de los Niños: Bernabe

Here's the second installment of the de los Niños series (Click to read them all).

Today I'm looking at Bernabe (6 or 7 years old). I don't know his full name, again (sorry), but I'm pretty sure he's the only Bernabe at CHS. Check out the picture (and another one after the jump).

I don't know exactly when he came to Casa Hogar Sion, but I started noticing him around my July 2006 trip. He has an older sister, there, too, named Esmerelda. As of typing this, he is still at the orphanage.

I first met him in the late afternoon one weekday (during my week-long stay), doing arts and craft in the cafeteria with all of the other kids. Our team had planned a craft for that day, and after explaining everything, I walked around trying to find someone that needed help.

I saw Bernabe struggling a little bit, and sat down to help him. He caught on very quickly, and from there on I could tell that he was a bright boy, with intelligence and potential. He returned a smile and grabbed another project with enthusiasm, and I could see that he was playful, as well.

When I first met him, I remembered him because of his name. It's pronounced ber-NAH-bey, but most of the other kids call him Berna (BEAR-na). "Bernabe" just happened to be the last name of one of my close friends, so it stuck in my memory.

For the rest of the week, whenever I had a break from the grueling work, or wasn't talking deeply with some of the older kids or others in my group, Bernabe would run up and start playing with me. I remember writing in a journal:

Whenever I would walk past him [Bernabe], he'd smile. One day I was just walking across the orphanage when he ran straight up to me with an American football in his hands and asked me to play. How could I resist?

Berna was always friendly and accommodating, and full of energy. I often would talk with his older sister, Esmerelda (who is around my age), and a lot of times he would be there. The group, along with others, make sort of a balance between the different dynamic of kids there: the playful ones that are always happy despite what happens, and the enduring ones who have grown up a bit in life, seen its troubles, and rough through the day in hope of a better future.

It amazes me how he can manage such energy and high hopes despite what ever happens. I know that if I were in his place, I probably wouldn't manage much. I remember one day coming across him break dancing (or trying to) in the cafeteria. He's not only playful, but I can tell that he is bright. I see a great future ahead for him.

Berna, from then on, would be one of the first to greet me as I enter the orphanage at the start of each visit. We'd resume things as if I had never even left.

He is one of the reasons that every time I go back down to Casa Hogar Sion, I feel like I'm returning home.



(As before, if you have any stories of this kid or any other -- or just experiences in general -- feel free to E-mail me. Questions? Reactions? Thoughts? Leave a comment :-) )