Sketches

Here are a few stories, sketches, that I hope to keep tucked away in my memory:

-There is a 3 year old named Alejandra, usually shortened to Ale. She now only answers to 'Aleluyah'. Also, she pronounces my name 'Manilla' which in Bolivia means 'bracelet'.

-Upon walking one of our three-year olds to pre-school this week, I asked her in an overly excited voice: "What are you going to do today in class?" And she replied matter-of-factly: "Oh, we are going to color. And cry." "Cry?" I inquired. "Yah, cry." Upon arriving at the school (as the new school year is underway), I understood what she had meant; everyone was crying and screaming for their mothers who were leaving. Apparently she processed it as a class activity.

-Whenever one of the girls has a birthday, I am in charge of making her a birthday present out of a closet of donations. Two weeks ago, I was in there making a gift, when all of a sudden I heard some scurring in a cardboard box that I had stuck my hand into. Yep, those are mice feet, I thought. Well, I don't really need anything from there today... The more I thought about it, the more I was just annoyed about having to try and locate a Bolivian mouse-trap. I would have to search all over the market, I probably wouldn't understand how to set it, and then I would have to discard the dead body... When all of a sudden, a 6 year-old came to the closet door, and I explained that I had found a mouse. With the sweetest voice, and a concerned (but very excited) face, she asked "Do you want me to go get a cat?" Ah! A cat! Brilliant! A Bolivian 'mouse-trap'! "Yes, yes, wonderful." In the meantime I moved the cardboard box out into the open, and the 6-year old returned, looking so so proud of herself. She had brought back our biggest cat, barely able to hold him in her arms. It was perfect, as I tipped the cardboard box, the mouse jumped out and the cat was released! (There also happened to assemble a gaggle of 5-10 year old girls as an audience). Within seconds the cat had pounced on the running mouse, and was playing with it, with all of the girls screaming their heads off. They all followed the cat (into the kitchen of all places) to watch him eat. The sister of the first girl, an 11-year old, came up to me with a kitten to explain that he needed to get some meat too! They sure can be thoughtful.