Sunday 3 June 2018

Reunited with TLC!

After what felt like years I finally returned back to TLC in march.
It was a emotional journey which encountered many challenges along the way.
From my Granddad sadly passing away to saying my goodbyes to the family for a year to waking up in the place my heart wanted so badly.
My heart longed to see the babies grow and explore so much whilst I was home in the uk and returning back made my heart finally feel a sense of peace. I could breath again....

There are no words that can explain how I felt coming back to this spectacular community.
from the wonderful welcome 'home' to the hugs and kisses from all the babies when they remembered me. The overwhelming feeling of being loved made me feel a thousand times more positive about this crazy adventure I had placed myself in.

The smiles on there faces where unexplainable. All of the older kids where shocked about my return.
This is because they have grown up knowing that volunteers come into there lives and leave again a couple of months later. This is heartbreaking as you know that after they get attached to you they are waiting for the day that you leave again. So all the kids were overjoyed to know that I was staying a long time. It took them a while to figure out that I am going to be here for all of there birthdays this year!

When I left the uk I was on antibiotics this time for a throat infection.
Exhausted from the plane journey I rested in the car back knowing exactly what I was getting myself into. Working the following day from 6am to 8pm.

My first week back was chaotic...
 2 volunteers left TLC
 2 went on holiday leave with family who where visiting
 1 volunteer was sick.

The breaks we had planned out on the schedule where no longer breaks...
I ended up completing a 26 hour shift with a 15 minute break instead of a 13 hour day with a 3 hour break included because of the lack of volunteers. This 26 hour shift was a dayshift which carried on to nightshift and a small part of day shift again. It was exhausting but I managed through it.

The week I arrived started with 6am starts with 1, 5am start and between 7 and 9pm finishes.
I was in charge of 13 lions, tigers and bears all by myself 2 years old to 10 years old for Saturday and Sunday morning shift 2 hours each morning.
Then I thankfully had the lions, tigers and bears for evening routine with another volunteer.

Some volunteers don’t have a clue what to do so its sometimes easier to do it yourself then make the work twice as much.
I spoke on 4 different tours around TLC for day volunteers to explain how it started and what our role is in the nursery. This was interesting as I had no experience in this department before but I seemed to make everything clear enough for them to understand.

We had 1 nursery meeting with all the staff and volunteers going through what needs to change from the previous weeks work and the positive things also.

1 day off still taking care of the kids at different times throughout the day because of volunteer sickness, we are all on a group chat so know when our other volunteers are sick so if you are well you step up and help out where ever possible to make sure the work load doesn't become to unmanageable for everyone else.

The hardest times for us volunteers are when our babies are sick with bad coughs and wheezy breathing where they are being nebulise to sickness and diarrhoea where we are doing ten times as much wishy washy. This is a hard time as we are there 'mummy' for the time we are here and when theres not much you can do to help it breaks our hearts. 

On my first week back I:
Folded 20 mountains of laundry 
Hundreds of bottles made
Thousands of nappies changed
Many hours spent on wishy washy
Sterilising bottles, dummies, cutlery and teats
Washing bowls, cups and all other nursery things
Sorting through truck fulls of donations only to find we had no wipes so a quick trip out and 20 packs of wipes later to get us through nightshift and the morning
But most of all giving these babies the love and cuddles they deserve and need as they grow up to be amazing young children of God. 

Being able to see my babies and children grow up into wonderful people makes my heart full of happiness. At times during my first week I honestly questioned my crazy decision of staying here for a year!!! But then I thought to myself the only people these children can look too for help is us and there wide stunning smiles set my plan in stone for staying here. I will never look back through the struggles heartbreaks and happiness. I know I have made the right choice in Gods kingdom....

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