Yesterday morning my friend Lindsay and I returned to the Vega, Santiago’s huge meat and produce market, much to the delight of the men lounging amid the avocado pallets. Though I was sporting my usual grubby jeans and tank top, Lindsay looked pulled together as ever in a breezy dress and between the two of us we received the typical barrage of catcalls. My favorite came from a man sitting in front of large bins of pet food who said, “The angels are falling.” It just warms the heart right up, doesn’t it? Yeah.
Later on, at Entre Todas, my sunburn was the hit of the day. I loved flashing it and watching the girls cringe. “Tííííaaaa!” they squealed. One girl told me I looked like someone had painted me. She then lectured me on the importance of buying a high quality sunscreen.
The day felt like a success as one of the girls who I’d never had a conversation with called me into one of the dormitories, offered to share her candy, and told me about the Christmas party she’d just gone to at her psychologist’s office. We hung out and chatted for probably a half hour, sometimes with other girls and sometimes just us. It felt like a huge step to be invited into their private space, and felt great to just plop down on the floor and chill out with her. Later in the day, the girls began an impromptu water balloon fight on the patio. It was great to see them be more relaxed as they’ve finished their exams and are out of school for the summer. It was also great to see them running around and screaming rather than sleeping on the floor of the TV room in the middle of the day. Eventually the girls resorted to dumping buckets of water on each other, which was also great to watch. Chris and I were in no way dry when we left work.
And finally, because no day at Entre Todas passes without at least a minor storm, Chris and I had a rough moment with the six-year-old. Her moods change with no clear reason and with no warning, so she took us by surprise when she followed us out to a quieter portion of the front patio (the water-balloon-free zone) and began throwing small rocks at us. She refused to listen, screaming that we aren’t her parents, throwing rocks harder at the wall and into the yard next door. At one point she even threw a rock out the front gate at a stranger walking by. It's difficult to know how to handles these situations. When we use firm voices with her she shakes her head and hits and kicks us. There seems to be no way to discipline her except to walk away, telling her we don’t want to be around that type of behavior. She prevented us from doing this yesterday, however, by closing both doors that lead inside from the front patio--both must be opened from the inside so we were trapped outside with her. It pains me to see her behave this way; clearly her short past contains serious trauma. It’s also brutal to see her in this home with no one her age to play with and only the influence of teenage girls. At the end of this rock-throwing incident, one of the older girls calmed her down by sharing her headphones. The six-year-old danced a bit alongside the older girl, then began kissing the wall next to her, fluttering her eyelids and twirling her tongue around. Apparently the social worker at Entre Todas is searching for a more appropriate home for her, which in my opinion couldn’t happen soon enough.
I’m looking forward to today as we’re having a special evening snack for Christmas—some of the girls will be heading home to their families tomorrow so this will be the time for all the girls to celebrate together. Hopefully it will be a smooth and happy day.
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