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| Hogar 19yr Anniversary |
It was a year ago that we started to go out to the Hogar on weekends. It has become such a part of our routine that I realize I have not posted anything about it in a while. So here's how things look...at the 1yr mark.
Back when we started, I wrote that it was hard not to name the kids by their infirmity or trait, like Clubfoot Karla, 3-stump Victor, Burned Aracely. Even then I knew this would change over time and sure enough, it has. It's a mixed blessing though. It's wonderful to know the kids more personally and be known by them. When we walk in we are greeted like friends and Jennifer, particularly, has a little crew of pre-teen girls that light up when she arrives bearing irreverence, energy and that "favorite-aunt" aura Jennifer never loses. Not the same, but I get a lot of fist bumps. The volunteers who live there know the kids in a closer, daily kind of way, but we really are like an aunt and uncle that come every so often. Sometimes it seems like the kids are just waiting for the iPad we sneak past the doctor, but I think that still counts as love, right? Anyway, the downside is...now we're attached. Every so often we show up to discover that one of the kids has gone home during the past week so, of course, no good-bye for us. Another downside to knowing them so much better is that we now know which ones we like better. Our affection for certain kids has really grown, sweet funny favorites that either run up to us or at least make our efforts to bring them out of their shell worthwhile. But it's horrible to realize that I am avoiding a little cerebral-palsy boy because he is SO annoying. Or losing my patience with a retarded teenager because his handicap leads him to be overly physical until told to stop and because, I happen to know, he is expressing inappropriate sexuality (to put it mildly). One year ago, I was able to be a little more universally compassionate.
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| Bruno, Carter, Aldair |
The popular activity recently has been making movies. We did one with some of the kids at the park, Jennifer using her phone to film video that I later edited together. I added music, titles, funny little special effects. I tell you, watching the kids watching themselves in their own movie is unforgettable. I posted it on Facebook, but if you are interested,
click here to get it on YouTube. Now all the kids want to make movies. We are on our third one.
Over the last few months, a couple of the kids went to the hospital. Little Percy (hole in his esophagus, 3yrs old) was hospitalized with a scary fever, so Jen blustered her way to get visitation permission. Compassionate, capable nurses bustle around hallways with peeling paint, flickering flourescents and contraptions that look like steam-punk props. When I visited, it turned out that I showed up just in time for Percy to be checked out to one of the nurses from the Hogar. Money's tight, so she was planning on taking Percy the 90-minutes on a series of crammed passenger vans (
combis), so I was pretty pleased to be able to spring for a taxi for them. Percy is such a cutie, all the clinic nurses called out their good-byes as we went out the hall.
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| Viktor |
Aracely (body & head burns, pre-teen) has her graft procedures scheduled for summertime so she doesn't miss school, so she was at the burn clinic for almost 2 weeks. The burn clinic is in a completely new building, very different from the place Percy was. Jen went several times with games and even brought a little iPod mini so Aracely could listen to the spanish audiobook version of The Lion The Witch And The Wardrobe. They cropped Aracely's hair way back, so she was pretty self-conscious for a while and always wearing a hat, but just this last weekend I was able to compliment her on the mod bob she was sporting openly.
Victor (tri-peligic tweenager with one leg) has his curved spine starting to compress his lungs. The corrective surgery would fuse his spine and, possibly, make him unable to hop around and use his foot the way he does now. It's easy to forget that he only has one leg, he is so active and capable, so the thought of him wheelchair bound is difficult. Here in the picture he is wearing a brace to simulate the effects of the operation, so the doctor can see how badly it will restrict him.
Anyway, to finish up, here's 3 more photos of kids.
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Segundo playing charango
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Ana Lucero
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Lisbeth, new this week
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