Monday, December 6, 2010

Just call us Party Animals.

I, like the awesome community college student that I am, spent my weekend partying hard…with some of the coolest kids on this planet. We went all out; Gummy bears, Doritos, Soda Pop, the works. The only downside was, well, there actually wasn’t a downside. A group of us obviously insane Mission Adelante staff and volunteers escorted the Leaders in Training kidlins to an epic mini-vaca at the Great Wolf Lodge. It is entirely possible that I was more excited than them, but then again a few of the little ones were practically twitching. And I must say, it definitely lived up to our extremely high expectations. The moment I entered that enormous sanctuary of chlorine-clogged air, there was a symphony of water gushing, children screaming, and whistles blowing when said screaming children broke the rules. The heavens literally parted as I stepped into the glorious epicenter of water-related magnificence they call Great Wolf Lodge. I always thought that particular effect was only possible when I took a sip of Dr. Pepper…I guess even I can be wrong. Who knew?!

Sure, there wasn’t exactly an ideal amount of sleep to be had but watching those kids act their age for once, away from the sadness, violence, and coldness, was worth the late bedtime and the even earlier wake-up call. I actually wish we didn’t have to waste a second of those two days sleeping. I probably would have been a zombie but I would have been a very, very pleased zombie.

I’ve had a couple days to catch up on sleep and some semi-nutritious food and I’ve had some time to really think about what that trip meant to those beautiful children. Yes, they have worked all trimester to earn this. And yes, it is an attraction created to cater to the younger population therefore their reaction (and mine) was probably nothing new. But while this weekend was so full of happiness, it was just a little bittersweet for me. What’s so sad about these kids is that they build these bullet-proof walls to protect themselves from the hell that often threatens to destroy any thread of love, or hope, or safety. Then, to see them so out of their element, so free from their lives, it’s like they didn’t even know how to rebuild those walls. It’s in those moments that their adorable, pure, incredible souls shone through uninhibited by the barriers they make between themselves and their realities. It’s truly a blessing to be apart of that.


Great Wolf Lodge 2010!!


We were only a little excited...


AHHHHHH!!! IT'S WATER!! THIS IS AWESOME!!


Oh, Caroline Meek. Only 11, but so beyond her years.

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