Muzica, muzica, muzica!

12 years ago I started piano lessons and have grown to love it and have kept up with it since then. What a blessing to have the opportunity to develop my talents and discover new ones that I love. There was always music on in my house whether it was one of us kids practicing, my mom playing the piano, or quiet music playing in the background as we go throughout our day. My love for music was fostered and developed from a very young age and continues to be a large part of my life.

One of my little boys hasn't had as much exposure or opportunity to foster his love for music, yet he absolutely LOVES it. The first day I went into the room to meet all the kids, he ran up to me asking for music. I pulled out my iPod and played him some of my favorite songs. Happy that I was able to provide something for him that he enjoyed, I didn't realize I got myself in a trap. Now, everyday as I walk in I get non-stopping requests for music. I have watched him as he listens to and explores with music. He memorizes lyrics, learns the tunes, and whistles them with me. He recognizes instruments and picks out his favorite. It breaks my heart to think that such interest is confined to listening to music videos on TV and dying toys without batteries.

Together Caroline and I sought out a small piano keyboard to give him as a gift so he could have something else to spend his time with. When we leave, our iPods leave with us, so we wanted him to have something that could actually help him and he could continue to learn with. After finding the only large music store in the city, we left with the perfect one for him. It has several choices of songs, tunes, different instruments the piano can make, and was the perfect size.

 

For me, the height of the excitement was when we finally gave him the piano. That moment was easily one of the best I've had here. We brought in the bag and told the worker and the boy that we had a present for him. All the boys gathered around as we pulled the box out and started taking out the keyboard. Just the cardboard stuffing inside excited and pacified the youngest of the boys. For the first moment, all the boys were happy at once. Not just content, but happy with smiles of pure joy on their face! The boy was sitting on the floor holding the piano with Caroline and I on each side of him and 10 little hands reaching to explore the keys. When we started  showing him how to use it and playing the songs, the boys were all around us, shaking things to make noise, clapping their hands, hitting the box like a drum, and dancing. It is amazing what something so simple can do to brighten the mood and lift you up. I wish I could have captured that moment so I could replay it over and over, but luckily I have one more week to go and experience it. 

After that we went outside and instead of asking for our iPods, he could not stop asking to go inside so he could play with his "pian". As we were walking hand in hand, he said something to me in Romanian I did not understand. I asked the worker what that meant and she said "I'm happy". That's all he had to say to make it all worth it.