My Gang

The real reason I am here, the kids. The kids are absolutely amazing and bring me more smiles than I could have ever hoped for. Each one has a personality and story of there own. Here are a few…

Charlito – The quietest and most polite one of them all. Even though he is mentally challenged he continually surprises me with his ability to read to and listen to what I am teaching. Charlito was brought into the world because his mother was raped by her own father.

Ian – One of the two women in the shelter. Another quiet soul who

 helps out as much as her skills allow with tasks like serving lunch. She is mentally challenged and the fear is she might be pregnant. Fortunately she is in her 30’s and not 14, but we can’t be certain because she won’t tell anyone her age. I probably wouldn’t tell anyone my age either if I knew I would not be accepted into the HBC, my only choice for shelter, if I was over 18.

Allen – When I first met Allen there was someth

ing mysterious about him. Every move is slow and deliberate, yet he is always the first one done with any lesson I do. You could tell he was hesitant in trusting me too. When I talked to Agnes the mystery was solved. Allen watched his father kill his mother.

One day Allen was sleeping when I got treats so the two o

f us walked up to the corner to get him a hotcake coated in butter and dipped in sugar (you’ll see a common theme with Filipino desserts as they are all some form of flour, butter, and sugar. The only thing that varies is the amount of each ingredient and how they are shaped. You’d be surprised by how many variations there are!). The walk turned out to be more important than I could have imagined. We passed a young teenager on our way back who asked Allen “Where is your mother?” I pray he didn’t hear or see me glare down the kid (as I tried to refrain myself from strangling him), but I know he did and here is why. Allen had only communicated to me through nodding to my yes or no questions. Two minutes after we passed the young teenager he looked at me, smiled, and said “delicious”. I think Allen is going to let me be his buddy.

Jay – My little angel. Not only does his smile brighten the entire ci

ty, but he also has a heart of gold. The other day I gave candies to the boys. Most devoured them before they were even in their hands. Jay asked me for the box. I thought it was just so he could have something of his own, but in reality it was just to hold the candies. Time passed and about an hour later Jay and I were sitting by each other watching the older kids play basketball. He reached in his pocket, pulled out the box, pulled out a candy, and offered it to me. I can’t even think of the moment without tearing up. For someone with absolutely nothing to share what little he has with me may be one of the best things I have ever experienced. Plus, once you see him dancing to what seems like the Filipino national song of "Low" by Flo Rida since it is played everywhere, I am guessing you'll understand where my love comes from.

NOTE: Unfortunately the video wouldn't load properly so I'll have to settle for a picture.

And these are just a few of my new friends, my gang. I refer to the kids as my gang because they have created a gang of their own and LOVE to throw gang signs (as you’ll see in

 all the pictures). As we all know gangs are often affiliated with bad behavior, but these kids are not out roaming the streets trying to mark their territory. These children have no one but each other and whether they realize it or not, they are creating a family of their own with the gang. The gang to me is quite sentimental and hopefully they don’t mind me imposing and calling them my gang for the time being.

Now, as for my actual teaching, let’s just say I appreciate teachers more now than ever before. If you can imagine a room with eight to 40 kids (depending on the day) of all ages, learning abilities, levels of English, and some who have been locked in a cage, for who knows how long, with my resources being a whiteboard, and notepads and pencils for each kid, it is quite comical. The attention span ranges from two minutes to an hour at most, even with bringing in handouts and markers. I try to teach in the middle of their learning levels and give one-on-one attention to those who are interested while the others play basketball. A few of them have already shown progress in math, which being the nerd in math I am, makes me quite elated. I can tell the remaining four weeks will challenge me in many ways…

Jay, Meon, and Edelino serving the padlocked kids lunch.

And yes, flipping the bird is just as bad in the Philippines. My little Jon Marco...