Everyone says, “think about the kids lives you are going to
change” but it’s not just that, it’s the fact that these kids are going to
change my live in so many ways. Every minute I have been here I have felt so
welcomed. The first day at school when the kids were there, we were waiting for
them where the van pulls in to drop them off. The main thing I was thinking
about was how nervous I was and I kept asking myself how long it would take for
them to warm up to me and be able to trust me, but I found out very quickly it
would be immediate. The van pulled up and opened the door, while the second the
door was open this little boy (Victor) jumped strait into my arms. We have
never met but yet he saw me for maybe 2 seconds as the van pulled up and
already trusted me enough to catch him. I’ve never felt more instantly loved by
anyone, so my fears soon went away.
Later that
day we went on house visits with a social worker (two of us went- Alexis and I).
We showed up to the first house un-announced with Whitney (chaperone), Alana
(translator) and Magaly (social worker). It was also a new case so Magaly had
to ask the simple questions and figure the basics out. We arrived and met
Marlin (26 years) who was completely functional until the age 14 when her bones
slowly started to deterate. She was never diagnosed or taken to any doctor or
physical therapist, so we came up with out own diagnoses- Parkinson’s Disease. Her
mom plopped her down in a broken wheelchair and had left her out in the sun for
those 14 years. I have never seen more sunburns or peeling on anyone. It was
horrifying about how her mom didn’t care at all.
The next
house we went to was the home of Clara and Franklin and they have never been
diagnosed with anything. The twins have been in the bed for 16 years and they
were basically 2/2.5 feet long, with arms the width of my thumb. Again the mom
did nothing to help the kids. Worse - she sold drugs and also sold herself. She
used the kids and put them on the streets a couple times to beg. I have never
felt more betrayed and I have never met any of these people. It made me sick to
my stomach to think about these moms that have never done anything to help.
Today we
worked at the school again (Escuela Especial) and again I have never felt more
trusted by anyone in my life. The fact that these kids can trust and love so
easily makes me wonder why the people back home can’t be like this. The kids
are amazing and so easy to work with, and are happy with the littlest things.
After the
kids left school (around 1) we went to one of the school kids (Jesus) house
(his family owned a circus). We hung out and met the family and once again,
these families live in tents but yet act like they have the nicest house in the
world. All they try to do is make you comfortable and feel welcomed - I’ve felt
welcomed in Nicaragua sense we got off the plane. I would do anything for these
kids/families and I’ve known them for 2 days. That says something I think.
Oh, and I'm married and have lice.
No comments:
Post a Comment