Juggling babies...

So now it is the third day of my morocco trip- it's going fast already!
Yesterday morning we had to get up early to have our orientation and go over the ground rules for the house. Though it was early which was unfavorable, it was still fun. Mohammed sent us each on a hunt through the neighborhood. We broke into groups of six and had to find the major landmarks of the town so that whenever we want to go out, we don't get lost. There are a lot of stores and shopping centers with a lot of authentic restaurants-and a Dominos! So when we want a break from Moroccan food to remember our American tastes...
After we all went around town and hung out for a bit we had our Arabic class. That was such a funny time! Mohammed just laughed at us the whole time, i guess our accents were humorous. We learned a lot though- for example Smitee Lacey, shnu smitek? My name is lacey, what is your name? I know, I am almost close to being fluent.
The rest of the night was ours to relax which was much needed. Margie and I went to the store to gather some snacks for our stash. Oreos, chocolate flutes, chips... the good stuff, and peach juice. So i read most of the night and talked to my family on Skype.
Today we started our placements! We woke up around 6:45 to get ready and then ate our breakfast. Orphanage placements left at eight and the drive was not bad at all, the area around it was very pretty. So once we arrived we went to our assigned age groups. Margie, Kathrine, and myself went to the second floor for the babies. We immediatly dove into work when we walked in the door, and the nurses were extremely helpful. They showed us what to do through hand movements because they only spoke French, while we all just laughed at each other. There were about twenty newborns in the first room we went to. All of them were so very tiny and each in their own beds. The nurse showed me how to clean and change their sheets and afterward we fed them their bottles. All they wanted was some attention, they cried until you picked them up and then they would not stop smiling. It was not overwhelming like i thought i would be, but very fun and already rewarding. After the babies fell asleep we moved into the 6 month old's room where we joined them in their play pen. We sat in the midst of babies while they were learning to crawl. Once one cried for attention, they all cried. I looked over and Margie was holding two screaming kids, so i decided to mimic her. We each held two babies to stop them from spreading the crying. It was so easy to make them smile. One was clinging to me, I could not put him down without a scream escaping. After about an hour of playing, we changed their diapers and put them down for a nap. Then it was time to head back to the newborns, change them, and feed them again. The one baby was enthralled with me, or more so my hair. He wouldn't stop staring no matter what i did, it was so funny. One of the babies was in love with Margie, he wouldn't leave her, or should I say let her put him down. All they need is some love.
It hit around 12:30 and we had to leave them. We headed home for lunch which was beef and bread. It was pretty delicious. After lunch we headed downtown Rabat, back near the orphanage, for a tour of the Medina. It was so beautiful there! They sell a ton of things, a lot of it actually resembles a lot of American wear, but once you hit a certain street it was purely Moroccan. We are going back when we have more time to shop. After that we headed down the road to the Mosque and a really pretty gardens in a place where the name has escaped me. We also go to see the tomb of the late king, and that building was so intricate and beautiful. I have many pictures which i will post later tonight after I eat dinner, my camera battery is charging at the moment.
Now everyone is home and relaxing from a long busy day only for another to start tomorrow. Everything that we've done so far is so interesting it makes it hard to notice how tired you are, we only notice when our heads hit the pillow and the next thing we know it's morning. The only thing that woke us this morning was the call for prayer at 4:30, it sounded like the man was standing on our balcony, no lie.
So now were going to get ready to eat and I will post some pictures later!
Miss you all <3
-Lacey