THE CHILDREN OF PROVIDENCIA

Every day when we go to lunch as we walk down one block to the beach we see children getting home from school to have lunch, riding their bikes, waiting at the pre-school to be picked up by parents. They laugh and shriek and really bring the middle of the day alive.

The children of Providencia are really wonderful. They steal your heart, and they are not shy about it. They will yell hi at you as you walk by, ask your name, and sometimes even demand you take pictures of them if they see you with your camera.

This has happened to me twice. Once when some older boys were playing and, as they left, the oldest brother told the youngest he was too young to go with them to the mountain to fly kites. So that the youngest boy was left sitting on a crate in front of his house as 5 or 6 boys left playing (who as a younger sibling can't sympathize with this?). As I was about to leave, the youngest boy started saying hello to me and smiled at me as he said, “No le tomes fotos a ellos! Tomamelas a mi!” Don't take pictures of them! Take pictures of me! He sat on his crate happy to be the center of attention,


and when he was bored he said “ok chao.” Bye. A two-year-old comfortable bossing around a twenty-two-year-old.

Once as I walked to the beach to take pictures of the ocean the entire pre-school stuck their heads out and started screaming for me to come in and take pictures of them. Miss Vicky who runs the pre-school, at once welcomed me in and said I didn't have to take pictures of them, but that they really loved it when people took pictures. So I proceeded in, (which meant that I was still outside), to take pictures of them as they ate their mid-morning snack.

Some made faces at me



some posed comfortable being the center of attention




some a little more shyly



some not caring enough to stop eating their snack





or to stop playing and talking with friends




They all yelled bye and still as we walk to lunch they will wave and smile.

It seems like the average family in Providencia is on the larger side. Our waitress Suzette's boyfriend has 16 siblings, it is true he is probably in his 40s and families are smaller now but you still see about 5 or 6 children per family. So that it makes sense that these children are used to having to demand some attention. And the tourists with their cameras and amazement at their comfortable laughter are a perfect source of it. But it also seems like they are used to this outside attention enough that they feel comfortable not always having to pose if they don't want to. They sometimes choose to keep hanging out and eating their candy rather than smile at you






And even if they asked you take their picture as an entire class once asked me, sometimes they quickly forget about it and go back to what they were doing.



These children who are uninhibited and generally have grown up in the way my mother often describes her childhood, running around streets with few cars, playing sports in the middle of the street, making up games with kites and floating ships, with tons of neighbors, coming home at sunset for dinner, seems quite lovely. It is true that probably getting to be a teenager in this island where there are no movie theaters and only one street could seem frustrating (although it must be nice to have your own mode of transportation by the time you are 12), but for a young child who is still not totally aware of what else is required of life than playing, loving and eating Providencia with its warm people and safe, somewhat wild environment seems like a nice place to be. And so the children oscillate between acknowledging your presence,



and quietly enjoying the sunset