Per noi!

So I volunteered again today (I do it every Tuesday) and it was great! I had gotten out early from Black Death which was nice since I had to walk farther to get to the bus stop I needed to be at. As I was waiting for the bus, a woman asked if bus number 3 had come yet. I told her no and was really excited that she took me for Italian. Maybe it was my leather jacket or just the fact that I was sitting at the bus stop. I got even more excited when I realized that I had understood what she was asking me. I wish I could have replied in more detail to her, but at least I got across that no buses had come by since I had been there. Once I got on the bus, I immediately saw the puppy that a guy was holding in his lap. All I wanted to do was sit there and pet it and take pictures, but I figured that would be a bit weird. The guy was also on the phone, so I didn't want to disturb him. It was a yellow lab puppy probably 2 months old. So adorable! I died a little inside when I got on the bus. I ended up getting off at the same stop this guy got off at and was a bit disappointed that I was going in the opposite direction as him. haha
Anyways, I made my way to the school where the volunteering is, got changed, and went into the gym to play with the kids. They were as crazy as ever and running around like mad men. However, today was special. It was "parent's day" I guess. All the parents were invited to play with us today. It was really fun to see the kids interacting with their parents and to see how happy all the kids were that their parents were there too. Since a couple of the games we played were parents vs. kids and I was on the kids side, a few of the children came up to me and asked "c'e un bambino?" (are you a kid?) At first I said no, but decided later to just say yes. I felt like a kid while I was there so why not. Technically I'm not a kids, but I didn't know how to explain that to them, so it was easier to say that I was a kid like them. The kids were full of energy today and I was exhausted by the time I got home tonight. In the second session (the one with the older kids) one girl kept running over to me and giving me a big hug. It made me forget all the stress that's been building up with midterms and made me feel so much better. I couldn't help but smile when I saw her running over to me and anticipated her bear hug. She surprised me the first time. I was just standing there, and all of a sudden I feel her arms around me squeezing me tight. Little kids always know how to make my day better, whether they know it or not. I am so glad that I am able to volunteer at this gym and that I am getting the most out of my time here. I'm sure I've already said that, but each time I go, I'm sure I will always think that. It puts me in a different world. One where I don't have to worry about really anything and where I can just have tons of fun with some crazy kids. :)
 Per noi! (For us! - it's the cheer we do at the end of every session).