In Brazil, however, Children's Day is celebrated with gusto on October 12th. The idea to celebrate this special day was that of a federal deputy, Galdino do Valle Filho in 1924, but it wasn't until the 60's when Estrela, Brazil's toy company and Johnson & Johnson got together to increase sales of toys that the today's more "commercial" commemoration took full flight.
My first experience of this day was when we came to Brazil on vacation. We were driving along the highway on our way out of the city with the rest of the population, happy to have a long weekend away at my father-in-laws. Thank god for the snail pace traffic jam because I started to notice mothers with babies in their arms and toddlers standing next to them along the barely existent shoulder. Suddenly someone ahead of us signaled and pulled over. A woman got out, opened the trunk of her car, handed a mother a bunch of wrapped presents and got back into her car. I was so surprised! What was that? I asked my husband. Oh, it's because it's Children's Day in Brazil and the poor people from the favelas come to the highway and wait for donations from people to give to their kids. Really? Isn't there a better way to collect and distribute toys to the poor without having them stand on the highway? I asked. Oh, you know it's Brazil, he answered unfazed.
This week, my son's teacher asked us to choose a gently used toy from home, to wrap it and bring it to class for a blind exchange. The idea being that Children's Day doesn't have to be about just getting gifts, but giving too. I thought it was a great idea, but skeptical that this was going to work. I just kept picturing my boy suddenly changing his mind as he saw another kid in his class receiving his gift, but it all went smoothly, he was happy that Dula got his whale and he got Alice's talking cow book.
Children's Day was special for me because I was fortunate to get a ride with another mom from my kid's school to an orphanage in Pedra de Guaratiba, a small town outside of Barra. The 60 year old orphanage run by the Fluminense Evangelical church is located on large grounds surrounded by green wilderness. Two calm nurses take care of 12 babies and 15 toddlers with various ailments and runny noses.
Without any formal introductions we set off to change bums, give bottles, sing songs and swing babies. Amazingly, most of them didn't cry much, they all had their own ways of soothing themselves and waited for their turn on the rocking chair. In the two hours I spent alone in this old room with chipping paint and mismatched furniture, I managed to hold almost all of them and devote a few minutes of my attention, singing and talking to them while I rocked them. I thought a lot about my grand-mother who had 9 children and a lot of swinging indoor and outdoor furniture. I thought about being far away from my family on this Thanksgiving long weekend, but also about how ridiculously blessed and grateful I am for the "Himalayan" abundance I have in my life compared to the little ones I held.
As I left, I met my ride who was outside with the toddlers. They were sitting in playpens and sleeping in car seats taking in some sun. We walked to the car, looking back at them feeling so strange as no one else came out to be with them. On the way home back, the scenery got progressively more wealthy and shinny and we were sucked back into our "world". Many expats moms I've met have volunteered at the orphanage, and warned me that it would take a few days to re-balance emotionally, and yes, I do feel sorry for them, but at the same time, I didn't want to fill my eyes and heart with sadness while I helped out. I wanted them to see happiness, and joy because they sure had happiness and joy to see me!
I hope to help out regularly and give a hand to those dedicated nurses who clearly do their jobs well, because despite the lack arms to hold and console, the children were well fed, dry, given medicine and safe. And the thing is I have some pretty good arms, cozy elbow crooks and big boobs to lean little heads on.
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