Arrived at Kupang airport. First impression : it’s a very nice, small and tidy airport.
After a little mix up with my luggage (I missed it on the conveyor belt and later found it at the end of the belt on its own) I get out of the airport and hope someone called Lius will be outside waiting for me, but how will I recognize him afterall I have never seen him before. I just hope he will recognize me as the person he has come to collect.
After a brief introduction Lius drives me to the Christianti Hotel. As we drive out of the airport I notice that Kupang roads are very nice and smooth. I wonder if all of Timor is like this. Later, along the journey I discover that all the roads in Timor are not nice and smooth but many are filled with holes so deep you could quite easily damage your vehicle driving over them.
I am taken to the hotel where I unpack and freshen up. Later I will be taken to the orphanage. I am really quite nervous and apprehensive about seeing the children at the orphanage. What if they are too shy to speak to me or worse, what if they don’t like me. Peggy arrives later with some food for me. Wow! How considerate, I was very hungry and this very kind person who I have seen before on tv has bought me some food. I go into the restaurant to eat my food that peggy has got for me. We have a introductory chat and I quickly realise that god plays a very big and very important role in budi and peggys lives. I tell peggy about my son Subhaan and his autism and she understands everything I am telling her because she also has a relative who is autistic. She tries to persuade me to remain patient about subhaan, which for me is easier said than done. She tells me to get some rest and can come to the orphanage tomorrow.
Sunday 25th September
After a sleepless night, I am eager to go to the orphanage, I have heard and read so much about it that now I want to see it for myself.
Lius arrives and takes me to the orphanage. Lius looks like a very good person, he is quiet but very sociable and can speak a little English. I think we will get on well.
Arrive at the orphanage and decide to meet peggy first, but she is very busy and so I decide to introduce myself to the children instead. One by one all the children come and introduce themselves to me. I am very impressed that these children can speak very good and understandable English. They all say : good morning … my name is….I am…years old, I live at roslin orphanage…..I study at ……school.
After the introductions I decide to talk to all the children as a group and so they assemble all together. I start by asking them if they can sing any song that they like. After a brief discussion amongst themselves they start to sing the alphabet song . They don’t stop there, oh no… they are going to give me a real treat and sing another 3 songs, all in perfectly good English. One of the songs (time to be happy is now) is so catchy that even now…2 weeks later, I cant get it out of my head. I can tell just by looking at these kids that they really enjoy singing as a group and it shows in there performance which is in total harmony. Well done everybody!!
The singing has broken the ice and so I decide to give the children a little mathematics quiz. I begin by asking some ‘easy’ questions like …what is 2+2 etc.. That is no problem for them and so I commence asking them some more difficult questions eg. 6x6+4=. I can see them trying so hard to work it out that sometimes I get the feeling that they have turned it into a competition as to who can be the first person with the correct answer. Some of the younger kids just blurt out any number that comes into their heads which is exactly what I need to stop this from being taken too seriously by the older ones. They don’t know it, but these little outbursts by the smaller children are helping me enormously in settling down my nerves and making me feel a lot more comfortable.
After this little maths lesson, peggy comes over and we have a chat about how well the kids can speak and understand English. She and Budi deserve all the credit they get. They really are striving to give all the children a good education and it is paying off as I have just witnessed in the quiz.
The children return to their seats and continue to study until it is lunchtime.
At lunchtime I witness something which I will take with me forever. Some of the smaller children are very eager to start eating their meal but not one of the children even touches their plate until they have all collectively said grace. Wow that is a delight to see… The patience and self-discipline that these very young children have displayed is very humbling and I will treasure this sight for many a year.
The rest of the day is spent just observing the day to day routine of the children and the interactions they have between themselves.
Monday 26th September
Return to the orphanage this morning to find that most of the children are already in school. The smaller children who dont go to school yet are sitting quietly and/or playing amongst themselves and they welcome me with a loud and very clear 'Good Morning'. They are all so polite and respectful even at this very early stage of their lives that it leaves me quite emotional.
I sit amongst them and show them an illusion whereupon it appears that i am taking my thumb off. They see this and are all so amazed that they all start to check if my thumb is ok again.
They all want be to do this again and again and some of them even attempt to get a closeup of how I am actually doing this. I decide to show them all individually how to do it and for the next few hours they are all trying to do it.
Soon the remainder of the kids begin to appear as it is hometime from school. Without prompting they all says 'Good Afternoon' and immediately go and get changed out of their uniforms.
upon their return they sit at their tables and wait patiently for soon it will be lunchtime. Whilst they are waiting i start to roll my eyeballs to amuse them and they all start laughing and as usual, they want me to do it again and again.
Unfortunately lunch has been delayed today and so the children wont eat until 3pm.It is a testament to their patience and self discipline that never do i hear a single complaint or even the slightest whimper from anyone of these kids who must be really very hungry. These young people are truly amazing and could teach children and adults all over the world a lesson or two about patience.
Unfortunately for me, i only have one day left at the orphanage after today. I had planned on spending 2 weeks here but i got news from home that my 4 year old autistic son has burned his arm quite severley and so I must return home much sooner than planned.
Tuesday 27th September
Arrive at the orphanage this morning, and as usual the older children are at school. The younger ones greet me with the usual 'Good Morning'. As soon as they see me they all rush towards me and all want to show me their attempts at rolling their eyes and taking their thumbs off. I feel a sense of unease today as I would dearly love to spend more time here but i have to return home tomorrow. These kids have taken to me and i have certainly taken to all these children.
Peggy is preparing lunch and we have a little discussion about the children and about how they all are so well behaved and respectful. Peggy is also teaching some of the older kids about cooking the meals and they seem be keen and willing to learn.
After lunch the children begin to do various tasks around the orphanage, some of them start washing the dishes whilst some start watering the plants, there doesnt appear to be anybody asking them to do these tasks, they just start doing them.
At the hotel tonight peggy is doing one of her weekly classes where she teaches the older girls about housework, cleaning, etc. She is a very good teacher and role model but she appears to be doing all the work by herself. I ask her to let the girls do the work and for her just to supervise them. She reluctantly agrees and so we have a good discussion about the orphanage, God and everything else.
It has gone midnight and the girls are still busy learning and cleaning the hotel with peggys supervision.
I would like to go back to the orphanage to say farewell to everyone but realise that it is much too late and so tell peggy to bid farewell from me in the morning.
My overall impression of Roslin Orphanage is that it is very well run and there is a lot of love for everyone by everyone.
It is one big family and they all share whatever they have with one another.
The children at the orphanage are just like children all over the world. The only difference is that these children have not had the best of starts in life but with people like Budi and Peggy they are being given so much love that they are not made to feel less fortunate than anyone else.
God Bless Budi and Peggy and God Bless all the children at Roslin Orphanage.
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