I really need to tell you all more about the Hogar. I have fallen in love....about 200 times. I have fallen in love with the Hogar Unidos en Cristo. This is the orphanage that we have been visiting regularly just outside of the city. There are nearly 200 kids staying there, ranging in age from 1 year to mid-twenties. Some of them are there because they do not have families to stay with. Others are the
re because their families could not take care of them properly. Still others are there with their mothers after falling into a difficult time. Whatever the situation, the Hogar has become a giant family for the people who live there. It is difficult to communicate how inspiring and refreshing this place has been to me. None of them really speak English, but this doesn’t seem to matter too much. We have been welcomed in just like members of this family. We invite everyone we meet in the city to come and experience this with us, and a lot of them have taken us up on this offer. I am continually impressed with what the Hogar is able to accomplish while having what would be considered so little by American standards. While we always go wanting to help out and love the kids, they insist on serving us. The last night all four of us went there (before leaving for Argentina) they sang to us and prayed for us and gave us an incredible send off. Amazing. We have told them that they are bound to be the future leaders of Paraguay. In a fatalistic and apathetic country, there is this group of kids that have learned to hope and dream despite difficult circumstances. I want to tell you about just a few of the kids that I have gotten to connect with over the past weeks.
Deysi--Deysi (Daisy) is tall and skinny for her age of ten years. She is spunky, athletic, competitive, bright, and very loving. She is mute, so she can lip-read Spanish and communicates through sign language. A number of the other kids have learned sign language to communicate with her, and they make a great effort to always include her. This is strikingly different from the rest of Paraguay, where individuals with disabilities do not seem to be taken into account at all. I am somehow able to communicate with her in pantomime and broken Spanish. I had Katie convinced that I knew sign language because we were having a conversation.
Priscila and Adrian--Priscila is two years old and an absolute fireball. All of the kids at the Hogar are shockingly well behaved, so this little terror really stands out. She can also being amazingly sweet. I have a wonderful picture of her combing my hair. Of course, she had just stolen the comb from her brother Adrian. He is slightly older, quiet and gentle. They are quite a pair.
Pigpen--I need to learn his real name, but he is less than two years old so h
e can’t tell me himself. I have taken to calling him Pigpen for the most obvious reason--he is always filthy. The kids at the Hogar are generally cleaner than we are when we go there. A precise showering schedule is maintained so that somehow, everyone gets to clean up. More than once I have heard older kids wonder out loud how pigpen had managed to get so dirty already. It appears to be a constant battle with him. He always seems desperate to express himself and frustrated that he can’t tell you all about it. The last time we visited there was a large cluster of small kids playing in the living room. Pigpen obviously had a lot of energy and ran and rolled and shouted with enthusiasm. He became a bit overly enthused and proceeded to grab my shin with both hands, grin at me, and bite me on the leg. He left teeth marks through my jeans. It was hilarious, but I hope it won’t become a habit.
Gisele--She is about 12 I think. She is demanding, frank, and affectionate. She has told me repeatedly that she thinks my nose ring is ugly. She has told our friend Vicente that she does not approve of his facial hair. The last time I was there she clung to my side for the better part of my stay. She argued with me for 10 minutes when it was time for me to leave, claiming that I didn’t need to go to Argentina--what could possibly be there anyway? It was simultaneously frustrating and charming, a typical expression of her personality.
Nancy--Nancy is one of the older girls that I am excited to talk with more as I learn Spanish better. She is 15 years old and befriended me right away. A few weeks ago we visited their school for the San Juan festival. She acted as my guide for the night, taking my arm and leading me around the fair to show me the dancing, the games, the food. She is also one of the girls who daily sneaks food from the kitchen to bring to their neighbors, “because our neighbors are very poor.” This devious kindness blows me away, since she herself would be considered “very poor” by Western standards.
Okay, that is all for now. I will probably end up writing a profile of each kid before my time is done--they all deserve it. The Hogar has a number of new projects coming up, including expanding to accommodate more kids and starting a school. I hope to use my skills to help them by writing funding proposals in English and helping them organize their efforts.
re because their families could not take care of them properly. Still others are there with their mothers after falling into a difficult time. Whatever the situation, the Hogar has become a giant family for the people who live there. It is difficult to communicate how inspiring and refreshing this place has been to me. None of them really speak English, but this doesn’t seem to matter too much. We have been welcomed in just like members of this family. We invite everyone we meet in the city to come and experience this with us, and a lot of them have taken us up on this offer. I am continually impressed with what the Hogar is able to accomplish while having what would be considered so little by American standards. While we always go wanting to help out and love the kids, they insist on serving us. The last night all four of us went there (before leaving for Argentina) they sang to us and prayed for us and gave us an incredible send off. Amazing. We have told them that they are bound to be the future leaders of Paraguay. In a fatalistic and apathetic country, there is this group of kids that have learned to hope and dream despite difficult circumstances. I want to tell you about just a few of the kids that I have gotten to connect with over the past weeks.Deysi--Deysi (Daisy) is tall and skinny for her age of ten years. She is spunky, athletic, competitive, bright, and very loving. She is mute, so she can lip-read Spanish and communicates through sign language. A number of the other kids have learned sign language to communicate with her, and they make a great effort to always include her. This is strikingly different from the rest of Paraguay, where individuals with disabilities do not seem to be taken into account at all. I am somehow able to communicate with her in pantomime and broken Spanish. I had Katie convinced that I knew sign language because we were having a conversation.
Priscila and Adrian--Priscila is two years old and an absolute fireball. All of the kids at the Hogar are shockingly well behaved, so this little terror really stands out. She can also being amazingly sweet. I have a wonderful picture of her combing my hair. Of course, she had just stolen the comb from her brother Adrian. He is slightly older, quiet and gentle. They are quite a pair.
Pigpen--I need to learn his real name, but he is less than two years old so h
e can’t tell me himself. I have taken to calling him Pigpen for the most obvious reason--he is always filthy. The kids at the Hogar are generally cleaner than we are when we go there. A precise showering schedule is maintained so that somehow, everyone gets to clean up. More than once I have heard older kids wonder out loud how pigpen had managed to get so dirty already. It appears to be a constant battle with him. He always seems desperate to express himself and frustrated that he can’t tell you all about it. The last time we visited there was a large cluster of small kids playing in the living room. Pigpen obviously had a lot of energy and ran and rolled and shouted with enthusiasm. He became a bit overly enthused and proceeded to grab my shin with both hands, grin at me, and bite me on the leg. He left teeth marks through my jeans. It was hilarious, but I hope it won’t become a habit.Gisele--She is about 12 I think. She is demanding, frank, and affectionate. She has told me repeatedly that she thinks my nose ring is ugly. She has told our friend Vicente that she does not approve of his facial hair. The last time I was there she clung to my side for the better part of my stay. She argued with me for 10 minutes when it was time for me to leave, claiming that I didn’t need to go to Argentina--what could possibly be there anyway? It was simultaneously frustrating and charming, a typical expression of her personality.
Nancy--Nancy is one of the older girls that I am excited to talk with more as I learn Spanish better. She is 15 years old and befriended me right away. A few weeks ago we visited their school for the San Juan festival. She acted as my guide for the night, taking my arm and leading me around the fair to show me the dancing, the games, the food. She is also one of the girls who daily sneaks food from the kitchen to bring to their neighbors, “because our neighbors are very poor.” This devious kindness blows me away, since she herself would be considered “very poor” by Western standards.
Okay, that is all for now. I will probably end up writing a profile of each kid before my time is done--they all deserve it. The Hogar has a number of new projects coming up, including expanding to accommodate more kids and starting a school. I hope to use my skills to help them by writing funding proposals in English and helping them organize their efforts.
2 comments:
This was awesome...more sharing about the kids. It's fun to get a small picture of what would keep both you and Jon there for longer. I'm definitely intrigued.
lovely...:) the profiles are perfect, I really enjoyed them. Makes me miss everyone already :( ... you should post pictures of them next! love you, j
Post a Comment