Children are children

In case you didn´t already know, kids are kids are kids. Note the similarities between Bolivian and American children:

1. They would rather play than take baths.
2. They ask a lot of questions.
3. They listen to Madonna and Eminem.
4. They play soccer/football.
5. They like to draw and they don´t always color inside the lines
6. They call each other by funny nicknames, like Tomato.

The only two differences that I´ve noticed so far is that the Bolivian kids speak Spanish and even at two years old, they aren´t put into car seats. (The babies help drive or perhaps they are navigating while sitting in the lap of the adult). Of course, at this point, I´m talking about well-adjusted kids.

Today was my first day at work with the five boys in the Renacer Home. Thanks to their wonderful and ultra-patient teacher, we learned about the ecosystems of Bolivia, talked about the climate, the flora and fauna of each ecosystem, and discussed the importance of taking care of the environment. Wow, that took me back to sixth grade, when I wore thick glasses and wore a mess of hair. The Renacer kids are way cooler than the Vanessa of fifth grade, that´s for sure.

Today was also my first day on the streets to meet the other kids without homes. I kinda wish I had super funny things to say right about now, but all I´m focused on is the chemical smell of paint thinner that was constantly huffed by the kids during our three-hour visit; the putrid odors of the river/sewer where the kids used to live before the police destroyed their makeshift shelters; the cute little braids worn by the 8-month-old baby girl with the doped-up parents; and the reddened eyes of the woman who sells thinner to these streetkids.

But if I concentrate hard enough, I can focus on all the laughter as we played football with the kids; the fun of letting one of the boys teach me a street game; and the challenge of teaching Bolivian kids to count in Chinese. And I can think about the Renacer boys and how far they must have come from their previous lives. Most importantly -- I can hope for the future of the little boy who, tonight, took his first step off the streets to live at Renacer.