"Akka"

            

In America, we call our siblings as little sister, big sister, little brother, or big brother.  In Tamil, it is quite different.  They say “Tangechi” (little sister), “Akka” (big sister), “Tambi” (little brother), and “Anna” (big brother).  Since the REDS are all boys and it is run by the Marianist Brother, they don’t really have a sister figure.  They have a cook name Mary who they call “Ama” (mother).  Being here for five days, I learn how to communicate with the boys more and more and that smile on their face when I get a sentence in Tamil right just warms my heart.  Today is the day that I will never forget:  I am no longer Madam, but I am Akka (big sister) to these REDS boys. 

I took the opportunity to get to know the boys more today by doing various things with them.  I woke up at 6:00 a.m. (something that I don’t do on a regular basis) and made sure that I ran with the boys around the field today.  They laughed at me as I got in the very back of the line.  Maybe it was because I was this big girl who is running with these fit boys or maybe because they were amazed that I was actually going to run with them.  Whatever it was, it made them giggle a little.  We ran 3 rounds around the soccer field and did some morning exercises.  Lord knows how painful it was to do squats 50 times with my hands out, but I sucked it in and just embrace every moment with these boys.  Of course they looked behind to check up on me and see if I was doing it and giggle more and more as I stood there shaking my pain away every so often. 

            

After morning exercises, the boys are usually cleaning the compound at 7:00 am.  There I decided to play with Rajash, a little 10-year old boy who is just filled with innocence.  I taught him to say “My name is Rajash and I am 10 years old.”  We pushed each other on the swing, played on the seesaw, and I took the courage to go on the slide and followed what he was doing.  We laughed at each other and even though there was a language barrier between us, that didn't stop us from connecting with each other emotionally.  We became friends and he called me “akka.”  That heart-warming feeling when you become a family to the eyes of the person who sees you as a stranger just stayed with me throughout the day. 

            

Then, I got to know the boys more by asking them to teach me Tamil.  I was speaking their language with the help of the boys and the smile on their faces when I got a sentence right was just so powerful and so innocent that I felt that it was very sincere on their part when they say “very good.”  I asked them how many brothers and sisters do they have and what the name of their siblings and parents is.  That led to the boys opening up to me about why they are here in Deepahalli.  Their stories moved me because I have never experienced that that could happen to such an innocent boy at such a young age.  Instead of feeling pity for them, I asked them about what their favorite sports is and their favorite unit and most of them love cricket and football, but had various answers about their favorite unit. 

           

After their classes, I decided to play catch with the boys and man can these boys run and throw really hard!  They are so good at catching and throwing that they kept teasing me because I would grunt every time I miss the ball.  I played soccer for a little bit, but I got really confused because I didn't know who was on my team.  So the other boys asked me to play this game where you hit the ball with the side of your head and we split into two teams.  We laughed at each other as we hit, catch, and miss the ball together.  That created a stronger bond among all of us and I was no longer ma’am, but I was sister or Akka to these boys.  They have opened up to me and now we are connecting, despite of the language barrier that is trying to keep us apart. 

            

Being akka and not “madam or ma’am” means a lot to me because to them, I am just a person who will come in their lives and might not care about them, but with just five days, they have learned to open up to me and gave me a chance to get to know them.  These boys have shared their stories to me and we have laughed together.  I am their big sister and the protector if they are ever bullied by the other boys.  They have given me the opportunity to be a big sister to brothers, because I have never had any brothers and it’s so different from just having sisters.  They’re a lot tougher, but when I am around, that manliness in them just fades away and they are young men who is trying to become someone in this world, despite their history.  

Until next time<3

XOXO

Kristeme<3