Poison That Is Good for You

Poison that is good for you? What is she talking about?

I do not blame you for asking these questions. They are perfectly reasonable responses to reading such a title but let me reassure you that you will desire it by the gallons once I have explained myself that is. For the poison I speak of will see you burst into fits of giggles, unable to contain your mischievous delight.

When we, and by ‘we’ I am referring to Peace Corps Volunteers, first enter our communities our main responsibility is integration. This entails making new friends, meeting local officials, and getting the lay of the land among other things. But one of the best ways in which we can fulfill the task of integration is by connecting with the children of the community. In truth, becoming children ourselves and shelving our adultness.

Acting like a child as an adult may seem counterintuitive to many, as society often emphasizes the importance of maturity and responsibility. The Peace Corps, however, has other ideas. Often challenging conventional notions of what it means to behave like an adult by encouraging volunteers to step out of their comfort zones and embrace the unknown. So, when a group of children came knocking at my door, well my window that is, I accepted the invitation to be a kid again.

To begin with, I was introduced to a game called Ampe. It is a one-on-one game that saw me jumping up and down while clapping. The idea is to put the opposite foot out from your opponent to gain a point but if you put the same foot out, they then gain a point. The first person to 10 wins. The child in me would like you to know the final score for the first and only game I played was 10 – 7, my way!

I had a perfectly wonderful time playing this game. At first, I did not understand the mechanics of jumping and clapping, and then sticking one’s foot out. The children got a fit of the giggles every time I messed up. But they were extremely patient and all too happy to show me a demonstration when asked.  

Next, we have Roza, Roza, Roza. This is a hand-clapping game that reminded me of playing Miss Mary Mack and Patty Cake when I was a child. It involves you and your partner locking your hands together and swinging them side-to-side. Then you begin to clap your hands together and in between hand clapping you touch your hip, chest, and forehead. There is no winner or loser, it is only played for good fun. The adult in me would like you to know that my hand-eye coordination failed me, which in turn had the children laughing in stitches.

Now – drumroll please – POISON! 

Poison is the final game of our laughable adventure. This game is like tag back in America but with a twist. It is played by multiple individuals grabbing the fingers of one individual's hand. This individual is responsible for saying ‘poison’ in between the player's response of counting to ten. The dialogue would be:

Player 1: ‘Poison’

Player 2: ‘One’

Player 1: ‘Poison’

Player 2: ‘Two’

Player 1: ‘Poison’

Player 2: ‘Three’

And so on until the count reaches ten. Once the count gets to ten you want to release your grasp on player one’s finger and run as quick as you can before he/she catches you. If you are caught, you now become the poison maker. There is also a part where you must crawl in between someone’s legs. Though I did not quite understand the rules for this section of the game, I am happy to inform you that I did not partake in any crawling between legs. Besides I question if I would have been able to get off the ground. I was terribly exhausted after the sixth round of this game.

As the sun began to set, I was tired, my feet ached from all that jumping and running, and I was hot and sweaty, and yes, I am pretty sure I was a bit smelly from all that sweat. But as the night drew near it was in that moment that I was reminded why children are so special and why they are undoubtedly the greatest teachers of life. They have a unique ability to see the world through a lens of wonder and curiosity, finding joy in the simplest of things. They remind us to live in the moment and focus on enjoying the present without worrying about the future. They connect with others genuinely and authentically, which leads to meaningful and long-lasting friendships.

I do not know what the future holds for me here but whatever lies ahead I know I will go forth with a spirit of adventure, empathy, curiosity, joy, collaboration, and community that is based on service, compassion, and social responsibility; and all because a group of kids came to my window and simply asked if I would come out and play.