09Sep By AdminSeptember 3, 2024Memories of Utsho Happiness is contagious! When we first entered the building of Utsho Bangladesh Badda, the first thing we noticed was the abundance of smiles. There were smiles everywhere you looked. We were unprepared to be blinded by the dazzling smiles of the children living there. They all had different smiles on their faces, yet each of them were innocent. We awkwardly introduced ourselves, feeling a bit nervous from the curious looks of the children. Then they held out their hand to us, so we offered them our hands, but they immediately pulled us away to give a tour of their beloved school. They had so much pride in their voices as they showed us their school. It was truly breathtaking seeing such pride in children. After the tour, all of us sat down together. With voices as sweet as honey and plucky bravery, they sang to us. We were mesmerized by their singing, we could tell that they were a talented bunch. And as they sang, not once did the smile on their faces falter. There was no doubt we would have been hesitant to sing in front of strangers, and for these children to not be nervous at all amazed us. They told us of their dreams and aspirations. With their confident voices, they made us believe that they were most definitely capable of achieving them, even though there was one adorable child who said that he wanted to be a plane! We were sure that when he said he wanted to be a plane, he actually meant he wanted to be a pilot. But even that dream, though impossible, was something he believed in. Most of the boys play football and cricket, and are avid fans of the game. Their favourite football team is Argentina, and their favourite cricketer is none other than the pride of Bangladesh, Shakib Al Hassan. They want to become professional athletes, just like their idols. The other boys who did not wish to be athletes wanted to become pilots. The girls had different goals in life. Most of them want to become doctors. They want to help other people in need, and spread kindness around the world. They are intelligent girls, though young, and have realized what our world badly needs is some kindness. Their dreams having been told, they ran off to another room, only to bring back drawing books. All of them were eager to show their artwork, each one bravely offering their drawing books. We marveled at the children’s drawings. A nostalgic feeling hit us while looking through the colouful art. With each new page we remembered the fun and joyful memories of when we were their age. We wondered whether our drawings made adults feel the way the drawings of these children did. They showed their colouring books, filled with pretty pictures, most being coloured beautifully. They gave us pretend food from the coloring books and various other story books, and we played along with them. One little girl was brave enough to ask us many questions like, what was our favourite food, or which animal we liked best. We answered, amused by her endless questions. We did not realize how quickly time flew by. When it was time for us to leave, it was heart breaking to see the smiles weaken. We promised to return as soon as possible. Their smiles came back, and we couldn’t help but just feel happy seeing their bright smiles. We considered ourselves lucky to meet such sweet children, and hoped that we could help them in any way possible.