I brought an old Highligths for Children magazine to some little kids who hang around the loomweaving center.i figured they’d give it a quick glance, and be done with it. After all, the stories are all englsih, and most of the games and puzzles need to have the (English) words explained before they can be played.
But the kids were all over it, not fighting, but battling to flip through the pages and point to photos and drawings, exclaiming what sounded to me like “mine” at every stab. I tried to explain a game or two (like “here are five pretty pictures, try to find them all somewhere else in the magazine” and “find the carrots and toothbrushes hidden in this drawing of people at the bowling alley.”) But they were quite happy to ignore my funny voice, (and a mother’s voice pleading with them not to rip the pages) and just focus on the magazine. Plus, there’s no bowling alley on this here island.
I also gave Galo, the dad, a 2004 Lakers calendar. (I brought over in January for a gift since I heard Filipinos love basketball, and just found it at the bottom of my suitcase the a couple weeks ago, when I was searching for my calculator.) Galo already had a calendar, and realized it’s already August, so he just cut it up and tacked the photos to the ceiling of the bus he drives. In return, he gave me a free ride to Tagbilaran last week, cuz he wanted me to see all the passengers staring at the ceiling.
To my surprise, and even in the Philippines I’m not easily surprised, when I returned a few days later, it was as if I’d never left, or maybe it was déjà vu. The kids were still flipping through the magazine, and a few pages had been colored in. The mom told me there are no other books in the house. And the day-care center doesn’t have a budget for books either. (Sometimes the nice day-care workers bring a book from home.)
The kids I meet around here have really vivid imaginations and can make a toy out of anything, at least the ones who don’t sit in front of the boob tube at every possible chance. (It ain’t as bad as America, they still haven’t yet found out that each and every American kid has a TV in his or her bedroom.) Fortunately (whether or not they know it) for the family I visit most often, their TV broke a while ago, and they have no budget for its repair.
I’ve just been invited to go spend a few days up in the mountains. A few loomweaver friends of mine are leading a basic training on loomweaving. Should be fun. Last time I was up there, in June, I was definitely the center of attention with the pint-sized set. (Lucky for the loomweavers the training will be during school hours, so they should be able to do their training without hordes of kids standing at the door, staring at the white guy with the long nose.)
Therefore, I say goodbye for now. I have to pack and take a bucket bath before dinner so I can hit the sack early and be nice and chipper for my trip.
Sounds like New York is about to get hectic, huh?
Posted by dbs at August 23, 2004 06:49 PM