Working at CAICC

So, we have just finished our third week at Centro de Apoyo Integral Carcelario y Comunitaria (CAICC--you can check out their website at http://www.caiccbolivia.com/). The time, as usual, has gone very quickly. (Tia) Korie spends her days being mobbed by 2-5 year-olds, who are really good at helping you stretch your limbs, if you're feeling a little stiff. When I go in there, I'm afraid they will pull my fingers and arms off, so I try to stay away. Instead, I stay with the older kids, some of which must not know that they are older, because they still grab you and try to jump on you as if they were toddlers.

So, CAICC is a very affectionate place. It's nice to feel welcome and wanted, especially when you are having a hard time communicating with words or understanding what the hell is going on half the time. That's what I've spent my days doing, trying to figure out what's going on and what I can do to help. There is obviously a lot to do at the center, because all of the other adults are running around like mad. It's just me, standing around, wondering what to do, trying to catch one of the adults speeding past me to ask ¿Como puedo ayudarte? The kids are often left to manage themselves, and they do a pretty good job of it most of the time. I've kind of figured out that it's my job to hang out with the kids and help manage them if they need it, which is ironic, since I am the least able to communicate with them.

Most of the time, I try to strike up conversations (albeit, awkward ones) with the kids, who are anywhere from age 6-18. They usually start out okay. I mean ¿como estas? isn't that hard. I'm great at starting conversations. I can ask all sorts of things like, how are you, how was your weekend, how many siblings do you have, what do you like to do, etc. It's maintaining the conversations that is hard. Once I've asked my first question, I am immediately at the mercy of my surroundings and the person I'm talking to. If it is relatively quiet around me and the person speaks loudly, slowly, and clearly enough, and has the patience (and interest) to repeat things numerous times, than we can do okay. Sometimes this happens. And that's nice.

It's much easier when there's an activity going on. I love that soccer is a universal language and that I already know how to speak it. The kids go to the canchita and play a couple times a week. During any given week, they also play volleyball (the second favorite sport in Bolivia), practice judo, play traditional Bolivian instruments, hear speakers, do homework, create crafts to sell, bake bread (also to sell--the center is in constant need of funds), play chess, read books, run around, jump on me, clean the bathrooms, clean other rooms, sweep the sidewalks, eat lunch, "wash" their dishes (better not look too closely), recycle stuff, and get their teeth cleaned in a colorful bus-turned-dentist-office, which I must say is a far cooler way to visit the dentist than I have ever experienced.

There's a lot going on at CAICC, and it's great to be there. The kids are great. Most of them seem older (and tougher) than they actually are. Most of them live, or have lived, in jail with their parents, most of whom are in jail on some sort of drug charges. (The drug laws are pretty scary here in Bolivia, worse than the US even.) Because of my limited language skills, though, I don't really know too much about the individual lives of the kids (except for the visible clues, like black eyes--one sweet kid came to CAICC with one yesterday, making me cringe and long for the mandated reporter laws of the US). I would love to ask, but am afraid that I will ask the wrong thing or ask in the wrong way or something. So I just get to see the lives of the kids while they're at the center and am left to wonder what their life is like at "home." In the end, they're still kids, who obviously desire attention and affection. It's nice that our limited Spanish doesn't limit (too much) our ability to help provide these basic needs. And that's why we're here. To help love kids and help provide for their basic needs. And learn a lot from them along the way. So far so good.