Filming update.

I spent the last week out at Selaqui at the children's home and I made a ton of progress on getting footage for the documentary. Frieda also asked me to create a music video for a Christian song that she wrote. I was worried about getting it filmed and edited and still being able to spend enough time with the boys. But, amazingly, I was able to spend lots of time focusing on the boys and doing this extra project. We also brought a computer out to the farm and put it in my dorm so that I could edit there. That made it possible for me to edit together the music video this last week. It is nearly finished and I have most of the footage I need for the documentary - minus a few interviews.

I was granted permission from the director of the children's home to have my little boys come up to my room to watch the music video since they are in some of the footage. This turned out to be totally wonderful. I pulled up clips on the computer so I could show each boy some footage of himself. They were laughing and pointing and thought this was so funny. It also lead to one small breakthrough with Fazil, one of the younger boys that I haven't been able to connect with as well because he doesn't speak any English. He never will hold my hand like the others do and is pretty distant. But after watching the videos he came up and held my hand while we walked back to his house. That night I had one of the other boys translate something he was trying to say to me and he said, "Ma'am, you sleep in this bed," pointing to his bed. He then pointed to the floor and said, "Ma'am, you sleep there." The following day, while Fazil was doing his sweeping chores, he came up to my door on his own. I had no idea what he was saying. Then later, I saw him again and he was trying to say something to me. I had one of the other little boys translate what he said. The boy told me, "he said he wants to sleep up there," pointing up to my room. So what I gather from this is that Fazil either wants to make a trade with me and I sleep in his bed and he sleeps in my room, or I have a new friend.

(Unfortunately, Fazil isn't in either of these photos.)