April 29, 2010
Two of my most enjoyable visits were with Nevis and Yulianis on successive days way back in September 2008, so I
knew today would be lots of fun, and it was. My only apprehension was in having them discover that I sponsor
others. There's always an unstated feeling that each child will somehow feel less than unique or special.
In the past when I had to double up on visits, the kids would show up at a community center and be introduced to
the "other" child by the CI staff. Today was different, as Emilse, my translator, and Victor, the driver, first took me
to Yulianis's house, then drove them to Nevis's place. It was up to me to break the "news." They seemed to take it
in stride, and later asked me if I sponsored others. So now they know the truth. It's probably akin to a kid finding
out that Santa Claus doesn't exist, and that Dad is the one drinking the milk and eating the cookies late on
Christmas Eve.
How were the kids? Amazing, as usual. Both are real stunners. Drop dead gorgeous girls. Some of the most
beautiful women in the world (or at least what I've seen of it) are in Colombia, and I sponsor two of them. They
both have jet black eyes one could get lost in.
The first greetings are always memories worth treasuring, and these were no different. Yulianis saw me walking
down her street and couldn't wait until I reached the house, so she walked quickly and met me half way with a very
satisfying hug. I think we caught it on video.
Victor managed to back the van up to Nevis's place, so there was no walk to make. One would think nothing could
be more satisfying than seeing your child for the first time. The second time ain't so bad either. It is moments like
this that keep bringing me back, and since the girls keep asking me to come back, how could I possibly refuse?
One undeniable observation worth making: when you see a child regularly, their growth and development happen
gradually and often subconsciously. I've noticed this with my nieces. When you see a child every 18 months, like
with the sponsored kids, the differences can be stark. Both of these girls have grown considerably. It will be
fascinating to see them in a couple years. My guess is that they will have changed even more markedly. Neither has
a boyfriend at this point (probably a very good thing), and in fact, they gave me shocked looks when I asked. It's
just Uncle Steve watching out for them! I'd be mildly surprised if they have similar answers on my next visit.
I had almost forgotten how poor the roads are here in Colombia. Today's journey was a firm reminder. Cartagena's
roads are horrible; Barranquilla's may be worse. And today it evidently rained heavily while we were inside,
because the commute to their homes late in the afternoon was punctuated by some "roads" that were nearly
impassable. Streets became shallow rivers. Alleys were mud-filled obstacle courses. The local soccer field could
have been used for water polo. Emilse informed me that these conditions are par for the course. Amazingly
enough, the people accept these conditions without complaint. Should one feel admiration or frustration?
The areas they live in are quite poor. The infrastructure is almost non-existent. The good news is that their homes
are sturdy and have solid foundations and cement floors. They have running water, electricity (not light I'd want to
read by, however), and decent sanitary facilities. The kids are in school, are quite healthy, and have dreams of lives
beyond their present circumstances. Both girls expressed a desire to have computer skills, so I'm going to research
the possibility of getting them low cost laptops to give them their first stepping stones towards their goal.
While we didn't have time to go grocery shopping, we did manage to outfit the girls with tops, jeans, dresses, socks
and underwear. Nevis's brother tagged along, so he scored a shirt and Hot Wheels. The girls' toys? Identical
Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals. They were hugging them tightly on the van ride home, and Nevis decided to
name hers after me. Yes, I now have two stuffed animals named after me. No doubt it's something to put on a
resume.
The fun activity was something I hadn't considered before: an afternoon at the movies. Turned out that neither
Nevis or her brother had ever been to a theater before. It was also inside and air- conditioned - both positives with
the often oppressive heat here. A good time was had by all, and I used the experience to try to understand some
Spanish. It was Alice in Wonderland (the 2010 version) dubbed in Spanish. No English sub-titles. Another 100
viewings and I'll be speaking Spanish, albeit really horrible Spanish.
The girls were stoic upon saying goodbye, the mothers less so. No amount of experience makes saying goodbye
any easier. This time, however, I think they know they can count on me to return. I'm already looking forward to it.
Tomorrow is my initial visit with the newest member of the brood, Daniela, along with five other sponsors' kids.
Look for a blog tomorrow evening.
Ciao from Barranquilla!
Two of my most enjoyable visits were with Nevis and Yulianis on successive days way back in September 2008, so I
knew today would be lots of fun, and it was. My only apprehension was in having them discover that I sponsor
others. There's always an unstated feeling that each child will somehow feel less than unique or special.
In the past when I had to double up on visits, the kids would show up at a community center and be introduced to
the "other" child by the CI staff. Today was different, as Emilse, my translator, and Victor, the driver, first took me
to Yulianis's house, then drove them to Nevis's place. It was up to me to break the "news." They seemed to take it
in stride, and later asked me if I sponsored others. So now they know the truth. It's probably akin to a kid finding
out that Santa Claus doesn't exist, and that Dad is the one drinking the milk and eating the cookies late on
Christmas Eve.
How were the kids? Amazing, as usual. Both are real stunners. Drop dead gorgeous girls. Some of the most
beautiful women in the world (or at least what I've seen of it) are in Colombia, and I sponsor two of them. They
both have jet black eyes one could get lost in.
The first greetings are always memories worth treasuring, and these were no different. Yulianis saw me walking
down her street and couldn't wait until I reached the house, so she walked quickly and met me half way with a very
satisfying hug. I think we caught it on video.
Victor managed to back the van up to Nevis's place, so there was no walk to make. One would think nothing could
be more satisfying than seeing your child for the first time. The second time ain't so bad either. It is moments like
this that keep bringing me back, and since the girls keep asking me to come back, how could I possibly refuse?
One undeniable observation worth making: when you see a child regularly, their growth and development happen
gradually and often subconsciously. I've noticed this with my nieces. When you see a child every 18 months, like
with the sponsored kids, the differences can be stark. Both of these girls have grown considerably. It will be
fascinating to see them in a couple years. My guess is that they will have changed even more markedly. Neither has
a boyfriend at this point (probably a very good thing), and in fact, they gave me shocked looks when I asked. It's
just Uncle Steve watching out for them! I'd be mildly surprised if they have similar answers on my next visit.
I had almost forgotten how poor the roads are here in Colombia. Today's journey was a firm reminder. Cartagena's
roads are horrible; Barranquilla's may be worse. And today it evidently rained heavily while we were inside,
because the commute to their homes late in the afternoon was punctuated by some "roads" that were nearly
impassable. Streets became shallow rivers. Alleys were mud-filled obstacle courses. The local soccer field could
have been used for water polo. Emilse informed me that these conditions are par for the course. Amazingly
enough, the people accept these conditions without complaint. Should one feel admiration or frustration?
The areas they live in are quite poor. The infrastructure is almost non-existent. The good news is that their homes
are sturdy and have solid foundations and cement floors. They have running water, electricity (not light I'd want to
read by, however), and decent sanitary facilities. The kids are in school, are quite healthy, and have dreams of lives
beyond their present circumstances. Both girls expressed a desire to have computer skills, so I'm going to research
the possibility of getting them low cost laptops to give them their first stepping stones towards their goal.
While we didn't have time to go grocery shopping, we did manage to outfit the girls with tops, jeans, dresses, socks
and underwear. Nevis's brother tagged along, so he scored a shirt and Hot Wheels. The girls' toys? Identical
Winnie the Pooh stuffed animals. They were hugging them tightly on the van ride home, and Nevis decided to
name hers after me. Yes, I now have two stuffed animals named after me. No doubt it's something to put on a
resume.
The fun activity was something I hadn't considered before: an afternoon at the movies. Turned out that neither
Nevis or her brother had ever been to a theater before. It was also inside and air- conditioned - both positives with
the often oppressive heat here. A good time was had by all, and I used the experience to try to understand some
Spanish. It was Alice in Wonderland (the 2010 version) dubbed in Spanish. No English sub-titles. Another 100
viewings and I'll be speaking Spanish, albeit really horrible Spanish.
The girls were stoic upon saying goodbye, the mothers less so. No amount of experience makes saying goodbye
any easier. This time, however, I think they know they can count on me to return. I'm already looking forward to it.
Tomorrow is my initial visit with the newest member of the brood, Daniela, along with five other sponsors' kids.
Look for a blog tomorrow evening.
Ciao from Barranquilla!
