My little men

Well having worked with my little men for three weeks now, I thought it time that I introduced them to you. I may not have a photo of each right now, or write about all of them at once, but hopefully this will help give you a visual as we continue to share stories of our lives at the Orphanage.

First off, here's a quick vid with some of kids we took last week, as they say hi to all of you...


and another interview Lyds did with some of the kids...



David, Sebas and Hugo

David:
is another sad story with a misformed arm and no family but he also happens to be one of the funniest kids I know. He is a real clown and I took to him immediately. He can be very moody and unpredictable, but I enjoy being around him and especially his Canadian accent imitation.

Sebas: Loves to brush and braid my hair while touching up my chapstick. Nuf sed

Hugo: I call him my "little gentleman" as he always seems to wear collared shirts and dressier shorts than the others. There is a distinguished air about Hugo that makes him incredibly endearing...although like all my little men, he certainly does have a stubborn side to him. As you might have noticed, he also LOVES the camera.

Jose Armando:


I hate to admit it but he is definitely one of my favorites. A straight A student, he is quick to help, and very respectful of all the volunteers. The other kids comply immediately when he barks orders to "get in line", "listen up" or "go to sleep". Life would definitely not be as easy for me without my Jose.


Samuel and Tito

Tito: is the littlest of my "pequenos hombres" (little men) and the most adorable child of the lot. Not to mention the toughest. Being the baby of Casa Guatemala he gets a lot of attention from everyone, however is still expected to hold his own in sports, wrestling matches, and general rough-housing....which he does. I have never seen such a little person pin boys double his size, hit the ball harder, or say no to any challenge that comes his way. (he did finally jump from the balcony which we didn't catch on video unfortunately). His mother works across the lake at the backpackers (which provides funding for the orphanage) and he has one brother and a sister that also live at Casa Guatemala with us.

Samuel: is our second little one. His family story is a sad one with both his brother and sister also living at the orphanage (his older brother Eduardo is also one of mine and has many emotional and physical challenges). Thankfully Samuel is a very well adjusted child (although VERY stubborn at times) surrounded by love and a huge fan of both Doug and I. He is extremely charming and knows it...look out ladies.

Eduardo: is a very sad boy with many problems as mentioned earlier. He is often teased by the other boys and although he is old enough to be one of the Vanona Grandes with Doug, I fear he never will be due to his emotional intelligence. We just give him as much love and understanding as we can and hope for the best.

Diter:


As much as I hate to admit it...I did not have "easy love" for Diter when I first arrived. My first few days with him were terrible as he tested and pushed me to the brink of insanity. On day 4 however something clicked with us, and that night to everyone's surprise he accepted my goodnight hug and kiss. From that day on he has been my prized little man, helping me with every chore and quick to keep the others in line on my behalf. I get frequent spontaneous hugs and kisses (apparently very surprising according to those who have worked there for a long time) and can honestly say that he has worked his way into my heart forever.

Osman:


Yikes, Osman. Well, the first two days with him were a dream....the next 5 a nightmare, and the last 10 not too bad at all. Osman was with his family (who are too poor to keep him full time which is often the case with some of our children) for the first week I was there but joined us in the second. I immediately took to him as he solemnly shook my hand and showed off his new gold ring (plastic of course). I was warned however that first impressions can often be wrong.

The following day was great, the calm before the storm if you will, and than all hell broke loose. Osman is the type that when disciplined, gets more angry and there is no stopping him. I soon learned the delicate balance of ignoring his temper tantrums and praising his good behaviour....and praising him, and praising him..and pra...you get the picture. We have recently had more good days than bad as he has figured out that my attention will only be had by being good and not the opposite.

Bryan:


Is very cute but has to have the worst potty mouth of any child in Casa Guatemala. Thankfully I don't understand a word (at least that is what he thinks) and my blank smile and laughter always cuts his outbursts quickly.

Jairon: Jairon and his brother Selvin have one of the saddest stories I have heard so far. Having seen their parents shot in front of them only a few years ago (his little sister still has terrible nightmares) they came to Casa Guatemala very angry and scared. My first connection with Jairon happened a few days after we met when he lost a tooth. As I kissed him goodnight he shyly pulled the tooth out from under his pillow and proudly explained that it had just fallen out moments before. I got very excited for him and gave him lots of hugs and excited kisses making sure he put the tooth back under the pillow.

In the morning he came running over beaming, holding the two Quetzales that had replaced the tooth in the night. I couldn't help but laugh however when the next day Jairon again came running, proudly displaying yet another tooth that had "apparently" just fallen out. I howled when I saw it as it was a third of the size of any of his teeth and had clearly never been in his mouth. I gave him a hug none the less which seemed to be enough. Later that night little Tito got a visit from the tooth fairy and found two Quetzales under his pillow.

Selvin:



Selvin as mentioned above is Jairon's brother and one of my youngest crew. He is desperate for attention and will get it any way he can. For the most part it is positive but we know soon enough when he is not getting enough as he can be seen climbing on the roof, hitting a girl or climbing into one of the many forbidden areas of Casa Guatemala. Still a very sweet child whom I am especially protective of.

Juan, Luis Antonio, and Higinio:
These three brothers are beautiful, smart, and a big...enormous handful.

The oldest Juanito



Is one of my favorites (yes I can't help but have favorites, but no one would ever know of course) and a huge help to me with his brothers. I befriended him early on and referred to him (and the three other eldest boys) as my helpers and the "Grandes" of the Verones Pequenos. When it comes to his brothers however, he will defend them to the end and no one can stop him...even if they are in the wrong. He is often seen helping them with their chores as well as lending them clothing or comforting them at night during the storms.

Luis Antonio:



Is the middle brother and a royal pain. He is very angry and lashes out in the most bizarre times. One of my scariest moments happened with him last Saturday on my very first night watch alone. All were asleep (finally) when I heard a loud thump and immediate crying. I ran into the room to find Luis on the floor having fallen from the top bunk. That night was a very long one as Doug (who was spending the night with his guys downstairs) Yfat (the coordinator) and I comforted him until he fell back asleep at 2am. His shoulder was obviously causing him a lot of pain and we later found out that his collar bone had cracked in the fall. These are some tough kids. It reminded me of a long night I had when I was about seven and had broken my patella in a biking accident while my parents were away. I was unable to get to a hospital for hours and the minutes were some of the longest of my life. My heart went out to him and I understood exactly what it must be like to see one of your own children in pain.

Higinio: In the middle of my cutting gum out of his hair. (boys will be boys)


is the baby and plays it up...big time. His brothers spoil him, discipline, and defend him no matter what. He is adorable and yet a handful as well. All three of these brothers are in the process of being adopted by an American family. The process can take between 1-7 years so we are happy to have them until that time.

Louis Erique (Kike):
Kike is one of the oldest and also waiting for his adoption papers to come through. An American family have adopted him but it is taking a very long time unfortunately. When I first met him he was completely checked out emotionally from the Orphanage and was constantly being punished for not doing his chores, blatantly disobeying orders etc. Kill them with kindness is my philosophy however, and Kike has really stepped up recently as the thought of disappointing me is obviously not one he relishes. We have a good thing going. :o)

Francisco:
Abra Kadabra is my nickname for him as he has a way of making things disappear (and not in a good way). It didn't take long to figure out that if I played up that he was a magician he could all of the sudden make whatever it is that was "lost" appear (flashlight, money, someone else's ball etc) Any punishment has been fruitless so we continue to look for new ways to get through to this very stubborn little man.

Eliceo:



Is the shyest of the bunch. If you ever need to find him all you need do is find either myself, Raul or Gabby and he will likely be seated right beside us. It is all we can do to get him to join the others at play. Since I have been here I have been proud to watch him learn to count and swim in only just a few short weeks. Very rewarding.

Johnny:


Can be infuriating, frustrating, tiresome and yet strangely enough I love him to bits. Not sure why, but we have a great little connection and love our inside jokes.

Darryl:


Is a dream kid, one of my Varones Grandes and a pleasure to simply be around.

As an added bonus.....here's a quick slideshow of Doug's guys