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BENSON - by Nancy Chuang
February 16, 2009

The first thing that struck me about Benson was his desire for affection, but his simultaneous need to hide that desire. Rosemary warned us in advance that Malawi doesn't have a huggy culture, but immediately upon introduction Benson began leaning against me or putting his arm around my shoulders—all the while studiously avoiding eye contact. Unsmiling and serious most of the time, he would gamely chuckle when I made a joke—whether he understood it or not. And when the times to hug arose, he hugged so hard.

We arrived the first evening at Pastor Peter's in near-silence. Hoping to break the ice, I offered him the opportunity to play with my camera.


Benson controlling the model shoot.

...and the resulting close-up photo.
He had an instant affinity for it, especially of extreme close-ups, and throughout the week we spent together in Kande Beach and Mzuzu, he frequently asked to take more photos. He was quite comfortable with the technology, switching easily between my camera and the one he was assigned for the Camp Malawi photo class.

During the village portion of Camp Malawi, the attendees were younger and the We Are One boys served as helpers. Rubina and I taught a health class, but when it turned out the children barely spoke English, I was reduced to standing by—they didn't need two people talking at them in a foreign langage.

To my delight, Benson stepped up and translated the lessons into Tonga. Savvy and mature, he never once asked for clarification when explaining how to keep various internal organs healthy, nor did he crack a smile when the children giggled over the word "sex" in the HIV discussion. Moffat observed the class for a few minutes, but Benson was not fazed in the slightest by his presence—I couldn't have been prouder.


Rare shot of Benson smiling!
His English comprehension and enunciation needs improvement. But his intelligence and willingness to work towards his goals is undeniable. Because of his natural abilities during the health class, I assumed he had some interest in teaching, but he was quite clear in his goal to be an engineer.

One of the thinner, smaller boys, Benson is an insatiable eater...perhaps hoping to catch up to his growing brothers. This might also indicate his desire to catch up academically with the boys in Mzuzu. Rosemary has confirmed his high performance on exams this past year, which leads me to believe he may be positioning himself for the next scholarship. He was quite comfortable in the Wukani School and looking forward to getting there himself someday. I look forward to following his progress.



Helping Rubina translate the health lessons...like a pro.

Posted by Nancy in Camp Malawi , Our boys , 10:45 PM

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