The children here work hard. Like very hard! I have never seen kids so aware of their adult surroundings. Once, mom and I were about to lock the storage door where the art supplies are kept, and the 2 girls who were helping us stopped us immediately and frantically reminding us that our purses were inside.
You can't carry anything. Kids carry everything for their moms. Even their little siblings! If they see you carrying something, they will insist to take it from you and carry it for you. This took time to get used to. Especially if I was carrying something very heavy. I'd have to insist on carrying it myself, much to their disappointment.
Last Saturday we ended art class with juice and popcorn. I gathered empty dishes up and put them in the kitchen. Mom went in to the kitchen to wash the dishes and they were all cleaned. We were puzzled for a moment until a little girl told us she had washed them all. What? Wow!
I learned just how hard they work when I was repairing a few other tiles on the floor. I had to chisel off the old cement and mortar. Jonathan's mom, Alma, cleans the Centre so he was hanging around. He's not really interested in my art classes. He saw me gathering up the tools. I asked him if he wanted to help me. He quickly took the tools from me and prepared the surface.
Then we went outside and broke some tiles. Each time he smashed a piece he exclaimed, "Perfecto!"
I showed him where the cement adhesive was and he prepared it by himself without hesitation. I was just watching to make sure it he did it right and while I stood there in awe, his mom walked by and told me he helps his dad all the time. Oh! But still! He's just a kid...
Then he helped do the mosaic tile.
Perfecto!
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