Breakin' hearts and takin' names
Saturday, August 13, 2005
So it’s about time i started telling you guys about my NetAid chaperone experience.
But I’ll do it in palatable chunks. So today is about one of the summit kids. So if you’re that summit kid, stop reading now. Thank you.
In any case, this kid was sort of our summit “problem child” in that he was not hyper outgoing and “RA-RA-RA! Go team!” about humanitarian work. He was this thugged out little El Salvadorian kid from South Beach, probably 16 years old. On arrival at the airport, he refused to talk to Reena, the chaperone who picked him up. They had to wait ONE HOUR together until the next kid arrived, during which he just sat there and listened to his CDs. He didn’t greet the other kids, who were having a field day already, meeting each other at the airport. And to top it off, they airline lost his luggage. Great.
So he was sort of off to a bad start to begin with, but i didn’t worry to much about him. But after it became increasingly apparent that he lacked interest in the subject matter of reaching his peers with global awareness-raising action opportunities or with even talking to the other kids for that matter, we began to be a little more concerned. After all, the summit is completely voluntary. You have to finish a HUGE application to be considered. All travel expenses and food are provided by NetAid. So you’d think he’d be a little more excited about the whole thing. Not so.
On Tuesday night, he called one of our male chaperones a “fairy” or something of that nature. Not cool. Obviously something had to be done. So, the other asked me to break him. How did they know I’m good at doing that? ;)
In any case, it became my new mission to reach out to this kid. I sort of treated him like a little brother, teasing him in an affable manner but still keeping him in line, especially when guest speakers were present. After two redundant, back-to-back session on girls’ education, i caught him trying to sneak out of the building. So i pulled him back and sat him down for a talk. Surprisingly, he opened up.
There was a lot more to the attitude that I had first thought. Much more about the reality of poverty rather than the “Let’s go team!” spirit that the others had displayed. He had a sort of pessimism/realism that I really understood. We had a good long talk. It was great to make a break-through. So the rest of the summit went fine. He got more involved, was more engaged with the other kids, so things were good.
And then came the last night together. We held a talent show, and it was great! The kids sang, danced, did funny impressions, and the like. Then the “problem kid” stood up and quietly announced that he would recite a poem. Everyone hushed in anticipation, wondering what this quiet guy would say. The first words out of his mouth were…
“Kathy’s hot.”
I could feel my face burn as all 60 faces shifted over to me. I was taping with the video cam at the moment, so i hadn’t even heard him exactly except that he had said my name. All i knew was that it must have been something big because EVERYONE was staring at me. Then people started teasing. Oh the teasing. What could i do but roll with the punches? “Yeah, i AM hot!” I’d laugh back, knowing that if i let it show that it bothered me, i’d never hear the end of it.
I thought that would be the end of it, but as we dropped him off at the airport, he casually asked, “Come back to Miami with me?” What a ballsy kid! “No!” i laughed it off. He laughed too, and then i left.
So, i guess i successfully broke him. Even though there were some strange side effects, at least he got more into the summit and what it was all about. Next time, though, I’m leaving kids like him to Reena.
Ahahaha! What was the rest of the poem?!
Posted by laura on 08/13 at 06:01 PMOne of the reasons I think we need more female youth pastors. I would have BROKEN him before I “broke through” to him.
Good job, hot girl.
Posted by on 08/14 at 12:10 AMLOL!
Posted by Ramone on 08/14 at 05:39 AMGood question! What is the rest of the poem?
Or should we make it up ourselves?
“Kathy’s hot
sorta like a
Berkley Breathed
Hottentot”100 points to me for referencing the best comic of all time and comparing Kathy to a basset hound wearing antlers.
Posted by les on 08/14 at 08:02 PMhahahhahahha! sweet… i’m so glad i didn’t have to deal with anything like that all year =)
Posted by kimi =) on 08/16 at 01:47 AMhahahahahahaha. you liked it didn’t you! what a cradle robber you are!. hahaha
Posted by Ryan Moore on 08/18 at 06:40 PM