ANGOLAN Kids Christmas Party Turned Into A Bad Nightmare!

A once-in-a-year experience of ANGOLAN KIDS to be happy, and would have been given a chance to feel the REAL MEANING OF CHRISTMAS, but unfortunately, it turned into a BAD NIGHTMARE!!!

This time would have been their first happy Christmas ever in their entire life as kids to experience a happy Christmas, since this was the first time our company bought hundreds of toy sets, foods, softdrinks and shirts for the registered children of our local workers!I finished work at around quarter to 2 o'clock in the afternoon last Saturday, which I only made 5 hours total! I don't work in Personnel Dept to have been given this task to be "all of a sudden" which then had became our responsibility ("WE Filipinas"). I didn't complain, though I wasn't so convinced to go to their local town until God knows what time we were going to finish, even though I was told that the party won't last after 6pm in view of the fact that they won't be fixing any lights! We drove straight to their local town's primary school (about 20 minutes drive from the camp), we put some decorations. By the way, it was only our Filipina Nurse and myself were left behind with the rest of local ladies who work at our laundry to organize all the decorations, which we managed to finish as early as half passed 3!

The original plan was to start distributing all the toys, shirts and foods by 4 o'clock, but it didn't happen because we had to wait for our Angolan Personnel Director to arrive, and it was getting very late so we decided among ourselves to let all the kids to come in and just give t-shirts and let them dance and play while waiting for him! "STRICTLY NO PARENTS INSIDE", because we only had such a little space which was only enough for more than 300 kids total....It was perfectly fine until he arrived! There was no problem whatsoever, he didn't stay long either! Imagine he arrived late and did not stay long... As soon as he left, on his way out, he told all of them to get inside! CHAOS, absolutely CHAOS!! It ruined everything, since we didn't have much space for the kids to fall in 2 lines (1 line for boys and 1 for girls), so we had to call their names 1 by 1, and didn't help either because it was getting dark and we didn't have lights....

Therefore, WE DECIDED TO STOP DISTRIBUTING.. Everybody panicked to have not been able to receive their toys (both parents and kids). They were shouting and some went into one direction where the toys were, some were shouting looking for their kids, and kids were crying and shouting looking for their parents. Poor me, I was stocked right beside where they were squashing in, my half body was sandwiched by all these stupid parents who were trying to get as much toys as they can. If it happened the same in rural areas in Manila, yes it will be the same but not as horrible and worst as it did happen here! Luckily, God forbidden to have none of them have initiated to punch anyone, otherwise, would have been a bloody and deadly fight in the middle of the dark small place!

I tell you what, I WAS SHAKING, FRIGHTENED, SHOCKED, and totally SPEECHLESS!! Because that HEARTBREAKING and DISTRESSING STAMPEDE of "WOWOWIE", that I experienced myself back in February 2006, was all refreshed on my mind that very moment! It was my 2nd frightening crowd in a mad dash. The moment we got to the camp, saw and spoken my husband, I WAS IN TEARS shaking like mad!

From now on, I will always stay away from any horde of people....