Day 5: Isis and Melissa

Hey y’all– happy hump day! We’re at the middle of our trip with the end of today. Every day has been full of realities that we’ve come face to face with but today’s activity hit differently. You’ll have an intro  and will see two versions of the experience from Isis Knights (12) and Melissa Frausto (11). No pictures today because of organization rules!

Ms. Martinez: We knew that today would be fun and heavy. We went to FANA, an organization that is part orphanage, part daycare. An emotional day packed into one singular hour. Like the other days, our reflections were deeply personal and impactful, bringing us closer together through laughter, tears, and group understanding. Our travel to FANA was impacted by day seven of protests in the city. We were meant to have three hours with the FANA kids but we cut it to one to ensure our safety and ability to travel back home. That one hour was fun spent in four groups in different rooms, our team worked with kids between ages 2 and 4. We played games, singing group songs, and finger painting. Even with the shortened timeline, those kids made an impact on us. The most impactful and heartbreaking part of saying goodbye was the kids asking if we were coming back, if we really had to leave, and to take good care of each other when we leave. I do not exaggerate by saying that the majority of our group was crying on the way out whether from being overwhelmed with emotion or from seeing others in the group cry. And believe me, letting the tears out helped us really feel the full experience. Deeply heartwarming to see our group supporting each other through it all.

We went to PACHAS school for lunch and played basketball, soccer, volleyball, and ran around for a few hours before heading to a small artisanal shopping area. We were grateful that students had at least a small chance to do some souvenir shopping and get some sun! The group spent a good hour walking through looking at things and considering who and what to brings things back for. Early Christmas shopping!

Again because of protests and marches happening in the streets, we had to cancel the excursion up to Monserrate. CASFA students had us excited to go but we warned our students about reining it in just in case we couldn’t go. It’s sad for our touristy sides but nothing when put side by side with the reasoning behind the movements. Most of the schools in Bogota were closed today because of it all. We are keeping our eyes and ears open for news of what’s happening in the city an making adjustments as we go! It’s all part of the experience. 

Isis

Ten, he shouted and my eyes grew. Today, we went to FANA, which is a place for children to be taken care of in cases where their home isn’t the best environment at that current moment or even a few more moments. FANA holds about 215 kids ranging from all ages who are loved and well taken care of.  As we were there, we split into groups to work with some of the younger kids and that’s where I met one of the most intelligent people ever. But before I get into that I want to let y’all know that I wasn’t as emotionally moved as everyone else. And as selfish as it sounds, when a young Colombian kid looks at me I’m not just someone from the states but someone who has no cultural connection. And although were here to help others, I felt neglected from the entire group. This was because no one paid attention to me and yes, I understood why.  It just sucked that I couldn’t experience that personal connection with many of the kids. But, with this one kid, I knew that as soon as he spoke his future is shining right in front of him. As many of the kids didn’t interact with me, he was the only one who noticed that I was different and put that difference aside and still spoke to me as if we weren’t different. He then counted to ten in Spanish, English and German. And I was shocked at the fact he was only four years old and was able to speaking in different languages. My heart grew about an inch in every angle because he acknowledged me. He wasn’t obligated to speak to me but he did and it showed me the good that’s still in this world no matter their situation. And I will never forget that this young boy is coming from a home where he couldn’t be properly taken care of but had the strength to make my eyes glow and heart grow without knowing that I was feeling the same way he may feel at FANA. So, thank you for helping me understand that at times where my goal is to help you, the real goal is to help each other.

Melissa:

Today was a tough day. When I heard that we were going to FANA, I was confused. Later on, they explained that it was an orphanage and that we were going to do activities with them. We literally leaned the songs the day before (the chicken, the snake and the duck) and I couldn’t recall the lyrics. We got on the bus and picked up some of our leaders and then our partners. Yo, let me tell you, they came in so excited and energetic (like always) and just made me excited for the day. When we got to FANA, we noticed babies at the windows and it was the. Cutest. Thing. Ever.

We went inside and literally were told to put on these animal costumes (they were all headbands of sheep, dog, turkey, etc). Then we were put into groups and sent into the classrooms. Man, when we walked in, it was full of love and full of hugs. Soon, we started to play the songs we learned and did an art project that depended on a directed story. The looks on their faces and the laughter they had was so contagious that it made you forget that they were orphans. After that, it was time to say our goodbyes and it was hard. Many of them started to hug and give us kisses on our cheeks. It was adorable. When they started to form a line, one of them said, “cuidanse mucho.” Made. Me. Cry.

I couldn’t stop crying. Everyone started to hug me and tell me stuff to make me feel better. At that moment, I felt comforted and loved but I couldn’t stop thinking about how these wonderful children could be left there, not wanted. But Maria, the director, mentioned that some of the kids have homes and are just brought like a daycare. It did make me feel better for them but it was like, what about the rest of them? I mean, I might adopt them all but I know that I can’t handle a big responsibility like that.

I hope one day, they remember us in their successful lives. Even just a little moment.

After that, we hung out a park and had recess. Man, I got sunburned. It was a bad day to wear a black shirt. After a few hours there, we went to a market and got to see many beautiful things like traditional bracelets, cups, mugs, bags, Himalayan lamps and salt, jewelry stores and restaurants. I felt like I could be there forever. We all loved it so much that we wanted to go back.

More fun happened afterwards, but it’s all too much to tell and we want to keep that in our circle. Just know, their spiciest sauce here is barbecue. Barbecue. Sweetest thing I have ever tried. Anyways, hope you guys miss us.

All love,

Melissa and Isis  (and all of Colombia Crew)