Sunday was an interesting day at work, especially with one of the boys, "Pedro" (the boy with fetal alcohol syndrome who is also hyperactive). I went into the bathroom and couldn't even get away for two minutes because he proceeded to STICK HIS HEAD UNDERNEATH THE DOOR OF THE STALL. This is pretty funny looking back, but obviously at the time I was extremely irritated. Talk about lack of privacy. He repeatedly kept sticking his head under the door again, despite me yelling at him.
Sunday was also Dia de Visitas (visit day when families can come see their children). This is always a difficult, emotionally-charged day. Some kids are sad because they don't have families. Some kids wait all day long and their families don't come. Some are really happy when their families do come. And some have dysfunctional families whom they don't really want to see. I think there are 3-4 visit days per year.
A lot of kids are actually at home with their families for the month. So not that many families came the other day. I loved watching one of the boys run, full-speed, to his family when he first saw them. And some of the families of kids from my section came to visit them. My job was to get one of the boys, "Pablo", and take him back to our house when his mom was ready to leave. He has only been here for a little over a month and is still adjusting to being separated from his mom. So, he burst into tears when she started getting ready to leave. It was really sad to watch. One of the ladies from the social work department had to come help me walk him back to the house because he was so upset. Pablo has mental retardation and can't fully understand the situation, either. After we got back to the house, he couldn't stop crying or saying "Mama". I tried everything to get him to stop crying - I hugged him, sang to him, rocked him, and read to him. Nothing worked. Eventually, I took him and one of the other boys for what ended up being a two-hour walk. And he cried the entire time.
Pedro (the same boy who stuck his head underneath the bathroom stall) also had a confusing moment. A family came to visit a different boy in the section. But Pedro ran up to a woman who is not his mother and embraced her while shrieking “Mommy! Mommy!”. His tía went up and pulled him away. I felt really bad for him, and no one really knew what to do. Sometimes he gets confused and calls the tías “Mommy” as well. He also spent some of the day crying and saying, “Mommy”.
Even though Pablo cried for two hours, I actually did enjoy our walk. He and the other boy are just adorable. And they wanted to go see the pigs (yes, we have pigs) so we walked down the hill to look at them. I hadn’t seen them since my orientation week in July, so that was fun. The day was difficult for some of the kids, but I was glad I could be there to support them.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Love
The other day I went out to lunch with my roommates Mona Lisa and Ruth. They said that I have a special gift for working with kids with special needs. Hearing that really meant a lot to me, especially because I don’t have people telling me that very often. When they said that, I remembered when the secretary at Wells Elementary School told me the same thing on the last day that I worked there as a teacher’s aid: “Bridget, you truly have a gift,” she said.
It’s these things that make me feel happy and keep me going. Another thing that makes me especially happy is when kids give me hugs – particularly Pati. She gets really excited to see me – and I her. Sometimes she runs up to me and hugs me so tightly that I think she’ll never let go. This is definitely a Pachamama hug. My friends who went to Ecuador with me will know what I mean.
Ruth asked me if the kids with Special Needs have ever had a volunteer pick their section before me. They haven’t. And I’m truly happy that I picked them. The only reason I wouldn’t have picked them would have been because I already spend a lot of time with some of them in speech intervention. So I was worried that it might be too much togetherness and more than I could handle.
And I’m not going to lie – sometimes it is too much. But if there’s a day when I’m feeling overwhelmed, sometimes I just go home to rest instead of hanging out with the kids after work (I usually go eat dinner with and read to them two nights each week). Other times, I hang out with them even if I’m tired or have had a hard day. And it’s usually worth it (vale la pena). When I leave the section I’m usually happy. There are always positive interactions.
Even though there are difficult moments every day (particularly with three children who can’t control their behavior very well due to their diagnoses), there are also wonderful moments every day. I am really growing to love some of the kids.
One of the girls went home for Christmas (for the month of December) and I REALLY miss her!! She told me the day she left, “Si voy con mi familia, te voy a extrañar” (If I go with my family, I’m going to miss you) and gave me a hug. I am really happy she got to go home, though. Apparently last time her family said they were going to come and didn’t show up. She waited all day long and was crushed when they didn’t come. So this time, she told me she didn’t think they were going to come and was really sad. That comment made me really sad too because I care deeply for her. So I said, “Well, I thope you can go with your family. But if you go, I’m really going to miss you! And if you stay, we get to spend Christmas together!” Thank goodness her family came.
This month all the volunteers are working as tíos with the kids because their tíos are on vacation. So my friend Cassie and I are working with my kids. Again, I was hesitant a few months ago about working as a tía with them – especially before they fired the abusive tía. Also, I don’t enjoy when some of the children hit me.
Nonetheless, I am so happy now to be with my kids for the month. So far it is going well. The work is definitely difficult and exhausting, but I love my kids. I’m also glad that I can put myself in the tíos’ shoes and understand how difficult their job is. They work 13 hour days without a break and sleep with the kids; of course, they don’t get paid much. And thankfully, the tíos in my section work in December because they can’t just leave thirteen kids with special needs by themselves. These tíos take their vacations individually at different times throughout the year. So besides Christmas Eve and Day when half of them have a break, Cassie and I are there for extra support. And I love these children.
On another note, we had our first Posada of the month here at NPH on Friday. Una posada is a little parade in which someone dresses up as Jesus and Mary. They lead the parade and everyone else follows, carrying candles and singing Christmas candles. Then they knock on people’s doors, sing back and forth, and the people inside join the parade. Posadas are very common in Latin America. The purpose is to prepare for and welcome Jesus into the homes. Our posada was adorable! It was really fun. Afterward there were piñatas for the kids and some delicious hot chocolate. Qué rico!
It’s these things that make me feel happy and keep me going. Another thing that makes me especially happy is when kids give me hugs – particularly Pati. She gets really excited to see me – and I her. Sometimes she runs up to me and hugs me so tightly that I think she’ll never let go. This is definitely a Pachamama hug. My friends who went to Ecuador with me will know what I mean.
Ruth asked me if the kids with Special Needs have ever had a volunteer pick their section before me. They haven’t. And I’m truly happy that I picked them. The only reason I wouldn’t have picked them would have been because I already spend a lot of time with some of them in speech intervention. So I was worried that it might be too much togetherness and more than I could handle.
And I’m not going to lie – sometimes it is too much. But if there’s a day when I’m feeling overwhelmed, sometimes I just go home to rest instead of hanging out with the kids after work (I usually go eat dinner with and read to them two nights each week). Other times, I hang out with them even if I’m tired or have had a hard day. And it’s usually worth it (vale la pena). When I leave the section I’m usually happy. There are always positive interactions.
Even though there are difficult moments every day (particularly with three children who can’t control their behavior very well due to their diagnoses), there are also wonderful moments every day. I am really growing to love some of the kids.
One of the girls went home for Christmas (for the month of December) and I REALLY miss her!! She told me the day she left, “Si voy con mi familia, te voy a extrañar” (If I go with my family, I’m going to miss you) and gave me a hug. I am really happy she got to go home, though. Apparently last time her family said they were going to come and didn’t show up. She waited all day long and was crushed when they didn’t come. So this time, she told me she didn’t think they were going to come and was really sad. That comment made me really sad too because I care deeply for her. So I said, “Well, I thope you can go with your family. But if you go, I’m really going to miss you! And if you stay, we get to spend Christmas together!” Thank goodness her family came.
This month all the volunteers are working as tíos with the kids because their tíos are on vacation. So my friend Cassie and I are working with my kids. Again, I was hesitant a few months ago about working as a tía with them – especially before they fired the abusive tía. Also, I don’t enjoy when some of the children hit me.
Nonetheless, I am so happy now to be with my kids for the month. So far it is going well. The work is definitely difficult and exhausting, but I love my kids. I’m also glad that I can put myself in the tíos’ shoes and understand how difficult their job is. They work 13 hour days without a break and sleep with the kids; of course, they don’t get paid much. And thankfully, the tíos in my section work in December because they can’t just leave thirteen kids with special needs by themselves. These tíos take their vacations individually at different times throughout the year. So besides Christmas Eve and Day when half of them have a break, Cassie and I are there for extra support. And I love these children.
On another note, we had our first Posada of the month here at NPH on Friday. Una posada is a little parade in which someone dresses up as Jesus and Mary. They lead the parade and everyone else follows, carrying candles and singing Christmas candles. Then they knock on people’s doors, sing back and forth, and the people inside join the parade. Posadas are very common in Latin America. The purpose is to prepare for and welcome Jesus into the homes. Our posada was adorable! It was really fun. Afterward there were piñatas for the kids and some delicious hot chocolate. Qué rico!
Sunday, December 5, 2010
A Typical Ride on a Camioneta (Chicken Bus)
As I enter the outdoor bus terminal, I am overwhelmed by many brightly-colored school buses moving toward my direction. The wonderful aroma of bus fumes greets me, as well as men screaming, “CHIMAL CHIMAL CHIMAL!” “SUMPANGO!” or “GUATE!” (the destination cities of the buses they work on).
I board the bus and am lucky to get a seat. Most seats have three people and the aisle is already full. The drivers try to cram as many people as possible into each bus and this is obviously a fire hazard, but why would anyone be concerned about that? Durangenze (a special Guatemalan music, probably misspelled) or Spanish pop music blares from the radio; I hope this doesn’t cause conductive hearing loss. Crosses and pictures of Jesus or Mary often adorn the inside of buses.
The bus usually begins to inch as slowly as possible while the driver’s assistant screams, “CHIMAL PARRAMOS CHIMAL PARRAMOS” out the door to urge even more people to board. (You don’t think it is physically possible to cram more people onto this thing, but you are oh so wrong.)
But the real ride begins when we finally leave the outskirts of Antigua, and you hold on for dear life. (If you’re lucky the driver will not drive as fast as he possibly can. And yes, the driver is always a he.) Standing in the aisle? Be prepared to swing rapidly from side to side. Sitting on the aisle seat? You’ll almost fall out of your seat – unless the bus is incredibly jam-packed and other bodies that are pressed against you hold you in. Your American concept of personal space becomes completely obsolete and you learn to just go with the flow. (And hopefully the bus won’t drive off the edge of a mountain, because it often appears as though it will.)
Motion sickness is another issue. One time, I thought I would have to throw up out of the bus window. (Luckily that didn’t happen.) I used to take Dramamine before getting on the bus. But now I don’t even bother because I realized it completely depends on the driver. I’ve gotten slower drivers several times, and often the ride isn’t actually so bad. (Although one time, my friends Katie and Megan were on a bus that broke down. From their description, it literally fell apart; maybe the weight of all those people was too much? Just a thought …)
All in all, bus rides can be super fun. Just wanted to give you a taste of what public transportation is like in Guatemala.
I board the bus and am lucky to get a seat. Most seats have three people and the aisle is already full. The drivers try to cram as many people as possible into each bus and this is obviously a fire hazard, but why would anyone be concerned about that? Durangenze (a special Guatemalan music, probably misspelled) or Spanish pop music blares from the radio; I hope this doesn’t cause conductive hearing loss. Crosses and pictures of Jesus or Mary often adorn the inside of buses.
The bus usually begins to inch as slowly as possible while the driver’s assistant screams, “CHIMAL PARRAMOS CHIMAL PARRAMOS” out the door to urge even more people to board. (You don’t think it is physically possible to cram more people onto this thing, but you are oh so wrong.)
But the real ride begins when we finally leave the outskirts of Antigua, and you hold on for dear life. (If you’re lucky the driver will not drive as fast as he possibly can. And yes, the driver is always a he.) Standing in the aisle? Be prepared to swing rapidly from side to side. Sitting on the aisle seat? You’ll almost fall out of your seat – unless the bus is incredibly jam-packed and other bodies that are pressed against you hold you in. Your American concept of personal space becomes completely obsolete and you learn to just go with the flow. (And hopefully the bus won’t drive off the edge of a mountain, because it often appears as though it will.)
Motion sickness is another issue. One time, I thought I would have to throw up out of the bus window. (Luckily that didn’t happen.) I used to take Dramamine before getting on the bus. But now I don’t even bother because I realized it completely depends on the driver. I’ve gotten slower drivers several times, and often the ride isn’t actually so bad. (Although one time, my friends Katie and Megan were on a bus that broke down. From their description, it literally fell apart; maybe the weight of all those people was too much? Just a thought …)
All in all, bus rides can be super fun. Just wanted to give you a taste of what public transportation is like in Guatemala.
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