This week has been a busy one, with Crioulo class in the morning and the afternoon, followed by seeing the kids at the Emergency Center. Crioulo is the language used in Cabo Verde and it is very similar to Portuguese. The Emergency Center provides a place for children who suffered from home abuse and sexual harassment. The Crioulo class is hard for me since I have no prior knowledge of any other Romance Language. There are so many things to study and memorize. But I enjoy working with the kids in the Emergency Center so much and I gained so much energy from the kids.
Communication with the kids is still a problem. Because of the language barrier, my interaction with the kids is limited to simple instructions and physical contact. I think with better Crioulo, I will be truly able to communicate with the kids and understand them more.
The kids seem to like us a lot. The first time we left, the girls came to us and hug us while a baby even cried. This makes me start to worry what will happen when we leave after two months. Will they be hurt by the fact that they are “abandoned” again? Does DukeEngage, especially our program, do more good than harm?
I think it will be great if more Cabo Verdeans, especially the university students, get to know the centers and come to interact with the kids. Also, I would like to know more about how adoption process is like in Cabo Verde and is there anything we can do to help the kids to find a home.