Maxwell

Remember Maxwell?

I am the only white person this little guy has seen so every time he sees me he screams. I don't mean a small whine, he screams!

The way the Ghanaians toughen up their children is by throwing them at their fears. So, his Auntie made him sit with me but the poor little guy never stopped screaming. I couldn't take it anymore once I saw his tears streaming down his little cheeks. She wasn't being mean at all. The kids here are a very tough bunch and it's because they are taught to face their fears from a very young age.

I truly think this is the only child that I haven't been able to get to warm up to me...

...my mission isn't over!

I have been working on him the entire time I have been in Accra.  There were times throughout the month that I could sense he started to trust himself enough to trust me.  

He would inch closer to me but this would only cause him to be frightened again.

  

Here is a prim example:

He spots me...

Gains enough courage to run past me to his mother...

Makes it to his mothers arms and takes a second to rethink the plan of action he just took.

On the very last day of the term I was working double time to get this little guy to trust me.  I tried offering him candy, my phone, my sunglasses, all of the tricks I could think of but NOTHING from him but blank stares!

But....

All of a sudden, out of the blue, he ran over to me and hugged my legs.  I didn't dare move incase he didn't realize those were my legs in the black pants he was hugging.  

His mother was just as shocked as I but she told me to pick him up.

Mission accomplished!

In the final hours but accomplishment nonetheless!