That's what it's all about: hugs, being called ma'am, and singing the hokey pokey

Sauntering down the street in the hot sun, cars and trikes racing past, the sounds of horns filtering through the sky and an anticipation for what the day would bring was the start of almost everyday in the Philippines. Each morning I was taken aback by this beautiful city as our team would make way to the first speech therapy site. Where am I? Am I really here? Who are all these people who have so easily made their way into my daily life as if I've known them for decades?

I know I've shared some information about the speech therapy process in general, but I wanted to share with you more details about the children we worked with and, of course, more pictures of their beautiful faces.

A series of bright smiles, hugs and eager faces welcomed us upon our arrival. The children would run up to us and say, "Hi ma'am Theresa, ma'am Betsy, ma'am Ellie and ma'am Kate". Some would even press their foreheads to the back side of your hand as a sign of respect. (I loved being called ma'am Kate, I may wear my name tag at the UNC clinic to see if it catches on!). Then the flurry of speech therapy would begin. Our team would simultaneously take turns working with the children. We would dig through our few bags of supplies and find a corner to work on his or her specific goals. We used anything from 'go fish' cards to bingo sets to good-ole-fashioned paper and pencils to keep the kiddos engaged. They worked hard. We demanded a lot from them and they delivered with smiles on their faces. One of my favorite parts was when we would end a session with a song or two. The children would gather in a circle and we would sing a joyous course of anything from the 'hokey pokey' to the 'baby shark' song. The more hand motions and bodily movements the better - I will never forget the rise of laughter when the children were asked to 'shake it all about' during the hokey pokey.

The children's family member(s) were often present during the sessions. Getting to know them over the course of the two weeks was an added bonus to the trip. We would invite the family members to observe the sessions and discuss with them ways to practice the goals between sessions. In a letter we received from the parents (pictured below), they mentioned that they saw their children grow in confidence over the two weeks... that they were no longer be afraid 'to show their talents'. I was inspired by many of the families dedication to helping their child succeed!

On our last day, we had a graduation celebration. The children, parents and the speech team all took turns singing songs, reciting letters of thanks, and demonstrating their various talents. We then called each child up by name, dawned them with a graduation necklace and congratulated them on their hard work. I've never seen prouder faces. Afterwards, we played on the nearby beach. Seeing the children run around, pose for pictures, swim like 'sharks', and splash each other are memories I will always treasure.

It amazes me how quickly these children seemed apart of my daily routine. It was no longer out of the ordinary to be bombarded with hugs each morning and afternoon. It became common place to sit face to face with these children and work on their speech. I feel grateful for the opportunity to meet them and will miss them dearly!