We made one last trip to CDO to say goodbye to everyone and do one last medical check before we left. When we got in we got a nice surprise. They had all put on some new clothes and had lined up to take a picture just for us.
We arrived at 2pm and first off Nicole did some nursing while Stan played some games with the other kids. Nicole showed Tiina, a young lady who comes in every day to help at CDO, how to properly tend their sores (clean hands, don't use same cotton wool on different kids, etc). We gave her some money to by more medicine when needed.
Poor Moum's wound has been weeping and pussy for weeks.
Nurse Nicole
At 2:30, an older Italian couple were walking past and we (us and the children) called them in to join us. The Italian man immediately organised a game of football (soccer) and we all had a lot of fun.
At 3pm we had arranged for a little surprise for the kids. We got one of the pancake stands from the tourist area to stop past and make everyone a banana/chocolate/condensed milk pancake. These pancake stands are attached to a motor bike and easily pulled from one place to another. The kids had never seen a pancake stand up close before, let alone a pancake, so the stand was immediately swamped with curious faces pushed up against the glass. Those who could read English would point at the words and sound them out. "Paaan-caaake" they could work out, but "chocolate" was a bit too hard.
We got all the kids to wash their hands (we always tried to reinforce the hygiene lessons that some other volunteers had given previously) and line up from youngest to oldest to get their pancakes. It was funny watching them as they very obediently lined up with those in front watching the pancake cooking with absolute fascination. Many of those in front would shut their eyes and open their mouths. Tiina came up to Stan and said "they are trying to taste the pancake while it is cooking".
Kids all lining up.
Happy cooks.
All the kids bow and say thank you before getting their pancake.
As the line got slowly got shorter as people were given pancakes, the older kids at the back started getting bored and started picking the lice out of one another's hair. When Nicole caught them at it they were sent to go wash their hands AGAIN. There was much grumbling at this as no one wanted to lose their place in line. About 7 of them rushed off to wash their hands. When they came back, Stan got them all to hold out their hands for him to smell and any hands that didn't smell of soap had to be rewashed. This was viewed with much chagrin by those who had done a poor job wash their hands and to much laughter by those who had washed their hands properly. Two minutes later we caught them picking nits again and sent them all off to rewash their hands. This time they snuck back behind us and without us being aware of what they were up to, they grabbed our hands and put them on top of their heads. Then all the kids were laughing at us and yelling " go wash your hands, wash your hands". What could we do? We had to set an example so we washed our hands.
The kids loved the taste of the pancakes. Everyone got one, including the staff, a volunteer teacher who was there at the time and Stan and Nicole. The guys cooking pancakes, in a moment of generosity inspired by a weeks worth of orders all in one afternoon, cooked an extra four pancakes. Nicole cut these up into small pieces and the kids who were all still hanging around with us all got a little bit more much to their delight.
The little kids were first to get pancakes. Behind us you can see another treat; coca cola.
After pancakes, Stan showed the kids how he could walk on his hands. Before you knew it, there were at least 15 pairs of legs trying unsuccessfully to reach the sky.
They very quickly found some other ways to copy Stan.
Nicole showed them how to do wheelbarrow races. Often the person pushing the "wheelbarrow" would go a lot faster than the wheelbarrow could manage and some poor child would get face planted.
While they were all doing wheelbarrow races and eating a lot of dirt, some of the kids decided Stan needed a makeover and made him look very pretty with flowers and playdough earrings.
All too soon it was time to go. We took one last group photo.
The kids wanted to cover Nicole with flowers, but it was too early for flowers, so instead they covered her with flower buds.
Stan and Nicole were inundated with hugs left, right and centre.
Last minute photos were taken.
Then we had to go. The kids all came to the road side and yelled "byeeee Stan, byeee Anicole" (Anicole is the final name they gave Nicole). We walked down the road backwards waving at them and calling back "byeeee". Eventually the curve of the road blocked sight to them and it was a very sad moment for us both. We'd love to have taken them all back to Australia with us and given them the opportunities that children there do not even know how lucky they are to have.
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