CARYANA

Holy Child

Holy Child was a modest compound surrounded by mango trees and greenery. The whole area was painted with a lovely scenery of low mango trees heavy with fruits. The scent typical of the country side was so invigorating and fresh. At a modest distance a horse was grazing near a mango tree as butterflies and dragon flies flew past.

It was complete with a dorm to the north with praying pieus peaking out of each cubicle. The polished center aisle led to the altar which had the image of Christ the King along with other religious items. Candles constantly illuminated the altar in candelabras and lamps. Flowers in vases added a touch of color and broke the monotony of the solemn atmosphere of the altar.

To the west was situated a common room which served as dining room. Here we also held classes and recreational activities during rainy days. It also served as our home library and stock room. It had high ceilings and large screened windows to keep dust at bay, and prevent mosquitoes from getting inside.

The bathroom and comfort room house were situated at the east side of the quadrangle, which had five rest rooms and five shower rooms. Each shower room had an electric water heater and each restroom had individual flash tanks. The tiles were set in mosaic designs for the floors, while blue tiles clothed the whole breadth of the shower and rest rooms.

The rooms for the watchers and babies and special visitors were located to the south. Some of the units had an air conditioner for the use of the visitors. I do not know much of this part of the compound.

The kitchen was situated near the gate entrance which had brick stoves and rings to accommodate different pan sizes. Gazing up to the ceilings soot decorated every corner as if a painter had painted a black sky on canvass upon an easel of wooden braces. Brick chimneys adorned the brick stoves bellowing with fire that licked the undersides of a pan or pot to a charcoal black.

During week days, we had classes in English, Arithmetic and Science. Catechism was also an integral part of the instruction routine which was also inculcated in every subject area we took up. Oftentimes children's stories were told us with relation to our subjects to strengthen in us Catholicism. We had a large volume of books at the library and everyday our watchers borrowed books from the library and read it to us pointing every word to us while they read and explained the meanings of those words. After supper we would go on short walks around St. Maurus while singing church songs, or nursery rhymes. We always walked in line according to height which we enjoyed every time. Few of my favorites were " Rock My Soul In the Bosom Of Abraham" and " Walking With Jesus" which everyone of us sang in unison and harmony. I think this stints contributed to my vocal and singing ability. Thanks God.

Weekends were spent on recreation and reading activities. Others enjoyed reading, playing the organ, reciting Bible verses and sports, while I enjoyed reading lengthy selections of heavy volumes at fast pace. It seemed letters were my natural friends, and each one easily lent themselves to me for my reading pleasure. Often times I would read stories about martyrs and saints. I remember reading Lives of The Saints, a collection of stories how martyrs and saints became saints and also of their adventures. One such story that caught my imagination was about St. George and the Dragon. St. George's valiance and holiness led him to victory. Such and other stories fascinated me. I also enjoyed magazines and books from National Geographic about animals and world events. Their glossy covers of animals and other fascinating photographs always enticed me to browse through the pages and read each and every one of them. After I was done reading a book, I would often tell my watcher about what I read from memory. Mama Nagi was always so happy whenever I did this.

Of course there were other exceptional children who excelled in other activities. Fernando Abacedo was good in drawing and his penmanship was really exceptional. Although he was quite short, his good looks and fair tan skin complimented his muscular body. He was really sporty and often encouraged me to excel at whatever I do. I can say he was my bestfriend at Holy Child. Orlando was good at singing though he was slow learner. Loud-mouth Rachel always got into my nerves but her sweetness made up for her noisy attitude. Peter Paul was good at playing the piano and organ. They were some of the notable children who contributed to my happy sojourn at Holy Child.

As kids sexuality was not taboo for us. There were times when close pals would sneak out of their cubicles past midnight to fondle and engage in petty sex just feel themselves without actual penetration for fear our watchers might wake up. Sometimes when we qeued up for our personal supplies, the boys would touch the penis of the kid behind them reciprocated with a similar action. The girls would quietly follow, giggling as a boy nudged his dick behind her. I was privy to these things and I must say it was one of my first naughty encounters with sexuality.

Those were the sunniest days of our stay at Holy Child. Everything was a breeze. We sang nursery rhymes and did all childish activities in a monastic manner. Until such time most of us, especially the older kids reached their pre-pubescent years. The older boys were getting curious about the physical changes that were happening to their bodies and wanted to explore. Tougher times were looming on Holy Child. The younger kids were segregated from the adults, and the delineation between boys and girls were introduced. The cubicles were separated as well with one row assigned to the males, the other to the girls. Whenever we said our prayers, girls were made to wear cowls so as to hide their faces, while naughty boys had eye blinds on. This started a whole new change in routine and activities for everyone. Mama Nagi together with Mama Jo and Mama Sandy became stricter and their leniency almost came as a blessing when they allowed us to have recreation as merits. But on the other hand, if we had demerits we were punished through various means and methods, the most common of which was belting.