On Tuesday evening we visited the Down Syndrome people in their place again. It was really nice to feel how much they appreciated our presence there. All of them remembered all our faces and were really keen to hug us when they saw us.
What was really sorprising for us was the fact that while we were waiting outside of the building, one of the guys (Álvaro) reached us from distance and shouted our names while he was still far away. It's also really amazing that he was just walking alone and listening to music while we have the stereotype that this people are unable to be autonomous somehow.
Afterwards while we were under the building we met people with Down Syndrome we haven't met before and it was amazing how friendly they were and how much they were willing to give us love without as they knew us for a long time.
The main aim of our visit was to show and also teach them traditional dances from our countries. At first, we were a bit confused about what to present but soon we chose an easy slow dance. By that time we thought that it would be extremely difficult for them to follow us. Whereas when we started dancing after a few minutes everyone in the room knew all the steps.
About the most amazing came later when they announced us that they had prepared something to show to us and they were so excited. The first dance was an Argentinian "Tango" which really was the most amazing "Tango" we have ever seen in a live performance. They did not only dance but performed roles like actors. A girl was sitting in a chair pretending that she was smoking and the man tried to seduce her. Afterwards all the others came in pairs to show us other dances like Samba, Flamenco, Salsa, etc. The moment that both we and they enjoyed the most was when they all started dancing together and we were clapping in order to support them and then we all saw the happiness in their faces.
Last but not least, a girl from India asked her teacher if she could dance a traditional Indian dance for us and she was really passioned to show us her roots and we all saw while she was dancing. When we were about to live, a girl named Nara approached us, hugged us and asked us to give greetings to our tall friend Kostas that the day before were playing together bowling, and she really looked like she was going to miss us.
When we have to say goodbye to all of them, it was hard because they gave us the feelings that no adult that you know for such a short time cannot give you.
What these guys taught us on this evening was that perhaps they cannot express themselves with words but they can do it in a strongger way, a way that we don't usually remember. They express themselves through emotions, hugs and kisses, things that we don't really appreciate and for them are such an important actions. It is really helpful for their lives that they learn to express themselves with words but shouldn't we also remember these kind of feelings?
Sofia Kaskari & Kostas Kakavoulis
AEGEE-Peiraias
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