Si lo puedes sonar, lo puedes lograr

Service is amazing! We work at the Instituto de Helen Keller, it’s a school designed to help those who can not see. There are no words to describe it. It’s amazing… and the feeling that we get when we are there is absolutely overwhelming. Right now we are helping out a lot as teacher’s aids, helping to get ready for graduation. However, we get to spend some time playing with the kids, and every Wednesday we get to go swimming with the children. Woo-hoo! We also take turns, rotating, in the computer lab, helping out a friend. There, we work with Bernardo. And golly….does he have a story. Today I got to work with him. He is completely blind, and his job is to help those in the computer lab, and our job there is to read to him the screen when there is a problem with the computer so he can fix it. Today, there was only a couple times when there were problems with the computers, so there was lots of time to chat and for me to practice my Spanish.

Bernardo was five when his brother accidentally shot him in the face…leaving him completely blind. He is an incredible guitarist!!! I listened to him for quite some time; I think I could listen forever. He sings as well. He is in a band with some of his friends, where he writes the music, plays and sings. He loves to run, and has won several medals in the Special Olympics here. His story is amazing, and very humbling. He showed me a video today, about him, and during the video popped up this quote…… “Si lo puedes sonar, lo puedes lograr.” If you dream it, you can do it. – Walt Disney …

I’m excited for our new friendship. He is very touchy….I don’t really know what I mean by that…but all of the children are. At first I felt a little nervous, but it is totally normal to me. He is trying to draw a picture in his mind of what I look like; touching my face and feeling my hair. He is constantly holding your hand (however,…I believe mine more than others, and probably more than necessary…. J…..) and touching your back. All of the children are very touchy. When they talk to you, they want to know you are there, listening. All together it is truly a humbling experience…I really can not put what I feel into words.