In recent weeks, my country Venezuela has been affected by heavy rains with regrettable consequences such as loss of human lives, homes, vehicles, commercial premises, businesses and roads. Basic services such as electricity and drinking water have been interrupted, the elderly and children are the most affected. It is for this reason that I joined a group of volunteers to make the weekend an unforgettable experience for the children, while their parents together with the authorities continue working to recover some belongings and others are sent to temporary shelters.
On Friday, when I went to the collection center, I was informed that there were two children (female and male), both 10 years old, yet to be accepted to live the best weekend of their lives. Seeing those excited and somewhat insecure little faces made my heart cringe at the thought of having to choose just one. I took a moment to think calmly about what to do and after analyzing the difficult situation, I chose the girl.
The reason for my decision was because I have a daughter and I identify more with girls. Maybe also because I am a woman and have gone through that stage of life. Besides, at home I have games and my daughter's clothes that this little girl can enjoy on the weekend and I will even give her what she likes the most.
Without wasting any more time we got into the car, to make the girl feel comfortable, I asked her name, what grade she is studying and how her family is made up (I needed those basic data). Then I was interested in knowing her preferences in food, games, TV series, among others.
When I got home I showed her what would be her room and bathroom for the weekend and invited her to take a shower and then have dinner and make plans for the weekend. Among her food preferences were pancakes, so I prepared a fluffy tower of pancakes and a variety of sweet and savory flavors to go with them.
Afterwards, I showed her the princess costume my daughter wore on her trip to Argentina, who was also 10 years old when she won a fairy tale contest. In her excitement she asked me if she could try on the clothes, to which I responded with a yes. Her face lit up when she saw herself with the dress to the tiara, only the slippers were missing.
For Saturday I proposed her to spend the morning at a spa where she would receive aesthetic treatment according to her age and I would also take the opportunity to enjoy the massages, manicure, pedicure, among others. Samanta (the girl) did not know a spa, although she had a notion of what was involved. At the end of the routine I let her choose the menu for lunch. We went to a hamburger restaurant and when she finished her plate, a giant ice cream was the dessert.
On the way out, I suggested taking her to a mall to buy her some clothes and shoes, since with the tragedy, their house was submerged in mud and they lost most of their possessions. Two dresses, three pairs of pants, two sports outfits and five flannel shirts, as well as three pairs of shoes and a flirty purse, completed the purchase. We went to a movie before returning home.
For dinner we ordered pizza. Later we played hairdresser, it was my daughter's favorite game, as I let them do whatever they wanted with my hair, then came the make-up and she even made me wear heels to model the imaginary catwalk. Immediately, Samanta wore the princess dress and with the shoes we had bought, she put together the outfit.
When she woke up on Sunday, I told her to go to the club to swim in the pool and take advantage of all the recreational options that exist in the place. Samantha looked at me with concern because she did not have a swimsuit, I explained that it was not a problem, the club had stores and she could choose the one of her preference as well as the floats. A ham and cheese sandwich, fresh orange juice and fruit made up the Sunday breakfast.
We arranged the bag because in the afternoon I had to take her back to the place where she is living with her family and others, while the situation in the area is being resolved. I gave her some of my daughter's dolls (Barbie) that were in perfect condition, stuffed animals, some clothes and the most important thing for her, the princess dress, I consulted with my daughter beforehand and she agreed that Samanta should enjoy it, just as she did at the time. With her eyes full of tears she hugged me tight and thanked me for everything I was doing for her. It was inevitable not to cry too.
We arrived at the club, parked the car, ran to the store to buy swimsuits and floats. The day was bright sunny, after applying sunscreen and soaking in the showers we jumped down the slide and started the fun.
Lasagna, fries and soda for Samantha, stuffed chicken, steamed potatoes and salad for me. Lunch was exquisite, after digesting the food I invited her to the special play for children that they offer on Sundays at the club as part of the activities. At the end, we took a tour of the facilities and I enjoyed the playground with other children.
We donated chocolate for snack before leaving for the makeshift shelter. We arrived at 6:00 pm, the scheduled time to end the special weekend for the affected children of the State of Aragua, Venezuela. A tight hug completed the farewell. We cried a little and I promised to visit her when she has her new home.
This is how I conclude my partition. Thanks 
The photos are my own except those courtesy of 
I use the Deepl translator
