compassion

one of the funny things about my program is that outside of the other volunteers, i don't really have too much interaction with people my own age. i work predominantly with kids, and when i hang out with my neighbors, they are usually middle-aged women. coming into this program, i'd worked a lot with kids, either lifeguarding or teaching swim lessons, but i never really envisioned working with kids as a passion. but living here, working with kids every afternoon, walking around arbolito and having kids yell my name, has really given me a love for these children. i can't describe how, but it seems that my love for these kids grows every day. especially the kids on my street.

jessy, elkin, joél, jairon. these kids in particular blow my mind. jessy is the ecuadorian version of my brother adam at 12, both in physical and behavorial appearances. when i first arrived in ecuador, jessy took a while to warm up to us. i would tell him he looked like my brother and he just said ok and walked away. i remember one day in particular at semillas de mostaza, santi and i were working with the non-homework kids on a reading activity. we had each of the kids read a book then find a word for each letter in the alphabet and write it out on a piece of paper. jessy stood up and said he was going home. why, i asked. because he didn't have his reading glasses. "ok, go home and get them and then come back." no, his mom had them and she was in guayaquil. so i took him aside and read the book to him. after we finished he had a smile on his face, as if it finally dawned on him that i care about him. from then on, he's been the funniest kid to encounter on the street corner. always with a smile, ready to fight. he's a good kid.

jairon. jairon is going to be trouble when he grows up. he always has the funniest smirk on his face, as if he knows he can get himself out of any situation. jairon is another good kid. when ever we see each other, we always yell "che!" at each other (santi has introduced argentine lingo to many of the neighborhood kids). he's one of the kids who is always at semillas, always at the corner ready to joke around and play.

joél. joél is one of the most upstanding kids i've met. his mother is a children´s international volunteer here in durán. joél and i first really met when i was in a bad mood. i was supposed to go running with patrick and marie, but i was angry and really didn't feel like waiting around for anyone, nor wanted any company for that matter. as i walked outside, past the cement wall behind our house, i ran into cristían and joél, and he asked if he could come running with me. i begrudingly said sure, and in hindsight i'm glad i had someone there to talk with, who didn't understand or know about my problems and i could just talk with. joél and i always have good conversations, whether it´s about his soccer team, u.s. geography or my desire to have an anaconda (he thinks i'm crazy), he's a good kid to talk with.

elkin. elkin is at times the cutest, dirtiest kid on my street. often confused for a girl because of his big eyes and curly hair, elkin is the kid that really has my heart. he's the short little two-year-old who always runs and gives my legs the biggest hug in the world every time he sees me coming around the corner. his hugs have helped me through some really rough days, like yesterday.

then there are the kids at the after school programs. it can be really frustrating working with between 20 and 80 kids, and there are many times where we all want to give up. but then there are instances, like yesterday, where they really make you laugh. i was working at manos abiertas yesterday with the homework kids and the chiquitos (small kids). i was already having a rough day, and working at manos can often make days worse. these kids live in one of the poorest neighborhoods in durán, so their education and behavior is not always great. yesterday i was reading to three chiquitos and i had to leave for a second to go and yell at some of the homework kids for something stupid. when i came back, jordan (when he says his name it sounds like yoda), one of the dirtiest, cutest kids in the program, had taken my seat, put on my sox hat and pretended to be me reading to the kids. it was one of those points yesterday that actually made me smile. the kids have a knack for doing that. sensing when you're not at your best and doing what they can to make you smile. maybe that is why my love continually grows for them.



me and jessy


jairon on the right


jordan pretending to me be at manos abiertas


julie and julisa at manos abiertas