the road was narrow, full of trisikad along the sides and children running around. finally, the basketball court across the place can be seen. we were supposed to visit this orphanage.

as ate di knocked, a middle aged lady opened the gates. ate di signalled and we unloaded the boxes. the nuns then welcomed us with warm smiles. while arranging the cans of buscuits and other boxes containing vitamins, we heard stomping from the upper floor. the kids must already be preparing to welcome their visitors.

we were heading up the second floor of the orphanage. when the children saw us, they immediately sang a welcome song that goes “Happy welcome to you, happy welcome to you, happy welcome, happy welcome, happy welcome to you.” “Happy welcome, visitors!!!”, the children chorused right after. there were around 20 children in the room ranging from 1 to 14 years old. actually, the older of the kids were just the ones who sang. the younger ones were just staring at us as if we were aliens.

“Kinsa’y ganahan mokaon? (who wants to eat?)” asked ate di. the older children raised their hands. we distributed without delay the burgers, fries and drinks to the seated kids. while they were eating, we tried talking to them. interacting with the grown ups were easy since they were so keen about our presence. the 2-3 year olds were harder to deal with. they were quiet the whole time they were eating. every attempt to even make them smile was a failure. they just continue to give us this what-are-these-aliens-up-to stare.

minutes passed by, and finally, eating time was over. so we then gave them presents such as toys, pencils, paper, and other supplies. the mood changed. there was singing and dancing while some of us had time to carry the 1 yr olds. there were now smiles all over.

at 4 pm we came to the part where we had to bid farewell to them. it was hard. there were kids who didnt want to let go especially those who were carried.

i was happy that even for a short span, i was able to contribute to making those kids happy. we had our goodbyes. it was so refreshing to see the smiles of the older kids as they said “babai ate… babai kuya…”. and even if we were heading towards the coaster, they still waved us goodbye through the windows.

when we took off, we talked about the kids and the activity itself. later part of the road trip back was quiet coz we were tired and our energy was used up. i was still thinking about those kids, thinking if i were one of them. i would have hated the likes of us. trying to give us hope that we are wanted even though we’re not. coz if we were, parents would not have left us there. if my parents didnt want me, how much more other people who are not related to me. they come and try to be close to us, only to break us once again when they need to leave. so why even bother give us hope. its all the same… they come and go… just like the very people who dragged us into this world…

those thoughts gave me chills. i realized how lucky and blessed i am…