Part 7 - "We Are All Flowers in the Garden of Life"
Every now and then Wadel would sing that line to us and we would chuckle. It sounded like a song you teach to children in CCD class. But in its simplicity there is a deep truth - we are all connected on this earth, simply by being human. Our cultures may be different, but we can always find something in common to share.
A couple times during lunch break, I brought my sketchbook with me and doodled for the kids. The girls all wanted me to draw “princesas!” I gave the princesses dark hair, to match their future owners.
One of the girls, Paola, had learned a little English and told me that my drawings were “beautiful.” I am often conflicted when it comes to my calling as an animator, because I feel it is not as practical a calling as becoming a doctor, working fulltime for an organization such as Habitat, or whatever. But in that moment, I felt I was right where I was meant to be.
On the last day, the volunteers and kids all gathered together for a rowdy game of fútbol. What a riot! It was especially entertaining watching Cody, a big bear of a man, chasing down the tiny fleet-footed boys on the other team. Even though we were all exhausted, the Sony crew played their hearts out. The game was finally called a tie at 2-2 after an injury to one of the kids stopped gameplay. Fortunately the Habitat staff had a first-aid kit on hand and all was well. However, I wondered sadly what happens when people in town are injured and a first-aid kit is not available.
Piñata craziness followed. I think you all know how piñata parties go.
At last it was time for the final farewell. Gisele and the rest of the Sony organizers had arranged for all of the kids to receive a backpack with school supplies and other goodies. I found out some of the children had been staying home from school simply because they didn’t have a notebook and pencil to take to class.
A notebook and a pencil. Seriously… who can we give money to, to make sure no child is forced to stay home from school for such a reason? We can’t stand by and allow this to happen to our fellow brothers and sisters. It’s ridiculous. We had gone to a local supply shop to see if we could buy more notebooks, but they were charging something outrageous like 9 U.S. dollars per book. No wonder the families can't afford them. I wanted to go back home and buy crates and crates of notebooks to ship down to Costa Rica.
Once the kids had received their backpacks, Yorleni brought out her butterfly magnets and other wares to sell. All of us wanted to buy something, and started rummaging through our wallets for fistfuls of colones. She started crying as the table grew empty and her pockets full. I bought a little beaded lizard keychain to remind me of my roommate, with whom I had now made my peace.
We ended the day with a dedication of the house that was most complete.
