| Thursday, March 09, 2006 |
| Hogar Alalay |
Their faces are dirty, hair unkempt, and a otherly manner about them that I can´t quite describe...one that´s not quite all there. Most of them carry around small bottles of strong glue, which they hold to their noses and mouths every few seconds to get high...it numbs the cold and dulls their hunger. All they have is the dirty clothes on their backs and the paement they sleep on. Some have babies...some of which they teach to sniff glue as well. These are the street children who we play soccer with every wednesday. But most of them don´t come to houses like Alalay and Masalina because they´re free on the streets. They don´t have a bed time, homeowrk to do, or anybody telling them rules...and its easy to live on the streets, or so they say. For who knows how long none of them have had parents to put them to bed, warm meals every day, a comfy bed, a teacher or classroom to go to...and none of them know how important it can be.
It´s hard working with them...at first you think "Alright, I have to be super nice to them because they´re poor little kids with hard lives and I must reach down my elitist arms of limitless plenty to help their poor little souls" and then you think "wait, idiot, im being such a tool. they´re just people" and they are...they´re kids just like I was only a few years ago, nothing more, nothing less. And you have to treat them as such.
It really is a tragedy, though, how they all sniff glue all the time. They have no idea how it´s destroying them, mentally, physically, emotionally...inside and out. Sometimes kids from my volunteer home will return to the streets and get high on glue...last week little Johnny and a few others went out to the streets and got stoned on glue. Johny´s only 10 years old. One of the kids who left, Tony, never came back. It´s hard when that happens...but all you can do is try to be a good big brother to them, thats all. You can´t give them a silly CAPP talk and tell them that "drugs are bad and you shouldnt do them, and everything we tell you is correct" because that would have about as much success as CAPP class does. You just have to try to make them smile.
In other news, my budday Jules showed me this golden article. Some prime-ass scientists found water on another planet, and I figured it deserved a place headlining in my blog...take a look!!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11736311/ |
posted by Ben @ 6:17 PM  |
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| 6 Comments: |
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Hi Ben. So great to read your blog. This is tough work you are doing. Keep your spirits up and appreciate what we have (or don't have) control over. Just be the great guy you are and I have no doubt you will touch them. Perhaps you are learning the importance of your parents. This does my heart good. Love Mom.
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Ahhhhhhahahahahah, Ben, Im a raging lunatic of happiness right now buddy and your writings are just about causing an emulsification of the cosmos with great earth and this ones vessle and consciousness. WOW, theres been a few interruptions since I started this and now I must say Ill write ya again, I read everything is amazing in your world bro and across time and space here in Pen things are perfect as well. Much love from Kris and I, so inspired by everything you are, when I feel for you its overflowing joy.
Dustin
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Ben: This is shaping up to be a very depressive Friday for me; I just got out of a guest lecture on genocide (and the future of it). Seems like it's gonna keep happening, and that we're all screwed. However, if your interested and have the time, you should look up www.gendercide.org. It isn't just about gender and genocide, but rather genocide as well. And I think, after all your experiencing, you might want to look into working with UNHCR.
Also, you can see the same kids on many reserves here in Canada; or on the streets of Vancouver, Winnipeg and Toronto-- or Kelowna.
Brianne- who's going to send you that stuff real soon.
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As if I didn´t know the importance of my parents before. Give me a break Mom :)
Dustin, I love you, you rock, CABROOOOON!!! (as the spanish say)
Zoe, amazing dream. AMAZING.
Brianne, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees? Why do you figure so? And yeah, my work here has made me think of my own home, and how we have many of the same social problems, like street kids...and I´ve been thinking that I´d really like to do some work with street kids when I´m rockin the kasbah in Victoria, similar to the work that I´m doing here if I can.
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Yes Ben I will give you a break. What I intended to say was, "perhaps you are being reminded of the importance of your parents". When one's son leaves home so early, I may feel a bit "unneeded". love Mom
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Ben,
This is Nicki from Thoez. Hi! You might remember me more from conversations like, "hey, could I substitute the chicken livers for fantail please"?..or... "where's my pita bread"?...And look where you are and what you are doing now...! We truely are fortunate beings in Canada. I just scrolled through your blog and WOW....your adventures and insights are an amazing read! Thanks for sharing Ben.
Smiles and perseverence, Nicki
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Hi Ben. So great to read your blog. This is tough work you are doing. Keep your spirits up and appreciate what we have (or don't have) control over. Just be the great guy you are and I have no doubt you will touch them. Perhaps you are learning the importance of your parents. This does my heart good. Love Mom.