Fear and apprehension.
Those were the first emotions I got in touch with when I stepped into IQ70plus – the home for mentally challenged children – for the first time. Inquisitiveness and my spirit of adventure quickly evaporated at the sight of a mentally challenged person moving towards me. My imagination went wild. See, I thought that mentally challenged people were mentally ill/disturbed or demon-possessed like those in the asylum and I thought they would hurt me. Hence, I moved closer to the caretaker who seemed to be the only normal person in the house. It took me some time to feel comfortable.
I looked around, asked some questions and tried to get used to the surrounding of faces staring at me with their distorted facial features and some contorted bodies.
There was this dark child. I mistook her for a boy for the most part of the time I was there. She couldn’t tell me otherwise. She held a picture book, pointed at an image and slurred “kalur” (colour) and “meow” (cat). She touched my hand and I flinched. Again, the fear of violent assault crossed my mind. I was afraid that this mentally challenged child would hit me. But she took my hand and placed it on the book. I pointed to the images and said something about colours, clothes, the cat, shoes and bed, and turned to the next page. We did that for the next 10 minutes. 10 minutes is quite some time – especially if the book only has five pages. At the end of it, she was no smarter, and I was a little more enlightened. At least, that is what I hope.
About a month later, I visited again – mainly to speak to one of the workers there in order to fulfill my assignment and hopefully, to learn something as well.
Meet Suseela who was 6 months into the job as a carer, a devoted 44-year-old Hindu woman with short hair that made her look ten years younger. A long, long time ago, it was her dream to become what she is today – a carer for the mentally challenged. Not many people have this “calling” it seems (or perhaps they turn a deaf ear?). Yet, can we really blame them? It is extremely difficult to love a person who (due to the limitations of their mental faculties) cannot love you back. Suseela possesses an innate love and compassion for the children, as well as her love for her Hindu god. “Mesti sabar dan mesti sayang mereka” is a summary of how she deals with the challenges that come with caring for 31 children along with a few other workers.
The children are, for the most part, happy persons. They know not many things, and they know not that they know not.
Bibi is a 16-year-old shirtless boy with a shaved head and hands in his diapers. One thing that he likes is to play with soap. More accurately, if he is not given soap, he would play with excrement. BoyBoy is an underweight, pleasant, obedient boy who comes when called. There’s also an adult guy (these children aren’t exactly children in terms of their physical age) who helpfully folded clothes and carried them in with a big smile on his face.
Some lie on the ground, unable to get up and walk because the mental handicap prevents them from learning how to. Others sit on chairs, looking like they watch television all day long but it is more likely that they are in their own world doing their own thing. They grow old and bigger in size physically, but their minds remain that of an infant.
And I wondered, what purpose does their existence serve?
I think one reason is that they serve to remind us. To remind us that we are not all that complete either and that we will never be perfectly complete (physically, mentally and spiritually) as long as we remain on this earth, finite and fallen. They remind us to be grateful for what we already possess – our mental faculties. That I am able to write this reflection paper and you are able to read and understand it is something to be thankful to God about. They teach us to love, though they themselves are unable to love.
Still, after all the assignments are written, the nagging question remains.
Do we really care?
Those were the first emotions I got in touch with when I stepped into IQ70plus – the home for mentally challenged children – for the first time. Inquisitiveness and my spirit of adventure quickly evaporated at the sight of a mentally challenged person moving towards me. My imagination went wild. See, I thought that mentally challenged people were mentally ill/disturbed or demon-possessed like those in the asylum and I thought they would hurt me. Hence, I moved closer to the caretaker who seemed to be the only normal person in the house. It took me some time to feel comfortable.
I looked around, asked some questions and tried to get used to the surrounding of faces staring at me with their distorted facial features and some contorted bodies.
There was this dark child. I mistook her for a boy for the most part of the time I was there. She couldn’t tell me otherwise. She held a picture book, pointed at an image and slurred “kalur” (colour) and “meow” (cat). She touched my hand and I flinched. Again, the fear of violent assault crossed my mind. I was afraid that this mentally challenged child would hit me. But she took my hand and placed it on the book. I pointed to the images and said something about colours, clothes, the cat, shoes and bed, and turned to the next page. We did that for the next 10 minutes. 10 minutes is quite some time – especially if the book only has five pages. At the end of it, she was no smarter, and I was a little more enlightened. At least, that is what I hope.
About a month later, I visited again – mainly to speak to one of the workers there in order to fulfill my assignment and hopefully, to learn something as well.
Meet Suseela who was 6 months into the job as a carer, a devoted 44-year-old Hindu woman with short hair that made her look ten years younger. A long, long time ago, it was her dream to become what she is today – a carer for the mentally challenged. Not many people have this “calling” it seems (or perhaps they turn a deaf ear?). Yet, can we really blame them? It is extremely difficult to love a person who (due to the limitations of their mental faculties) cannot love you back. Suseela possesses an innate love and compassion for the children, as well as her love for her Hindu god. “Mesti sabar dan mesti sayang mereka” is a summary of how she deals with the challenges that come with caring for 31 children along with a few other workers.
The children are, for the most part, happy persons. They know not many things, and they know not that they know not.
Bibi is a 16-year-old shirtless boy with a shaved head and hands in his diapers. One thing that he likes is to play with soap. More accurately, if he is not given soap, he would play with excrement. BoyBoy is an underweight, pleasant, obedient boy who comes when called. There’s also an adult guy (these children aren’t exactly children in terms of their physical age) who helpfully folded clothes and carried them in with a big smile on his face.
Some lie on the ground, unable to get up and walk because the mental handicap prevents them from learning how to. Others sit on chairs, looking like they watch television all day long but it is more likely that they are in their own world doing their own thing. They grow old and bigger in size physically, but their minds remain that of an infant.
And I wondered, what purpose does their existence serve?
I think one reason is that they serve to remind us. To remind us that we are not all that complete either and that we will never be perfectly complete (physically, mentally and spiritually) as long as we remain on this earth, finite and fallen. They remind us to be grateful for what we already possess – our mental faculties. That I am able to write this reflection paper and you are able to read and understand it is something to be thankful to God about. They teach us to love, though they themselves are unable to love.
Still, after all the assignments are written, the nagging question remains.
Do we really care?
Stopped by to say hi and I love reading about little excerpts of your life. Glad to know you are enjoying bible college and learning how to love when it is hard and being honest about it! You challenge me! Also glad to know God loves all the same and overwhelmingly so. By His help, may we be able to pass on His loving kindness :)
ReplyDeleteHey Ally-o! Thanks for the lovely comment. YOU challenge me! So it's great that we challenge each other!! :)
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