Polehan

In this area, if you say, "Polehan," everyone knows it's the not-so-good neighborhood. We visited the after school site, but the kids were on vacation for the week. (It's independence month! Red and white flags already line the streets. Reminds me of the fireworks booths being set up around the city toward the end of June.)

There are about 20-28 kids that come. Some of them can't even afford school. But here, they come for free. Some children arrive as early as 11 and stay as late as 3:40. Each day, they learn English. They study math and other subjects through creative learning. They just received Legos to build and play with!

We met a few families. The first was so generous, offered tea and gifts. The son is Ronald, so sweet! I held his car in my hand, a thin, plastic version of hot wheels.

The children walked us through their neighborhood. We even met Billy's mom. Billy has won kite competitions! He is shy and, in his bright blue shirt, barely peaked out as we were leaving.

We met another lady with 5 children. Their family struggles financially. In tears, they must choose to send their oldest child to school or to fix the roof and walls of the house which are rotting away. For safety reasons, the family of 7 must cram in a room the size of my bedroom with plastic on the floor to sleep at night. Yet, she asks and trust that the needs would be provided. In the midst of such uncertainty, their faces beam with joy!

Hoping to return for the special program on Friday! And eager to do art classes once I gain still more language.