it is after four and i have just returned from a wonderful afternoon with the boys.. best thing i could ever have done today for sure..
en route there is a supermarket and thankfully it was open. i enter... only the bakery people have ever really been friendly but today was different.. today when i walked in i was immediately asked to leave my backpack at the counter and was given a number to pick it up later.. this is normal here.. it happens when you shop in clothing stores too... with parcels and purses...
so empty handed i walk to the back of the store to look at the fruit... deciding on watermelon i try to lift one from the bin which proves impossible. first i try to communicate with a chica behind a weigh station but she won´t leave her seat.. so i give up on her and as a senor and he manages to lift it out for me.. i get it weighed and put it in a basket with wheels and head over to the butter section... not once have i seen real butter here... at the breakfast table there is a version of deep yellow margine which looks just wrong... anyway i take a decent sized container from the shelf and head to my favorite department ( only because they are friendly) , that is the bakery. counting on 40 boys and a few staff i order 60 whole wheat panini rolls.. and the chica finally figures out that i really do mean 60... and changes the size of the bag twice to hold the numbers... i ask for one more thing ...
would it be possible for one of you to walk with me to the orphanage and help me carry the groceries?
they all look at me like i am crazee , laugh,, consider it and i thank them and head over to get my packsack.. at the cash i ask the same thing and a very nice manager appears out of nowhere... i introduce my self in spanish , tell him where i work and ask him if it is possible to have someone help me carry the groceries.. he says of course and calls a chico to help me... i put the big watermelon into my backpack and smiling hand it to the chico..he smiles and i grab the other bags..no says the manager.. he can carry it all. no i say, i am ok with the rest...
we chat away up the road.. not too far and we stop at the entrance to the orphanage... ring the bell , i get a picture and we say our goodbyes... nice kid...
inside the mama is eager to try whatever is in my bag and i pass her a bun... a few boys are in the court and they greet me happily.. always eager to carry things and help i hand over the huge bags of buns and we go toward the kitchen... and since the door to the dining room is open i peek in to see if they are eating or have eaten yet.... there they are , all gathered around a 20´¨ tv watching ´Spiderman¨' in spanish... they haven´t eaten.... as soon as they see the bags of buns they immediately form a proper line and i tell them, we are celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving today and we will have the buns at 2:00 with lunch.. everybody is happy with this and settle back to their movie....
i go into the kitchen followed by a little gathering of fans and i show them the watermelon... the boys are happy.. me too.
then, from another door come some chicas... i knew they were there but it is the first time that i have met them personally.. thank goodness i bought more buns than we needed.. they are dishing up bowls of soup onto trays so i offer buns to them and they are glad... one woman gets me two baskets and i butter 17 rolls for the girls... they are all a little older... maybe 18 or so..
the senor at the stove dishing the soup assures me that we have 40 boys with one away.. so 39.. i begin to get the buns ready for the boys, cutting them in half and buttering them.... and before i am finished they start lining up for soup.. i fill a large strainer with the buttered buns and go into the dining room to give them away...the chairs are as haphazard as everyother day... arms wrap around bowls... i hand out the buns and each boy sizes up which one he wants.. it doesn´t take long .. i leave the butter on the table to pass around.. i have found two butter knives...
soup is devoured and buns and then the maincourse.. some rice mixture.. today i didn´t eat with them but was offered to enjoy... we play a game of elbows off and the boys that have had close attention on friday have it down fast... the others , well, the crowd is just too big. i let this go and everybody just eats..
back to the kitchen i attempt to cut open the watermelon with one existing large knife too dull to be effective. i pass the honours to a senor and he gets in into quarters.. i continue the carving session and line up good size pieces on two cutting boards.. eddie takes a few pictures for me and i zoom back into the dining room to see how fast the second course is going down... a little slower today.. eddie tells me the chicken is bad...but most finish their bowls...
i invite them into the kitchen for dessert and they gather around the big work table to choose the piece they want... i wish this was on video but the battery died.... so big eyes, eager hands.. but taking the time they need, each boy chooses the piece he wants..
after lunch we do a little clean up... seems jean-paul and eddie are helpers here.. i clean up the crumbs and watermelon rinds while the senor eats his lunch at the table.. behind me i am serenaded by three of the bigger boys.. playing with their imaginations on the guitar.. and eddie requests that i do the chacha with him.. no problem... so behind the cook, serenaded by the group eddie and i cha cha on the kitchen floor.
hmmmmm.. how nice is this! everybody is happy.. especially me.
after lunch we head into the courtyard .. the guitar is out.... and kids are everywhere... there is no shortage of play today.. the promise of the deck of cards to one guy is fulfilled and another looking a little sad boy got a deck too... settling down on the cement i drop my camera which immediately becomes a huge deal to the boys since many of them have had lots of time using it over the last month... the one corner gets bent and the small door cover won´t close.... hmmmmm.. i believe it isn´t broken inside and after minutes of careful examination the boys give it to me to put away..
then guitar lessons begin with alex (who i have been calling eric) and another boy, who has never given me one moment... these guys are both bigger... 14, 15 maybe and their hands can handle the neck of the guitar... or almost....i am told to speak in spanish.. and so i get out my dictionary to give it a try.. between us we figure out about fingers and frets and chords and finally i write out the formations of the chords on paper and this helps enormously.. they are keen... and patient.. and so am i..with all the time in the world and a field of happy kids around me i settle onto the grass in front of them ..soon with one kid on my knee.. it is a rare to have such a captive audience and they give me this gift...
time passes and eddie and i do a little more cha cha behind the guitar players and another small soul asks to learn... he is just past my elbows but he is probably much older than i think and he gets the steps quickly.... hmm . this too makes me smile.
so the day has been a good one.. blessings never cease... again, all my love.. enjoy yourselves and eat up.. i miss your wonderful faces.. love mom, me....
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