I have always taken the attitude that school is an obligation, not a privilege. As I stood at the front of each of the different classes, there was no such attitude present. They were not impatient with the language barrier or annoyed at the heat of the room, but rather their eyes glowed with anticipation, hoping to learn something new.
Teaching the students in Pram Pram one day, we started talking about the different roles women play in their society. Not all of the students felt that what women had to say was as important as what the men had to say. Until now, I have never truly appreciated women's rights, simply because I have always had them. I don't think twice before speaking in front of men, especially when it comes to defending equality. I was truly taken back as the students were telling me that women do not have as much say as a man does.
It took me a minute to regain my composure and try to approach the subject from a different angle, instead of just correcting them and forcing my beliefs upon them. Most all of the students agreed that everyone was equal, but explained that it was not that way in their household. My frustration turned to sympathy as I realized they knew no different. All I could do was give them a new perspective, a new way of thinking, and leave it up to them to put into action.
We decided to have each of the students share with us what they wanted to be when they grew up. I was expecting to hear such answers as “a cab driver,” or “a dress maker,” but their responses were far from those. In our small group of fifteen, all of them had high hopes and dreams. Some wanted to be doctors, lawyers, teachers, a soldier, a police woman, even an accountant. I was so excited to know that these children had visions beyond the typical or the expected. It would be so easy for them to follow in their parents footsteps and continue the family fruit business or learn to drive a car, but instead these young students wanted to continue their education, and become so much more.
I worried about giving them false hopes telling them they could be whatever they put their mind to, but then I realized that sometimes hope is all you have. Living in a small hut with probably several siblings, hope may be what gets these children through each day. Compared to most of them, my life seems like a fairy tale, and some days it is my hope for the future that gets me through, so why would it be any different for them.
When we learned that many students did not attend school because their families could not afford the fourteen dollar uniform fee, my heart nearly broke. Thirteen dollars is what I would spend on a Friday night for two movie tickets without even thinking about the cost. As soon as we found out that we could sponsor the students, I was so excited. The number of students we were going to sponsor kept increasing; we went from ten, to fifty, to the entire school, one hundred and fifty students. The party with the Ringway estates students is a memory that will be forever imprinted in my heart.
The look on the face of every student when we announced that they would all be receiving a new uniform brought tears to my eyes. You could feel their genuine appreciation as they hugged us and thanked us. They presented us with dresses, referring to them as a “small token” to show their gratitude. It was so much more than a small token however, and it will be an item that I treasure forever. Knowing that sacrifice was made so that each of us could receive a gift is the perfect example of the selflessness they have shown to us so many times.
My favorite thing about children is their innocence. From their glowing eyes to their contagious giggle, they seem to radiate purity from every pore. My favorite childhood memories are of tickle fights with my dad and brother where we would laugh for hours on end. I didn't need a fancy video game or a Barbie doll to entertain me, the love and company of my family was enough. Love is one word that is nearly impossible to define.
They say that “love is a many splendored things,” and that “love makes the world go round,” but to explain love takes more than words. It is the feeling you get inside when you embrace someone who truly cares about you, or the tingling in your stomach when you hold someone's hand. Love seems to make you whole. The absence of love in so many of the children's lives here is heart wrenching. As I would hug the children, I could feel them trying to savor every moment of it, not knowing perhaps when their next embrace would be. I wanted to give so much more, but sometimes a hug was all they wanted.
