mom and Dad!

I have had a fun month here at GLA. 

We had a parade on Haitian Flag Day.  It was so much fun.  We knew that it was flag day when we saw Molly getting all the red and blue flags and t-shirts out.  I got to choose if I wanted to wear a red or a blue shirt and then waited to be called to the yard. I chose to wear a blue shirt. Once we were called to the yard we lined up in two lines and got a flag to hang onto.  I was so excited to see if this flag day parade would be the same as the one we did last year.  Next we started singing and making music as we marched down the street we live on. We walked all the way down to the end of the street before we turned around.  I loved singing the “Mon Drapo” song and waving my flag as much as I could.  After we returned to our big blue gate and made our way back into the yard there was a balloon drop!  The visitors had blown up balloons and dropped them from the balcony above us.  I reached up as high as I could to get the balloons as they fell. It was so much fun to have so many colorful balloons drop down!  The rest of the afternoon I played wth my friends in the yard and enjoyed the left over balloons.  It was a very busy day and I slept really well all night.

All the biggest kids at the Toddler House got a chance to go to a soccer field up the mountain in Kenscoff for a couple of the boys who have birthdays in May.  We spent the afternoon playing and enjoying the open space.  I especially enjoyed jumping rope and throwing a ball around with some of the other kids. We played many different activities and then we all came together and played Red Rover for a long time.  I made sure to spread my arms and legs as far apart as they could go so noone could pass me.  After the game of red rover we ate some Chiko (cheeto type snack) and water before heading back to the Toddler House.

I can’t wait to see you again and come home to live with you.  I want you to know that I am doing well here at GLA. I get lots of love from my nannies, my teachers, and Molly and Joyce.  I am looking forward to the day I get to come and live with you!

I love you.

Your little girl, 

Berline

Berline is healthy and growing:
Height: 124.5 cm
Weight: 53 lb

Happy Mother’s Day!