Contributed by Luke Soto
I
went to Antigua Guatemala for Easter weekend and I ended up visiting
the place where one of my friends works called Casa Jackson, a clinic
for malnourished babies (and sometimes older children depending on the
case). My day started with an hour orientation given by a long term
volunteer who then showed me the proper way to feed, burp and change a
baby. So here am I, Luke Soto, a man who can hardly remember the last
time he held a baby, let alone feed one, and suddenly I am surrounded by
kids, one sitting up in my lap, another one drinking her bottle in my
arms and another (who can walk and talk) giving me a toy to play with. I
found feeding the baby to be pleasantly easy and calming as all I
really had to do was wait for her to decide that she wanted to eat. My
nerves were starting to calm down when I noticed that her bottle was
empty. I knew what this meant and didn’t want to admit it as I had found
feeding her to be unexpectedly calming and was nervous for the next
baby waiting to be fed. But before I knew it, I had to put the baby back
in her crib and I had a new toddler (older than the last) being handed
to me with a smile on her face and her bottle.
