Life would be so much easier if I were to hold office somewhere north rather than the Makati CBD. The realization came when I rode the MRT at around 8 this morning on my way to the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKI) office along East Avenue in QC. I was pre-conditioned for a chaotic ride but got to sit the moment I boarded a random train car. No kidding! This being a first in my long history of riding the MRT, the convenience somewhat made the day lighter.

The rest of my Thursday morning only went better when I finally got to the NKI and played kuya to several kids at the Kythe Center in the Outpatient Building of the compound. One great thing about this experience, which feels totally new each time I visit a Kythe Center, is we start off as strangers to these children during the getting-to-know-your-new-ate-and-kuya phase and once we start doing an activity together, we bond with the children so fast that I find myself thinking, shit, I wish I could spend some more time with them. Seriously.

One kid, Christian he said his name was, was there to accompany his sister who was undergoing treatment. At first I thought he was the shy patient because he was not as interactive as the others. He got a coloring page with Ben 10 characters on it and went to give their skins a liberal coating of brown.

"Pinoy ba yang mga yan, G-Boy?"

"Christian!"

"Anong Christian?"

"Pangalan ko, Christian! Hindi G-Boy!"

"Eh! Sabi nitong kasama mo..."

"Hindi nya alam pangalan ko, imbento!"

LOL

Turns out, he skipped school this once to be with his patient/sister, who during the time of introduction was already with the doctor undergoing routine medical check-up. 

After coloring, I took out several reams of colored paper and handed them to all the kids and volunteers for the next activity: Origami. We all made a Samurai Warrior’s Helmet (if you wish to replicate this activity, bring newspapers because the colored paper we had resulted to a “helmet” so small, it made us all look stupid when we wore them during the photo session that followed). Afterwards, some kids heard stories from other volunteers. Others were called in for their turn at a check-up. Several took to coloring, again. I was getting uneasy, sensing that some of them are already getting bored and restless. 

Then, an idea hit me!

“BA and Christian, I’ll teach you how to take photos… and videos!”

Icing on the cake! I bet it was the most radical tutorial those kids ever got from a seasonal volunteer. Just look at that smile on the kid’s face. I can’t show the photos I got of all the children here because that would require premission from their parents. A little respect goes a long way.

Much later, I listened to the children let out a hearty laugh while they were previewing the video I took of them taking photos of each other. Hearing their simultaneous outbursts of joy validated why I was there that day, when three hours before that time, I could hardly draw out a decent reply from them with my questions. 

This kind of experience never fail to make me want to come back each time.