Pretty much all the kids there were blind or had a hard time seeing. They touched my heart and made me realize how fortunate I am. We started off with a raffle. Every time the winner was announced the kids would go crazy, cheering, shouting, jumping up and down. Seeing them happy made me happy. After the raffle they danced. They surprised us with their super cool dance moves.
Next came the games. We played "The Boat Is Sinking". My brother, Mike, and I guided and grouped the kids. But after awhile I joined in on the fun. The announcer would say, "The Boat Is Sinking, group yourself into..." And then we'd run to each other, hug, and sit down. Then we had another raffle. After, they played an interesting game where they had to connect themselves using a string. They had to put the string inside their clothes and literally connect themselves. And of course (like Gus in TFIOS) I thought of its metaphorical resonance: we're all connected, we're all human, physical appearance and disabilities mean nothing. We're all the same.
This next part was probably the highlight of my day. They danced the tinikling (a traditional Filipino dance). Blind kids dancing the Tinikling! I had only danced it once, so when they called us up to try it out I was a little nervous. But I (surprisingly) quickly got the hang of it. I surprised not only myself, but everyone else. It was an amazing experience.
All in all today was a grand day. We made lots of new friends. They showed me that I'm very fortunate and lucky to have the life I have. Putting smiles on their faces touched my heart. I will never forget today.
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