AMIGUITO OF THE WEEK ~ Cecilio

Christmas 2015

     Cecilio is five years old.  He, along with his buddy Isaias, is the spark that ignites Hogar 6.  His imagination, energy, and personality infuse the house and all of Amigos de Jesus with spirit and laughter.

     Cecilio is in Prepa, which is synonymous with kindergarten here in Honduras.  In preparation for Christmas, his class was making colorful paper evergreen trees. 

Not content to hang his on the display provided by Profe Ana, Cecilio took his tree and very deliberately attached it prominently to the classroom door—with plenty of glue, of course. 

     Another day during free play, Cecilio handed me a block (cell phone) and promptly instructed me to call Profe Osman (Cecilio).  “Profe Osman” hefted his briefcase (Leap Pad) and strode around the classroom barking orders into his cell phone, telling me in clipped tones, “I’m coming now.  We have work to do.”   

     One of Cecilio’s favorite things to do outside of the classroom is to play on the tobogan—which is a big, blue slide—with his friends.  They will spend hours going up and down the slide and will look for ingenious ways to make themselves go even faster.  They used flattened, empty 2-liter soda bottles as coasters until they were banned.  Cecilio will often call to me from across the yard, “MISS! VENGA!”, which translates to, “Miss! Come here!”  With only a little assistance, Cecilio can jump up and attach himself around my waist numerous times in a row.  It is only when I become tired and fear that I can no longer hold him that we stop; he could continue jumping indefinitely.

     There is an image of Cecilio that perfectly sums up his personality.  He is walking jauntily across the lawn in front of the comedor on a Sunday afternoon, swinging his arms and wearing his baseball cap at an angle, humming to himself and looking like a cross between one of the Little Rascals and the hip-hop star Lil’ Wayne.  Cecilio is a mischievous sprite who enlivens the community of Amigos de Jesus. 

   ~ Genevieve Volpe, 2015-16 volunteer

Exploring

Cecilio with 2015-16 volunteers Audra and Keri

Cecilio receiving his present on Three Kings Day 2016 (January 6th)