Saturday with an "SOS Family"
What does a typical Saturday look like for an "SOS family" in Bogotá? Well, there could not be anyone better to talk about this than an SOS mother who has been with SOS Children's Village Bogotá for over 25 years. Her name is Luz Marina, and here is what she has to say.
Today is Saturday. We all woke up early this morning. Fredy, the oldest of my boys, is now cleaning the garden and the front yard of our house. Elena is cleaning the kitchen, while Rubiela is doing the dishes. Leydi and Juan Manuel are also busy sweeping and mopping the floors; Pedro and Carlos are sorting out their clothes. In the meantime, I am in the kitchen making breakfast.
Now we are all done with our household chores, so we take a seat at the table and joyfully start breakfast. The sounds of our cheerful laughs fill the air as Pedro is joking along. Actually, we all enjoy breakfast on Saturdays…it's the only day we can have a lie-in and have breakfast before taking a shower.
After breakfast, noise coming from the bathrooms indicates that my children are taking a shower. After an hour or so, they reappear refreshed and neat-looking. My older daughter Elena, who is getting ready to move to an SOS Youth Facility, is sitting in for me in the kitchen. This gives me the chance to take a shower. Before lunch, some of my children are busy finishing their homework. This Saturday, I sit with Manuel, helping him to keep up with his math class.
At one o'clock, everyone is having lunch and we seize the opportunity to make a summary of the week. Listening to stories, anecdotes and a few complaints, we finish eating, while some of us put the dishes in the sink and others clean the kitchen.
During the afternoon, most little children leave their houses to play with other children of the village. They like to play football and basketball most of the time, while some of the older children attend courses downtown and a few stay home to continue doing their homework. Sometimes the SOS mothers also go downtown for shopping or stay at the village having a chat or spend time with friends or relatives paying a visit. Actually, Saturday is a nice day for most people at the village, especially for SOS mothers. After a heavy week of continuous support for their children, they deserve a little break.