January 2, 2010
My first sponsor visit in the Philippines is in the books. Today's child was a painfully shy 11-year-old named Maila. I've
dealt with my share of shy girls on previous visits, but Maila takes the prize. She offered me her hand when we met,
but I didn't fly this far to shake hands! She was stiff as a board when I gave her a gentle hug. A precursor of things to
come.
Sitting next to me, she turned her body away and offered only furtive glances my way while at the community center.
I figured that my limitless charm (sarcasm alert!) would win her over in the end, yet she was a very tough nut to crack.
Would a small gift or two break the ice? Think again. When she put on her jewelry, her reaction was one I won't soon
forget. Instead of smiling, she hid in her jacket and began to sob quietly. If there was a silver lining, it was that
these were tears of happiness.
While engaging in pure speculation, I suspect that her demeanor has less to do with meeting a strange guy and more
to do with the fact that she has been completely deprived of a positive male influence in her life. Her father
abandoned the family before she was born, and she has never laid eyes on him. That is psychologically harmful in
any environment, let alone the one in which she finds herself.
Before getting on with our day together, I was introduced to three other kids. First up was Glaiza, whose sponsors,
the Roses, showered her with all kinds of neat gifts: a watch, a stuffed animal, tote bag, erasable drawing pad, and
photo album. Glaiza also read the Rose's letter out loud for the camera. It's a touching letter and she did
quite well. Unfortunately, I fear that the traffic noise may render much of her reading barely audible at best. We'll see
how it comes out when I do the editing.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Jerica and Harry, siblings sponsored by Stephanie. True to form, they too were
quiet and shy, but I think they very much appreciated the gifts. Jerica got a pretty necklace and Harry is sporting a
brand new digital watch. I tried to bring out things that cannot be conveyed through letters. Again, I hope the audio
survives the street racket outside.
After bidding farewell to Jerica and Harry, the rest of us wedged ourselves into the van and took a ride to Glaiza's and
Maila's homes nearby. With 1.5km remaining, we reached a rickety wooden bridge that spans the river running from
Mount Mayon, so we hiked the remaining way on foot. It's evident that sponsor visits to the region are a rare event,
as our group garnered a good deal of attention along the way. The CI team in charge of this region says that they get
about 1 visit per month. Rare indeed.
Once I had toured Maila's house, we hitched a ride on one of those tricycles I wrote about earlier. Imagine nine,
count 'em, NINE people stuffed into this contraption, the driver and three adults on the main seat, me, Maila, her
sister Joana, and her mother in the sidecar, and my designated photographer clinging to the outside. I wanted to get
closer to the family, but this wasn't what I had in mind. What's ironic is that this comical sight was completely ignored
by the locals!
Off to the mall we went. First up was lunch at Max's. The rest of the gang had a combination meal with enough food
to feed a platoon of ravenous Marines, while I had my own gluten-free dish. Maila will be having left-overs for a week.
Next up: some serious shopping. Shoes, slippers, tops, skirt, pants, socks, and underwear. Joana scored some
clothes as well. No trip would be complete without getting something fun, and Barbie was definitely on Maila's list.
She wanted a doll taller than herself, but we coaxed her into something a bit more modest. She carried it with her the
remainder of the day.
Maila's house warming gift: a fold up table and five chairs. Combined with the special needs gift recently funded by
the incredibly generous members of this group means that her family will have some badly needed furniture. Have I
said thank you yet? If not, many thanks.
Once the obligatory grocery shopping was complete, the fun activity consisted of a few minutes at the arcade, where
the girls spent about 300 pesos trying to position a mechanical claw over a stuffed animal. Both girls managed to get a
prize, and all was right with the world. We made a quick trip to the animal park, where we did our best to avoid
getting rained on. Maila isn't an outdoorsy, animal kind of girl. Clearly, she's destined to be a spa and room service
woman!
As with all visits, bidding farewell eventually arrives. After much cajoling from Mom, Maila gave me a hug and thanked
me for my visit. She is a girl of precious few words, but they made the visit worthwhile. Only a few short months ago,
she was malnourished, underweight, and without treatment for various respiratory ailments and a bunch of cavities.
Thanks to the fantastic services that CI provides, she's getting fully treated and well on her way to becoming a healthy
girl. If all goes well, she will eventually come out of her shell and be more confident in herself as well.
A long post, I know. Thanks for tagging along. The next visit is with Jennevy in Tabaco on January 5th. Should
something interesting happen between now and then, I'll be sure to keep you abreast.
So long from Legazpi!
My first sponsor visit in the Philippines is in the books. Today's child was a painfully shy 11-year-old named Maila. I've
dealt with my share of shy girls on previous visits, but Maila takes the prize. She offered me her hand when we met,
but I didn't fly this far to shake hands! She was stiff as a board when I gave her a gentle hug. A precursor of things to
come.
Sitting next to me, she turned her body away and offered only furtive glances my way while at the community center.
I figured that my limitless charm (sarcasm alert!) would win her over in the end, yet she was a very tough nut to crack.
Would a small gift or two break the ice? Think again. When she put on her jewelry, her reaction was one I won't soon
forget. Instead of smiling, she hid in her jacket and began to sob quietly. If there was a silver lining, it was that
these were tears of happiness.
While engaging in pure speculation, I suspect that her demeanor has less to do with meeting a strange guy and more
to do with the fact that she has been completely deprived of a positive male influence in her life. Her father
abandoned the family before she was born, and she has never laid eyes on him. That is psychologically harmful in
any environment, let alone the one in which she finds herself.
Before getting on with our day together, I was introduced to three other kids. First up was Glaiza, whose sponsors,
the Roses, showered her with all kinds of neat gifts: a watch, a stuffed animal, tote bag, erasable drawing pad, and
photo album. Glaiza also read the Rose's letter out loud for the camera. It's a touching letter and she did
quite well. Unfortunately, I fear that the traffic noise may render much of her reading barely audible at best. We'll see
how it comes out when I do the editing.
I also had the pleasure of meeting Jerica and Harry, siblings sponsored by Stephanie. True to form, they too were
quiet and shy, but I think they very much appreciated the gifts. Jerica got a pretty necklace and Harry is sporting a
brand new digital watch. I tried to bring out things that cannot be conveyed through letters. Again, I hope the audio
survives the street racket outside.
After bidding farewell to Jerica and Harry, the rest of us wedged ourselves into the van and took a ride to Glaiza's and
Maila's homes nearby. With 1.5km remaining, we reached a rickety wooden bridge that spans the river running from
Mount Mayon, so we hiked the remaining way on foot. It's evident that sponsor visits to the region are a rare event,
as our group garnered a good deal of attention along the way. The CI team in charge of this region says that they get
about 1 visit per month. Rare indeed.
Once I had toured Maila's house, we hitched a ride on one of those tricycles I wrote about earlier. Imagine nine,
count 'em, NINE people stuffed into this contraption, the driver and three adults on the main seat, me, Maila, her
sister Joana, and her mother in the sidecar, and my designated photographer clinging to the outside. I wanted to get
closer to the family, but this wasn't what I had in mind. What's ironic is that this comical sight was completely ignored
by the locals!
Off to the mall we went. First up was lunch at Max's. The rest of the gang had a combination meal with enough food
to feed a platoon of ravenous Marines, while I had my own gluten-free dish. Maila will be having left-overs for a week.
Next up: some serious shopping. Shoes, slippers, tops, skirt, pants, socks, and underwear. Joana scored some
clothes as well. No trip would be complete without getting something fun, and Barbie was definitely on Maila's list.
She wanted a doll taller than herself, but we coaxed her into something a bit more modest. She carried it with her the
remainder of the day.
Maila's house warming gift: a fold up table and five chairs. Combined with the special needs gift recently funded by
the incredibly generous members of this group means that her family will have some badly needed furniture. Have I
said thank you yet? If not, many thanks.
Once the obligatory grocery shopping was complete, the fun activity consisted of a few minutes at the arcade, where
the girls spent about 300 pesos trying to position a mechanical claw over a stuffed animal. Both girls managed to get a
prize, and all was right with the world. We made a quick trip to the animal park, where we did our best to avoid
getting rained on. Maila isn't an outdoorsy, animal kind of girl. Clearly, she's destined to be a spa and room service
woman!
As with all visits, bidding farewell eventually arrives. After much cajoling from Mom, Maila gave me a hug and thanked
me for my visit. She is a girl of precious few words, but they made the visit worthwhile. Only a few short months ago,
she was malnourished, underweight, and without treatment for various respiratory ailments and a bunch of cavities.
Thanks to the fantastic services that CI provides, she's getting fully treated and well on her way to becoming a healthy
girl. If all goes well, she will eventually come out of her shell and be more confident in herself as well.
A long post, I know. Thanks for tagging along. The next visit is with Jennevy in Tabaco on January 5th. Should
something interesting happen between now and then, I'll be sure to keep you abreast.
So long from Legazpi!
