Duskfall

Chapter 32

Chapter 32

After namin mabriefing sa mga do's and don'ts, as well as some important reminders ay pumasok na kami sa loob. The interior of the building seems really nice. I know it's a new building since hindi pa naman gaanong nagtatagal ang orphanage, but everything is in good condition. Mukhang naaalagaan talaga ang paligid. Everything is clean and light, very inviting to the visitors.

Una naming pinuntahan ay ang lobby. We got our names recorded and we were given some i.d pass, indicating us as visitors. I notice some people and they are wearing similar ids pero ang nakalagay ay either staffs or volunteers.

After getting out ids ay tumungo naman kami sa chapel. It's pretty big but a lot smaller compare to the church I've been to. Sabi nila ay kasya naman daw ang 100 kids doon since most of them are small. Ang ginagawa na lang nila ay nag-i-schedule ng separate mass schedule para makaattend lahat. The priest that doing mass there visits every Sunday and on special occasions during their free time so there are different priests that conduct it.

"As much as possible, we want the kids to be educate in religion so they are required to attend masses. So far, lahat ng mga bata ay may binyag na at iba pang sakramento. Ini-encoura din natin ang mga " Paliwanag ni sir John.

Kasunod naman naming pinuntahan ay ang dining hall. Its quite big because they have to feed a lot of children. They also use that as a meeting room sometimes or an event hall. There are a lot of chairs and long tables. Ang ilan sa mga upuan at lamesa ay medyo mababa.

"Our dining hall can fit all of the children, pero mayroon kaming 2 sets of separate schedule for meals. Ang ilan sa mga bata ay hindi pa sanay kumain mag-isa and they need assistance kaya naman pinapaghati namin so we can help the children in need. The staffs also have different dining time para matutukan ang mga bata."

He pointed at the chairs and tables na medyo mababa. "As you can see ay pinasadya ito ng director para hindi mahirapan ang mga bata. It will encourage them na kumain ng walang tulong so they can learn early."

We did a quick look at the kitchen. Malinis ang paligid pero medyo busy ang mga cook. They are already preparing the ingredients and cooking some meals. According to John, dahil sa maraming papakaining mga bata at staff ay halos walang tigil ang mga cook. They are either cooking or preparing the ingredients for the next meal. Ang because they obviously need help ay may mga volunteer na tumutulong sa kanila, which help a lot para gumaan ang trabaho nila.

Kasunod naming pinuntahan ay ang clinic. There is a in-house doctor na siyang tumitingin sa mga bata. They have basic tools and medicines and a few beds there pero minsan ay kailangang dalhin sa ospital dahil kailangan ng special medical attention. Dahil normal sa mga bata ang pagiging energetic, there are sometimes a few accidents at dinadala sa ospital.

"Minsan ay kulang ang mga beds natin sa clinic lalo na kapag may mga nakakahawang sakit ang mga bata like flu, kaya ang ginagawa namin ay pinalilipat namin sila at pinagsasama-sama sa ilang silid. Our doctor will visit them for check ups. But don't worry, hindi naman napapabayaan ang mga bata. There are some voluntary works na ginagawa ang ilang doctors, doing general check ups to them at least once a year." Paliwanag ni John.

Our next stop is the creative room, kung saan naglalaro ang ilang mga bata. It's big, but not that big to allow all of the children. Siguro mga 30 at a time for a comfortable playtime. It can fit more pero masyadong cramping. We saw some children playing there kaya sumilip lang kami, but I can see through the window na maganda naman ang estado ng silid. The windows are big and quiet high para abutin ng mga bata, and it's well lit and ventilated. There are a few toys inside na in-enjoy ng mga bata. They look happy while playing, and an adult is watching over them.