Monday, July 16, 2012

First Orphanage from Jonathan's view


It was the first day of the orphanage. I didn’t know what to expect. All I knew was that it was at a temple. I was somewhat excited. I love temples, and being Buddhist doesn’t hurt.  We arrived at the temples and the front gates were surrounded by statues of Buddha and a dragon door. For some unknown reason we did not enter that way but we entered another way.
As we walked in it was like a scene from an adventure movie. The temple was beautiful. Probably the most creative temple I’ve ever seen.  We walk deeper into the temple into the buildings where the children rest, eat, and play. I walked in the first room and there were three brothers wearing the same shirts. They were very shy but I attempted to connect with them. I first gave them chocolate and they really loved it. There was a little girl in the corner who also asked for a piece. Of course I gave her a piece. I wasn’t too confident in my Vietnamese so it was an awkward conversation. Luckily other members came in and played with those three adorable brothers. I wanted to go deeper into the temple so I left the room.
I then came into a bigger room with Anton. Automatically four little boys jumped on us and asked us to carry them. We reluctantly accepted. We ran around the room, but unfortunately the boys had to eat lunch. These children were disciplined. Even when we brought them candy they refused to eat it until after lunch. They proceeded to eat lunch and me and Anton proceeded to hang out with this 15 year old girl. We had her guess our age and then we showed her our biceps. We called it a “mouse” and when we flexed her mouth dropped. I then breakdanced for her a little and she said it was “Hay Qua” meaning amazing in English. I then stepped outside for a bit and was tackled by many kids wanting to play airplane. I picked two of them up and we ran off! It was on. We ran around the temple screaming and laughing while I was sweating up a storm. I then saw other members doing the exact same thing. We ran around for a long time and most of the members were exhausted as we sat down for a quick breather. An older kid suggested we light incense candles at their shrine. As we walked up the stairs I see many Buddhist statues and it was captivating. We paid our respects and then played more. The children were very intrigued by the mouse muscle trick. Anton, Thomas, and I kept doing it and the kids had the same reaction each time. We even asked which mouse was bigger. Mine ended up being the biggest (haha). Anyways there were too many kids to carry and play with so I suggested them watching me dance. So we walked around hand in hand looking for a place for me to perform for them. We found a hall way, and I then proceeded to dance. I didn’t have that much room, but for me to show them one of my passions it made me happier than ever. I heard some Ooooo and Ahhhhhs and even a WOW! I just wanted to continue to dance for them, but I was blocking the halls and I needed water. The kids then wanted to be carried more but I told them I was tired. They were so nice that they told me to rest and they found a place for me to sit down. The moment they asked me to rest, energy came fuming out of me. I carried two at once and ran wildly like an ape. All the members were full of energy and everyone played with the children.
Our day was cut short, but most of the kids had to take naps after their lunch and playtime. Two children went up to me asking when will they be able to see me. I told them most likely next year. One child then said, “How about this evening? After my nap you should come back and play with me!” I didn’t know what to say… I wanted to but I had to leave. I told him next year our group will try our best to come back. I left with a drenched shirt, sweat all over my body, but the hugest smile on my face. Overall an amazing day with great laughs and smiles J.  – Jonathan Lee

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