When I arrived they called me Teacher, now they call me Boogeyman

Time's up. Tomorrow is my last day at Hope Centre and it's going to be so hard saying goodbye to the kids. I feel like they expect me to show up again on Monday but I guess they will forget about me soon enough and play and have fun with many other volunteers in the future.

Coming here was one of the best decisions I ever made. It means a lot to me that I had this chance to help people in the world that need it. Even if I don't make a huge difference by myself I'd like to think I'm doing my part in helping these kids. I remember the first day I came here, the kids ran up to me, hugged me and called me Teacher. Now they call me Boogeyman and run away from me wanting me to chase them around. I think it's so wonderful to see how happy the kids are considering they don't have much compared to the kids at home. The kids at home can be spoiled and not grateful for anything while the kids here can for example pick up a plastic bag from the ground and be occupied for the whole day.

Yesterday I ran around the yard with a toilet roll with a bit of paper hanging out and everyone LOVED to chase me trying to grab the paper that was dragged behind me. I have had many funny moments playing with the kids myself, chasing them around or playing football with them and more.
 

Tomorrow is going to be a sad day for me but I would really like to come back here one day.
Soon I'm off to Cape Town for a week before I go back home to Sweden again.

Best Regards.

Mattias Boström- Westlake Volunteer

When I arrived they called me Teacher, now they call me Boogeyman