To WonderLa - as a volunteer

"Boys are always naughty. I want my kids to be girls" - this is the futuristic thought I always had. So when I volunteered to accompany the 20 boys from our Child Care Center for a trip to Wonder La, I was not sure what I was getting myself into. Keeping up the 8 AM meeting time on a Saturday is a challenge, but not on this day. The nightmares I got the previous night ensured that I woke up early.

The boys were inside the bus even before my company volunteers (around 13 of us) got in. I could feel the excitement inside the bus from outside. I was excited too - will I survive this? As I got in, I saw that all the window seats were taken. One boy sitting at the end of a three seater ordered me to sit and to place both my hands on the seat. Is he going to torture me? He kept one of his hands down and using his other little hand, started counting the fingers 1..2..3..4...and when he reached 10, that finger has to be neatly tucked in. This went on and on. This little guy did not know how to stop the game, but he definitely knew how to start a friendship.

Each of the volunteers had one or two boys to take care of during the day and the boy I had to take care of was Manjunath. The bus journey started and before we reached Marathahalli, he asked me "Are we there yet?" in Kannada. Hmmm...it was going to be a long journey. But then we started to enjoy the natural and man-made scenery passing by - the small ponds, aeroplanes, train buses (as he called the vestibular buses). I found him to be an extremely well-behaved boy. When the music started, the singer in him woke up and he started humming. The pitch reached a record high when all the boys started singing and even higher when all the boys started dancing. It was real fun to see the little ones singing and dancing. And the noise reached unbearable heights as we entered the gates of Wonder La. It was all high-fives as we got down the bus.

We were joined by the folks from Hope Foundation there and my team size grew to 3 with a member from Hope joining us. The boys thoroughly enjoyed the rides. And some were too scared to try the risky ones - coaxing and cajoling convinced some but not everyone. After a heavy meal, it was time to hit the pool. Kids love water except when they have to take bath in it. The boys were enjoying every moment. Finally, the day was coming to an end and after a final photo session, it was time say bye to the Hope Foundation members and board the bus for our journey back. All the boys were dead tired and they started sleeping the moment they sat down in the bus. I am sure some were still reliving the moments inside WonderLa in their dreams.

As we reached Marathahalli, I had to get down. I said a bye to the very few boys who were awake. It was the end of a memorable day. I think it was the first trip to WonderLa for all the boys. As they grow up, they may not remember the "anna" or "aunty" who was with them during the trip. But when they get settled in life and go to WonderLa with their family, I hope they do remember the fun they had during their first trip. As for me, I still think boys are naughty, but I like them that way!!!