Hugs and Opportunities

When I feel homesick, it is mostly my family that I think about...I miss my friends a lot too, but I really miss the “Mom” hugs, and everyday love from my family. And then I thought to myself...today, we interviewed about 30 kids for the new club, and I received about 50 hugs...from the kids, and their parents. And then I thought about what my hug must mean to them. For me, it seems like just another little kid wanting a “gringa” hug, but really, for them, it is a hug into their future...a hug for reassurance that I am there to help them; a hug of hope knowing that I care about them, and that I want them to have opportunities. Which is really why I do what I do...for the past few days I have been asking myself the question: why am I here? Why did I decide to spend my summer here To be honest, I have not really been able to come up with a solid answer. I know that it’s not because I just wanted an excuse to live here in the DR, which really is a bonus, but it’s because I want kids who have been born into a life of poverty, a child with no choice of their lifestyle to have another opportunity than just begging on the streets, or becoming a moto concho driver, , or having sex for money; I want them to find out what they are good at and prosper...and I want them to have these opportunities to become somebody; to live a life different and better from what they know. I met a lot of new kids today, and along with their parents they showed up, looking their best, eager for a new opportunity. When we left, I could barely get into the car, because I literally had a sworm of kids around me, wanting to hug me goodbye.

And I now realize that their hugs were more than just a hug. They know I am here for a reason; to help them, and they appreciate it, and are excited for whatever new opportunity or adventure we might bring into their life. But what they don’t realize is how much I appreciate them; how much I admire their strength, their will and their eagerness to have a better life. Right now I am part of something that will hopefully change someone’s life for the better; part of something that will provide an opportunity for someone who will embrace it, and never have had it unless we stepped in; right now I am part of a change.