Andy

Got more than a smile today. the director came out laughing and saying Nice Nice! Over and over. Kids like it too.
It started as an assignment. Paint a mural to cover a wall of graffiti inside the courtyard of a primary school.
I was almost terrified. At no point in my finance career had art been a consideration and I did not know how to create even the basic undersea life picture I had been given as a guide.
Disappointment loomed, and I could not imagine starting my first mission trip on a worse note. But the graffiti was pornographic in places and the kids were as young as six so something had to be done. Reluctantly I gathered the supplies and started to paint.
A couple hours into it, and after the young children had been dismissed, I heard a voice: « Hallo! » I looked up. A slightly older boy stood over me. « Hallo! » he said again, yelling this time as I would learn was his custom. Then he rattled off something in Greek and waited for my reply. I said only that I didn’t speak Greek.
« I help you! » he shouted next, pointing to my paint. I thought for a minute and said no, I wasn’t allowed because of the mess, all through the magic of Google translate. That cemented it. He shouted he would NOT make a mess and he would help me.
So I showed him what to do and then spent the next hour and a half cleaning up his messes. But he, Costas, was happy.
The next day, at about the same time, which was after the kids were let out of school, he showed up again, but with a friend. This time I was ready with extra brushes, more paint, and a couple of rules about messes. His friend dutifully complied and did not make a mess. Costas, however, had way too much energy to be able to keep from spilling paint. Nonetheless, progress was made.
Day 3, and I spent the first part of the morning touching up the mural as only one with severe OCD would need to do. Suspecting Costas would return I made sure I had plenty of paint ready when school let out. That day, there were four of them. Four rowdy, yelling, prepubescent boys of varying talent, social skills and temperament all wanting to paint something at the same time. I don’t remember being 13, but I am now appreciative of my 7th grade teachers.
To one boy I showed a fish in the picture of the mural and said he should paint that. I told him to get red paint and paint the fish. He looked concerned. I mistakenly thought maybe he wanted a blue fish so I told him he could paint it blue. All this is through Google translate. Then I left to go to the store room to get more paint.
On my way back a different boy, Vangellis, stopped me. His English was the best. « Uh, Andry », they couldn’t get my name right, « Stavros can’t paint a fish ». He pointed to the other boy, then looked back at me. « Ok? ».
« Yes, of course! He can paint something else! » i replied and Vangellsi ran off to tell Stavros. Stavros, at first dejected, was delighted with the news.
Never, I found, have I worked so hard, including when I was painting alone, as when I tried to keep four boys painting. Mostly I was cleaning up messes. But they were involved in making their own former school better, and covering up something offensive with something that they had done.
A while later Stavros came up to me. « I need red paint » he said firmly. « I am ready to paint fish! » And he did. And it was good.
By the end of the day all of us were tired. I was tired of cleaning up messes and breaking up fights, and had even gotten hit with a flying pint brush at one point. But the mural was as close to the picture as four 13 year old boys could make it, and I was really proud of them.
The director came out at that point, and I held my breath. He had not been anything but cold since I arrived and had been firm that the mural he provided must be painted on the wall. I walked with him to the wall.
He was smiling. The kids were here last year, he told me. He kept smiling. « This is good. » he looked at me.
« Tomorrow » he said as he looked at the mural before turning and walking back to his office. « Tomorrow » I replied. I don’t know what he meant, but it felt like I had been given another day at the school.
Then, « Andry! » yelled Stavros, « tomorrow we paint wall! ». Really, I thought. What wall? « Andry!» he yelled again. « I show you! » and he took off across the courtyard to a wall with an old, faded mural from years past. He pointed at it. « We paint blue! » he announced. « I come tomorrow ! » « Ok! » I replied, making a mental note to confirm this with the school director, and to get more paint.
Tomorrow. More messes, more fights, more happy children, and another smile from the director. I hope.