white sandal dreams

I should have had my camera with me, but I didn´t think to grab it on the way out the night before. This morning was beautiful. My alarm went off at 4:30am because I had to get the girls up early so they could get ready for the big choir competition. It was still dark outside, but the sun was sneaking a peak...and it was a gorgeous site. Now trying to wake up the girls this early after a late night of choir practice and cramming for their finals...is not so glorious. I feel terrible walking into their rooms and opening the window...that cold breeze is viscious in the wee small hours. I walked into dormitorio 3 to find some of the usual morning situations...they´re always the hardest to wake up so I start with them first. I went to wake up Nayda. It usually starts off with her squinting at me and faintly telling me, ¨Te amo¨...of course with a smirk...hoping it would get her just five more minutes. I walked over to Alexandra´s bed and began trying to wake her up, gently at first. She, too, awoke with a squint and a smile. ¨Why did you wake me up? I was having the nicest dream.¨ Every night I go around while everone´s getting in bed and they always want me to tell them a story about my life back in the states. Last night they wanted me to tell them about how I met my last boyfriend...which was at Six Flags. So this morning when I went to wake up Alexandra, she told me about her dream. She dreamt that she and I were walking together at Six Flags...and we were laughing and having a blast on the roller coasters. Then I bought her a pair of the most beautiful white sandals. I interrupted her dream when I woke her up. But she was excited to share with me her dream. She couldn´t wait to find out what it meant. The girls at the home take dreams and certain superstitious practices very seriously. Later in the day she found me and was so excited to tell me what she had found out. Mami Cati (the sewing workshop instructor who is known for interpreting dreams) told her that white sandals in a dream is a sign of true friendship. ¨Tasi! This means we will always be friends!¨ Then Alexandra gave me the tightest hug, said ¨Chau,¨ and was off to her next workshop.

nos vemos, huacarpay

This weekend was filled with all kinds of magical goodness. It started off early Saturday morning. Meghan, myself, and two friends hopped on a bus to Sicuani which is about a three hour bus ride outside the city. From there, we took a twenty minute cab ride to the agua caliente! It felt so nice to be in warm water! We were able to enjoy these natural hot springs under rain-filled clouds. After a few hours of warmth and relaxation, we did some walking around the plaza and found ourselves eating some delicious chicken. It had been 15 years since our friend, Boris, had returned back to his hometown in Sicuani. I´m glad he decided to invite us along with him.

Sunday we went to Huacarpay in Lucre...just an hour away. Now, Huacarpay is a place I will be returning to. It was so beautiful. Our friend, Maruja, invited us out there with some friends for a BBQ at a house that one of her friends helps take care of. This house had so much property. I really felt like I was in some kind of fairy dream land. I don´t know if I´ve ever seen brighter flowers or more fruit growing in one place. They were growing peaches, plums, rasberries, pears, red apples, green apples, figs, olives, corn, and more fruits and veggies I didn´t know the names for. We all froliced around eating more fruit than we probably should´ve. I won´t go into detail about the consequences of such actions. Anywho, mid-morning we took a short stroll over to a soccer field that stood in front of a luscious green hillside backdrop. I made two goals and I wouldn´t bring this up except for the fact that the other team was all-Peruvian...and they take their soccer very seriously. After a few solid hours out in the field, we walked across the way to a hidden paradise and a clear-water pool. Meghan and I didn´t know there was going to be a pool! So we just stuck our feet in and watched everyone jump in to cool off. All twelve of us sprawled out in the grass for a noontime nap before heading back to the house to get our grub on. They busted out with a huge bucket of meat, potatoes, and salad stuff. The food was pretty great...except for the meat. With the amount of salt they dumped on the meat, it was pretty intense. Meghan and I began eating...and watched to see if anyone else would say anything. It took a while, but after twenty minutes or so...someone made the first move. Soon enough, everyone was taking their meat over to the sink and washing as much salt off as they could. The afternoon continued on with more frolicing and fruit-eating before hopping back on the bus and heading home.

Overall, it was a great weekend of exploring new parts of the hillside outside of the city, making new friends, spending time with old ones, and enjoying how green the rain has made everything.

it´s friday!

Today is friday and this week has been a much more relaxing one than last week. Last week included 22 hours of meetings and presentations in preparation for the upcoming year. In some ways, I enjoyed the fact that they really do treat me like staff. At the same time, putting in 32 hour shifts at the Hogar was a little more than tiresome. I will say, however, that spending that much time in meetings will definitely make people bond haha. I feel a lot more comfortable with the staff these days. I think I´ve been adopted into the family of educadoras. There are six educadoras who are pretty much in charge of scheduling all of the years´ activities for the girls. They are also the ones who spend the most time interacting with the girls. There always has to be three educadoras on night shift which means that each of them will have a 6 month period of straight night shifts. I´m finishing up my second month of night shifts. They haven´t been too bad. I owe a lot of how well I get along with the girls to these night shifts. I´ve been able to spend a lot more time with them one on one, helping them with homework, telling bedtime stories, and then there´s the fabulous task of trying to get them all up at 5am for chores.

I am happy to say that starting January, I´ll be an educadora on turno tarde...which means I only work from 2pm-7pm everyday woohoo! I´m really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed at night and also having the mornings unscheduled. I´ll be able to go in early when I want and learn some cooking and knitting skills before teaching a computer and english workshop while the girls are on vacation. I´ve also been talking with Yoni who is our social worker. I´m hoping to start accompanying her when she takes the girls to make home visits. And then since I have Saturdays off, we´re coming up with a schedule so I can take the girls out on one-on-one day trips. A lot of the girls don´t go to school and many of them don´t get visits. So they spend the majority of their time at the Hogar. It´ll be nice to spend time with them and explore some different parts of Cusco.

Christmas will be here soon! wow! I can´t believe how fast it is coming up! Meghan and I will have a few gift exchanges with the different Hogars and then we will also have a white elephant gift exchange/christmas celebration at our place next Saturday. Some of the girls will be able to go home to celebrate Christmas with their families...they are very excited for this. Many of them are preparing to make permanent returns back into their homes. Please pray for these girls. It is a bitter sweet thing to see them preparing to go back home. I´ve gotten so close to many and feel very protective over them. Different circumstances brought them to our Hogar. Many of them have spent years bouncing around different girls´ homes. I pray that God keep them safe and watch over them. May he prepare their homes and families for their re-entry and continue to make his love known to them regardless of whatever circumstances they may face in the future.

giving thanks

So the official day to celebrate what we are thankful for has come and gone. It was a beautiful day. We had 16 people come over. Getting chicken would´ve been very expensive, so we ended up getting thanksgiving sausage haha...and a lot of it. Everyone brought food, so we had the sausage, macaroni and cheese (we had a bunch of cheese that was about to expire), mashed potatoes, regular cooked potatoes, a salad, tons of bread, camote (which is kind of like a sweet potatoe but better in my opinion), popcorn, and apple pie! We had probably just the right amount of food...enough to send plates home with people, to send food for those who couldn´t come, and we still managed to have some leftovers to last us the weekend. We had a bunch of construction paper and markers out for people to write what they were thankful for and then we all put them on the wall. We weren´t sure how it would go over because it´s not a tradition that is really celebrated here...but we were happy to see everyone really get into and put some time and thought into what they wrote. The beautiful colorful reminder is still up on our wall...next to our Christmas countdown. Our friend Herbert gave a beautiful prayer to bless the food, and Meghan gave a great toast.

We told people to get there at 7pm...so we expected people to start coming over around 8 or 9. It took a while to cook and warm stuff up on our little two burner stove, so we didnt actually start eating until around 9:30 or so. But no one seemed to mind. It was beautiful to watch everyone visiting and interacting...friends from work laughing with friends from the bakery...all of the random pockets of people who have been so warm and welcomed us here in Cusco. And they were all enjoying food and fellowship together in our new apartment.

Thank you so much for all of the thanksgiving packages and emails! We are definitely set on snacks and yum food for a while now. We feel so blessed and lucky to have so much love from people. I am blown away by how much love God has showered over me through my family and friends. I miss you all so much. I look forward to seeing you all again and sharing in more love, laughs, trials, and beginnings. Love you.

a fun weekend

Arroz a la cubana...a great ending to a great Monday. I just got done eating dinner here at the Hogar. More night shifts. Another weekend has flown by but it was a lot of fun. Friday night some friends invited us over and cooked for us...Meghan and I felt totally spoiled. Saturday carried with it lots of relaxation and some quality time with the roommate. On Sunday Meghan and I headed an hour outside of the city to Saylla with some friends to eat their famous chicharrones. They were definitely delicious and lived up to their reputation. But our stomachs may not have been such fans. Saylla was great. We walked around a bit and found a huge field where everyone was playing soccer. They also had fuzball tables! So we played a few mean games of table soccer and then laid down for naps in the grass before heading back to Cusco.

I´m really looking forward to this week and what will hopefully be a fun Thanksgiving celebration with friends Thursday night. But I know it just won´t be the same as spending it with family and friends in IB. I´ll be gathering with you in spirit and thanking God for all of you in my life. Love you.

oh yeah! I started another album of pictures on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2030390&l=80318&id=64301967 if you want to take a look. ok, chau!

trip to chile

It´s Friday...crazy. I spent this past weekend in Chile. I had to cross and re-enter Peru to renew my tourist visa and I visited some friends who are volunteering in Santiago. It was a long trip to get there, but it was really nice to get away from Cusco and enjoy lots of rest and relaxation. And I saw the coast on the way! ah! I was so excited to see the ocean...I think I scared the guy sitting next to me on the bus. It was such a tease to see the water in passing without stopping to jump in. But I´m guessing the water was pretty cold.

Well, Brian and John are volunteering with the Holy Cross Associates and work at a high school in Santiago, Chile as English teachers. So I spent last Friday sitting in on John´s class and then at night we all helped out at a function the school held for alumni. The event wasn´t the hugest success but it was still a good time and I got to see a little sneak peak of what their volunteer experience has been like. On Saturday we walked around for a bit...it was so nice getting to stroll around in grass! It was refreshing to be in a more open space. I like Cusco, but things can feel very crowded at times. It felt so great to sit in grass and not have anything to do or anywhere I had to be. In the evening we went to mass and afterwards, we headed over to the Candelori´s for a delicious dinner of completos woohoo! The Candelori´s are a family that lives across the street from Brian and John. Sunday was another relaxing day. For lunch, we headed over to the CHACE house for a BBQ. The CHACE house is where a bunch of English teachers from the States live. After scarffing down some chorizo and bread, we headed over to watch the new James Bond movie! Monday the guys had class, so I hung out at the house with Michelle, their lovely roommate. We made some popcorn and watched a few episodes of Friends while my clothes washed. After one more stroll through the park across the street, it was time to head to the bus station where my long journey home awaited me. Thanks so much to Brian, John, and Michelle for the warm welcome and the chill time! I´ll be praying for your time in Santiago and the mission God has for you there.

It felt so good to be back in Cusco and it was so great seeing the girls again! They were suprised and excited to see me when I picked them up from school yesterday. It seemed like so much time had passed since I had seen them. The trip to Chile definitely gave me a chance to catch my breath and re-energize. And next week is Thanksgiving! woohoo! Thanksgiving isn´t that big of a holiday here, but Meghan and I are having a bunch of people over for a big dinner. I´m excited to get all of the random people we know together for some good food and in general a chill time to visit and enjoy eachothers´ company. I´m hoping that our new home will become a place where everyone feels welcome and can be themselves. I´ve been so blessed to have such an amazing example of true community back at home. I hope that during my time here in Cusco, our home can also provide a place for such a community to gather. So I ask that you please keep Meghan and I in your prayers. I feel very open and ready to be used for whatever God has in store for my time here in Cusco. And I am very excited!

Please let me know of any prayer requests that we can pray for over here in Cusco. You are all missed and thought of often! Lots of love from a frizzy tanke creature at a computer in Cusco.

countdown to chores

It´s going on 4am and I´m restless. I figured I should just stay up at this point since I´ll be waking the girls up at 5am to do their chores. I´m at the hogar right now...another night shift. I can sleep when I get home around 7:30am until lunch...unless the dog wakes me up. Yes, that´s right...we have a puppy!!! And he is quite the looker. We still haven´t decided on a name. He´s five weeks old and as cute as a button.

The three month marker is almost up...which means visa time. Every three months I will need to renew my tourist visa until all the paperwork and whatnot goes through for my temporary resident visa. So next week, off to Chile I go! They are giving me a week off and told me to take a little vacation. I am looking forward to getting out of Cusco and seeing some new sites along the way. I might be heading down to visit some friends who are volunteering in Santiago or visiting the family of a friend I went to college with. Either case, I´m excited for the week of travel that is ahead.

wata + more

Today doesn´t feel like Tuesday...it feels more like a Thursday. Anywho, a lot has happened since the last time I updated this here bloggy blog. Hna. Norma and Milagros came back last Wednesday. They were in Utah for two months. I guess a former volunteer paid for their trip and for Milagros to have surgery on her face (she had been in an accident before she came to the Hogar that left a lot of scarring and disfiguring in her face). Hna. Norma is like the big boss that runs things around here. So it was nice getting to finally meet her. She has a great laugh...the contagious kind. I love it! Friday I spent the night at the Hogar. My shift was from 8:00pm-7:00am. I was supposed to get the girls up at 5:30am to wash their clothes before breakfast...but I accidentally slept in until 6:30am. Mami Adela seemed upset at first but then just made fun of me.

Saturday morning, Meghan and I went to Oswaldo´s brother´s wedding. The ceremony was at a Catholic church here in Cusco. There were no bride´s maids or groom´s guys (I can´t think of what they´re usually called right now). Instead, the padrinas and madrinas were up in the front with the bride and groom. They sat in some fancy shmancy chairs in front of the priest for most of the ceremony. After, we all piled into vans and taxis and headed for a place near Pisaq called Wata for the post-ceremony festivities. Wata is a little over an hour away. Again...I know I always say it...but it felt good to get out of the city!

Meghan and I sat at the big bridal party table with the novios and their padrinas/madrinas...it was more than a little awkward at times. Everyone else sat on long wooden benches facing us. We were greeted by some of the town elders...who kept dumping confetti and glitter on our heads as a sign of welcome. I´m pretty sure I still have some of it in my hair. Most of the people there spoke Qechua more than they did Spanish...so the MC kept cracking jokes in Qechua. They must have been funny because everyone kept laughing. Meghan and I laughed right along with them...until the lady next to Meghan called us out on not understanding a word the guy was saying. Meghan and I received two of four ¨special invitations.¨ When we asked Oswaldo what this meant, he told us it meant that we had to bring nicer gifts. The bigger the box the better. After chowing down on some delicious lechón and other tasty food...it was time to give the gifts. Everyone lined up in front of the newly weds and gave their gift one at a time so everyone could see who was giving bigger gifts. On the table next to the couple were cases of beer. In exchange for their wedding gift, you got beer. Right before the dancing got started...the rain came. And it came hard and with fury. So we all scurried into the rooms of the house (there were probably over 300 guests) to get warm. Then we had a power outage. perfect. Meghan and I ended up staying huddled in that room until 6:30pm...when we were finally able to catch a ride back to Cusco. The roads were pretty gnarly...with parts of the river overflowing and flooding parts of the street. But we made it home safely.

The next morning, we enjoyed sleeping in to the sound of more heavy rain. For lunch we made our way to the bakery, where we celebrated all the birthdays between August and October. The food was amazing. We ate and danced until 6pm. After, we went to go find the Nazarene Church that I have been meaning to check out. After a 45 minute bus ride and short hike up a few streets, we found the address that was on the card the Pastor had given me. But when we rang the doorbell, we were informed that the church had moved. So that search will continue again next Sunday.

As I type this, I am in the computer lab here at the Hogar. My schedule has changed again. Yesterday we had a huge staff meeting that lasted for three hours. It was the first meeting with Hna. Norma back and there was a lot to cover. The meeting got pretty nasty when it came time to talk about night shifts and time off for some of the educadoras. There are six educadoras who work closest with the girls. They usually take turns staying the night so that there is always a staff member in each of the dorms every night. They started arguing about their free days and in the end I was asked to join in on the rotations. So today marks the first day for my ¨new¨ schedule. My work shift will start at 6pm every night when I go to pick the girls up from school. I´ll walk them home and help them get washed up and ready for dinner at 7pm. After dinner I´ll help with homework and whatnot until it´s time for bed. I´ve been told I can plan some night activities...movie nights...swing dancing perhaps? So it should be pretty chill. The hardest part for me will be getting up at 5:30 every morning. But I will have the days off which I am excited about.

Right now the girls are all down stairs watching a movie on our brand new TV and DVD player. They were gifts from the 20 visitors we had today. They came from Utah and we spent the day giving tours and selling the girls´ handicrafts. Visitors meant more good food and lots of dancing...woohoo! The girls had a blast.

Well it sounds like the movie just finished so I´ve got to make the rounds.

over the hump

We have had some suprisingly wonderful weather this week! The sun has been out and the skies have been blue! I don´t think it even rained...crazy, I know. So I am keeping my fingers crossed. This week we welcomed two new volunteers from Finland who will be with us for two months. I feel like I have been able to answer most of the questions they have about the girls and the way things are run here at the Hogar...has time really gone by that fast? I cannot believe I am coming up on my second month here. I feel fairly comfortable with my Spanish, but I still have much to learn. The girls have a good time poking fun at me and then waiting with big smiles on their faces...to see if I am able to catch what they are saying.

Meghan came back on Tuesday! It was a grand reunion filled with way too much ice cream and lots of tasty esnax. We spent much of the day eating snacks in bed and watching movies. Today she started back at the bakery again.

My schedule here at work will be changing. For one thing, starting next week...no more taller de corte! woohoo! They have finally said okay and given me a group of seven girls in the morning to work with. The only thing keeping me from getting started is the project I´m working on in the taller de corte...you know...the gold sequins design of a non-peacock. As soon as I finish what I am working on, I am allowed to go ahead and start some projects with the seven youngsters. I will be working with them every morning from 8-11am. Right now, they spend this time up in a study room. For the most part, it seems like they are by themselves and pass the time doing each others´ hair and drawing. I am told that I can do anything with them from art projects, to singing, to acting, to music class...whatever the creative part of my brain can come up with. All of this will most likely be starting either this coming week or the week after.

I was also asked if I could spend one night a week here with the girls. I committed to Friday nights for now...starting with tomorrow night. So I get the morning off and do not have to go in until 8pm. My shift will last until 7am. I am really looking forward to having Friday off during the day...especially while we have this nice weather. And spending the night with the girls will be a blast! They have already requested some movies...I´m thinking Robinhood and Kung Fu Panda for tomorrow night.

The weekend looks pretty open at this point. I am hoping to spend some more time at the elderly home again on Saturday. I think Meghan wants to do something fun Saturday night...maybe invite some friends over to cook some yum grub...turn it into a dance party? I am also hoping to get a nice hike in Sunday morning. Meghan said she would go with me at night to find the Nazarene Church I mentioned earlier. Other than that...I am really looking forward to some peaceful downtime...and being outside as much as possible.

On a side note...can I just say that I absolutely LOVE lady finger bananas?! I am sure they´re called something else here. Anywho, on Tuesday I went to the market to buy my fruit for the week. This included a kilo of lady finger bananas for 3 soles. When I got home, I gave them a try...delicious! I am only slightly embarassed to admit that I sat and ate all of them in one sitting. Yes...I ate 13 lady finger bananas as if they were chips. I was pretty sad when they were gone...I could have kept going. So I had to settle with scarfing down a few mandarin oranges to quench my craving. But I told myself it was okay because at least it was fruit...good healthy tanke. Okay, that was all I wanted to say! chau!

chillin´ with jesus-ah!

Alas, another Monday is among us. Tomorrow, my roommate will return from her two week trip...woohoo! I am definitely looking forward to her company. The weekend was a busy but fun one. Saturday morning, I received a phone call from Jesusa. Jesusa is 35 and works/lives at the home where Vaneza and five other girls live. Like me, she is also pretty new to Cusco. She arrived in August and doesn´t know very many people here. Earlier last week I had given her my number and told her to give me a call if she ever wanted to do something. So she did...Saturday morning. We left around 10am and went to volunteer at a home for some of the elderly of Cusco (although I can´t remember the name of the place right now). I am looking forward to going back on the Saturdays that I can. There are eleven elderly homes in all of Peru...one of which is here in Cusco. The shelter is home to 250 elderly folk. Jesusa and I walked around and did a bit of chatting before heading to one of the dining halls where we helped serve lunch. After serving lunch, we headed to one of the recreation centers to watch the soccer game...although I can´t remember who won. When the game was over, Jesusa and I left and put in some good walking before grabbing some yum lunch. Then we did some more walking. She is a nurse and wants to go back to school to study dentistry. So we went and found some book vendors near the university who were selling textbooks...I didn´t realize how grody some mouth diseases can look until I flipped through some of the books...brusha brusha brusha!

On Sunday I collected my laundry and enjoyed a nice stroll in the Plaza de Armas before heading back over to Jesusa´s. She had asked if we could do a movie swap for the week and Vaneza asked if she could borrow some paints for a school project. It is finals week at the universities here...yikes! When I walked into the house and saw all of the girls working on projects and studying, I flashed back to PLNU and my cluttered desk. phew! I was grateful I was there to help but didn´t have to actually take any tests.

Well, I had better get going on home so I can clean up the mess that is our apartment before Meghan gets back tomorrow...eek. Wishing you a wonderful week! Chau!

thank you

The week went by with flying colors. Thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes! One thing I have noticed here is that things never go as planned. For my birthday, some friends made plans to take me to this outdoor carnival/fair thing they just opened up...but the weather had other intentions. It was one of the darkest, rainiest, stormiest days since I came here. It was also another day of strikes. So I started off the day with a lovely tranquilo walk to work. Because of the strikes, the girls didn´t have school. Instead we spent the morning watching Bollywood videos that were dubbed in English and had Spanish subtitles. It was a fun cozy time filled with popcorn and blankets. While I was walking to my Spanish class I got a call from my family. We shared ice-cream over the phone (I got some interesting looks as I sat on the curb in the rain laughing and eating my ice-cream soaking wet). Spanish class turned out to be a suprised birthday celebration that my friend and tutor, Vaneza threw for me with her roommates. She lives at a home with five other girls who are in their early twenties. After some tasty treats and a few telenovelas, I went home to find another suprise. Herbert and Gladys were at my door with the most delicious chocolate cake to wish me a happy birthday! The cake was amazing! They left around 9 or so. After some more suprise calls from family back in the states, some snacks from birthday packages, and after winding down to the chill vibes of Nina Simone, I called it a night.

On Thursday, the workers at the Hogar threw a suprise birthday celebration for Hna. Teresa and me. Due to the fact that I didn´t know, I ate as I usually do with the girls at 11:45am. When I was called into a separate dining hall at 1pm for the birthday celebrating, I knew I was in trouble. There was no way I was going to fit another huge lunch and cake into my already full and rumbling stomach. But I am a tanke, so I succeeded. They sat me at the head of the table with the sisters. I pretty much had an oral Spanish test from Hna. Teresa. She drilled me but I think she was overal satisfied with what I have learned since my arrival. I was very excited that one of the workers from Kcauri had come, too. Kcauri is about two hours away. The sisters run a fair trade project there with the women from the area. The women only speak Quechua. Hna. Teresa asked if I would like to go with her to visit Kcauri on her next trip...yipee! I am not sure when that will be, but I am very excited!

Again, thank you so much for all of the birthday wishes and encouragement! I hope you are all doing well and in high spirits! lots of love from cusco!

another week

I am not going to lie...I was really looking forward to Monday rolling around again. This weekend seemed to go by way too slow...and I got a bit restless. I was eager to get back to the company of the girls at the Hogar. Mondays are always fun because the girls are extra energetic and are eager to tell me all about their weekends. It was even more fun because Eva is back! She had been confined to her bed for the past couple of weeks with the chicken pocks. Her shoes looked extra shiny and her shirt perfectly tucked into her skirt as we walked to school. I could tell she was happy to be out again. As we played Sapito (like Slug Bug...you pinch the person next to you when you see a volkswagen)...Melinda seemed to be pinching a lot harder than usual. And her name calling to the others was as entertaining as ever. Overall, today seems to be going along like a regular day...I wonder what the week has in store.

feliz aniversario

Today marked the 35th anniversary of the Hogar. Of course, celebrating included food, music, and dancing. We started off the morning in the church. Diana and Elise were baptized and seven others received their first communion. Again, I was designated the photographer and was asked to awkwardly go stand next to the priest so I get some good shots. Some of the parents of the girls were able to come...this put the biggest smiles on their faces. After mass, we all made our way outside to prepare for the danzas. The girls looked so beautiful. I snagged a seat between Melinda and Janet. I must say, it had to have been the funnest seat there. When the food portion of the program rolled around...we had some pork (not going to lie...it was a little funky), tamales (mhmmm), and something that looked like a potatoe but tasted slightly different. Each of the girls was even more excited when they each got their own bottle of soda...gotta love the sweet goodness of the many flavors of Kola Real. I stuck with regular soda while Melinda went for the Limon flavor. She is always full of fun information...like how my Kola Real flavor was really mostly milk.

I was getting pretty full and approaching the thick skin that was still on the pork when it was time to walk the girls to school...saved by the bell!

Throughout the celebration, I realized how close I have become to the Hogar and the girls here. When I look back and remember my first days at the end of August, I can see how much more comfortable I am here..."and its a good feeling to know."

wendy went home

When I arrived at the Hogar today, I found out that Wendy went home. Yesterday was her last day and she is now back at home with her family. When I found out, I was pretty bummed. Almost every day, she gave me such a hard time while I was trying to get the younger ones ready for school. And almost every day, she begged and begged to use my camera and cell phone. But we had a lot of fun poking each at each other. I will definitely miss her but I am happy that she is with her family. I do not know the circumstances that resulted with her being at the Hogar...and I do not know how much time she spent at the Hogar. But I know that she was always trying to take my cell phone so she could call her mom...and the saddest days for her were the days when her mom was supposed to call or visit and, for whatever reason, did not. So I am happy that she gets to spend every day with her mom...the person she was always thinking of and trying to get a hold of. I think Maruja could tell I was bummed because she happily reminded me that I would still see Wendy at school. She attends the same school as the fabulous five that I walk to school every day...so (sigh), there will still be wendy in my life.

The girls are a riot. I have been having the most joyful time with them...especially with Diana Liset and Melinda when we are walking to and from school. A couple of days ago, we were on our way home and Melinda started in with "yo mama" stuff to Diana Liset. I watched as things progessed into a "Well, your momma walks like this" contest. It had been a while since I had laughed so hard...as I watched Melinda (who is five) dish out some pretty gnarly and sketchy walks. But Diana Liset was ready to dish them right back. This continued on for a while before they finally asked me how my momma walks. I told them she walks just like me...and then proceeded to bust out a magnificent gangsta strut. They were awestruck and could not believe that my mom would walk like that...I waited a while before telling them I was only joking. As we got closer to the Hogar, we looked to see how big the moon was that night. Some of the other girls caught up with us. I cannot remember who, but someone asked how big heaven was. More questions came up and soon they were arguing about whether or not God eats. When I asked them if they thought God likes to play sports, the energy grew even more. Pretty soon, everyone was jumping around explaining how much God likes to play volleyball and soccer. I am so grateful for the huge smiles these girls put on my face. I am always blown away by the beautiful spirits I encounter every day here...and how much pure joy they add to my life.

I just thought of another story about Monica and her stuffed yellow dog that she named "Señorita Tasi," but I am running a little late to my spanish session with Vaneza...so I will have to save that one for another time! Wishing you the most joyful of days and lots of love!

(The picture was taken of Wendy while she was performing for the 35th anniversary of the Hogar)

piarty pisaq

This weekend was so fun and full of suprises! Saturday was Dia Mundal del Tourismo which meant lots of food, lots of music, and lots of dancing. Meghan and I went to a fundraiser bbq that one of the girls from the bakery was a part of. We enjoyed plates full of yummy carne asada, potatoes, and salad. After, we walked around one of the plazas where they had a parade going through. They also had a stage set up and different groups were playing music and singing. Later in the afternoon, we returned to our apartment for a little break before Meghan had to be at work. I was sitting on my bed listening to some music when I heard someone knocking on the gate outside. I went to our window to see who it was. It was someone I didn´t recognize, but he told me he was looking for Tasi Rodriguez. His name was Herbert Barco and he is the pastor of the first Nazarene Church here in Cusco. I guess my grandpa Rodriguez had contacted him and told him about how I will be here in Cusco for two years. The church is about a half hour away from where I live, so I was suprised that he had come all the way to my door to introduce himself and invite me to their church. I plan on going next Sunday.

Since it was the night before Meghan´s departure for her two week trip in Lebanon, we decided to make breakfast for dinner and call it a movie night. Sergio and Oswaldo came over and we all enjoyed some delicious french toast, eggs, and orange juice. Around 8:30pm, Oswaldo wanted us all to run and catch the last of the fireworks that were going on in the Plaza...but everyone was being lazy. About ten minutes before the grand finale...we got pumped and changed our minds. We barely caught the tail end of the show...but it was still good and fun to see everyone out at night enjoying hot drinks and watching the fireworks. During the night, Oswaldo also asked if I had plans for the next day (Sunday). He offered to take me to a place called Pisaq which is couple hours away from the city. It is his home town. So yesterday we departed around 9am (after a lesson in Qechua and a long discussion of where to best grow oranges) and made our way to Pisaq. It was so beautiful! I think it may be my favorite of the places I have seen here so far. We had fun hiking around until the rain started to kick in. Then Oswaldo started to panick...and seemed suprised that I was just laughing as we trudged through the muddy trail...not even sure of where we were anymore. It turned into a fun story that he was able to laugh at once we were back on the bus. By the time I got home, I was exhausted. I do not have my camera with me, but I shall definitely post some pictures from the weekend later. Until next time...chau!

miss primavera 2008

It was a chaotic day at the Hogar on Tuesday. None of the girls had school because it was the first day of spring, Dia de la Juventud, and Dia de Amistad. Instead, they spent the morning getting ready for Miss Primavera 2008 which is a pageant they have every year. 42 girls were running around like divas getting their hair and make up done. It was pretty intense. As many of you know...dress up is not really my cup of tea. But I helped out where I could. We made a pretty legit runway which I was pretty excited about. Most of the girls seemed to enjoy the attention and getting all dolled up. But there were some who wanted nothing to do with it. In the middle of everyone running around like crazy...there sat Rosaula and Natividad. They had just arrived that morning. Both are 14 and were brought to the Hogar because they ran away from home. There are supposed to be here for two months before they are sent back home. When I saw them, they were sitting on a bench by the office. I have never seen girls their age with eyes that looked as tired, bored, and zoned out as theirs did. I was on my outside to get some fresh air and decided to say hi and try to strike up some conversation. Rosaula barely moved her lips when she spoke and I had to lean in pretty close to hear what she was saying. They were cold and wanted to go sit outside and sit in the sun but they were told they had to stay there on that bench while everyone else was getting ready. I went looking for a Mami to ask permission to go for a walk outside with them. We finally made our way outside and found a little hill to sit on. Hot diggit...did that sun feel good! I was not really sure if I was bugging them or not...and then Rosaula just put her head on my shoulder and almost fell asleep. When it was time for the pageant to start, I was sad to leave our spot in the sun. But the rest of the night went well and the next thing I knew, I was designated photographer...perfect. Now I have all these girls handing me their email addresses so I can email them pictures of them in the gowns. I wonder how long it will take me to upload all 255 of the pictures. On my way home, I stopped by the Plaza de Armas to check out the outdoor concert going on. It was pretty crowded. I bought a sandwich and stood off to the side watching for a while. It was nice seeing everyone out there with their friends celebrating Dia de Amistad. I felt very alone watching everyone smile and sing along to the music that I had never heard before. I was frump girl in the corner pigging out on her sandwich. But it was okay...I knew that we are always with each other in spirit.

tipon and pikillaqta

The weekend flew by pretty quick. On Sunday, a group of about 30 of us (most of them were the girls who live and work at the bakery where Meghan works) hopped on a bus around 9am and headed outside of the city which was great! We climbed up closer to the mountains to Tipon and then to Pikillaqta. It was felt so amazing to get away from the city for the day and be out where it didn´t feel so crowded...in general a slower vibe. Tipon was beautiful. There were quite a bit of tourists there...we all went to see the old incan irrigation system. We had a pretty sweet tour guide. He loved telling stories...some people just tell things better than others. When our tour of Tipon was finished, he hopped on our bus with us as we headed to Pikillaqta. When we arrived, we all ate lunch. After lunch, we had another lovely tour of Pikillaqta which were pre-Incan ruins. It was pretty nuts...I felt so tiny. Everyone had such a great time. It was different going with the bakery crew because they are all much older than the girls at the Hogar where I work. I felt more like their peers. Meghan had typed up a bunch of song sheets so we sang the whole bus ride there and back. It was a nice break from the city vibe and although I do love my girls at the the home so much...it felt nice to not have to be chasing them down all day. It also felt good to be sore the next day from all the hiking. I am still feeling some of the soreness.

taller de corte

For the past couple of weeks, my mornings have started off in the Taller de Corte. It´s been a good way to ease into the day. I arrive around 8:00am and stay in the workshop until around 11:00am. Mami Kati runs the workshop. She´s great. The girls are always asking her to tell us another story. Her stories are fun and definitely help me in learning Spanish. But she talks so fast! So I just pick up on the main points of the stories she tells. She usually ties it together in the end with a lesson that the girls can learn from. Right now we´re working on costumes for some festivities and dances that will be coming up. We each got a big piece of red felt that is going to go on the front of some dresses. We were told to find a design to put on the front, and then we were going to sew different color beads into the design. I was excited because I got one too. I found a pretty sweet picture of a peacock that I wanted to use as my design. So I gave my red felt piece and peacock design to Mami Kati so she could copy the picture onto the red felt. She said it would work. But when I got it back...it was something completely different! It didn´t even have a bird on it. She drew some flower and spiral swirlies. It was pretty...but I was confused. Next thing I knew they were handing me these bright silver sequins that they wanted me to sew onto it...and some even brigther gold beads to sew into the flowers. So I have spent the last week working on a really bright design...every now and then glancing over my shoulder to the other girls´ designs...trying not to be jealous haha. But it´s been fun. The taller de corte definitely has a good tranquilo vibe to it. The girls are usually singing along to the ritmo romantica radio station that is always on in the mornings. I find myself humming some of the songs throughout the day without even realizing it.

I am very glad that today is Friday! It has thus far been a good day...very laid back. I woke up feeling well enough to go in to work (I stayed in bed much of yesterday with my voice half gone and a bad cough). Mami Kati told us a very random story about a guy who tried to finish his chores too fast and fell and ended up in the hospital. My extravagent metal flower design on red felt is coming along. It was pretty quiet around the Hogar because most of the girls were gone at a big exposition of some sort...I´m not really sure. So Roxanna did my hair for me (she couldn´t believe I don´t own a brush or comb) and we just hung out in the sun until it was time for lunch. And here I am. I´m not sure what the weekend will contain. Some of the girls from the bakery invited Meghan and I to go see some of the ruins and cites outside of the city on Sunday...so I´m super excited for that! Other than that, I´m looking forward to being outside and enjoying some sun. The weather here has been all over the place. It makes it hard to plan ahead with what to wear. It is pretty cold in the morning, but then it can get pretty hot in the middle of the day. Meghan has a pretty bad sunburn from watching a volleyball game last weekend. And then there is also the occasional sprinkle or downpour of rain in the middle of the day...followed by more hot sun. So I´ll be outside ready to pounce on the glimpses of hot sun.

I hope you all had a wonderful week and enjoy a beautiful weekend! lots and lots of love sent your way from cusco!

day 20

It is a cold rainy day here in Cusco. But I am staying bundled up beneath many layers...I feel myself slowly evolving into a chubby little snowman! Today is Monday and I didn´t go to work...rut roh! I caught a pretty bad cold this weekend and decided to take today off so I can fully recover before jumping back into a full schedule with the girls. And I am feeling much better today! The weekend went by pretty fast. I spent Saturday resting and then decided to attempt doing all of my laundry. To my luck, it began to sprinkle...and it only sprinkled! So I was able to get all of my clothes on the line and dried before it started hailing and pouring yesterday and today. I slept most of yesterday, too, and enjoyed some pretty interesting dreams. When I finally got up from my evening nap, I was quite hungry and decided to hit up a place called ¨Top Chicken.¨ I got a huge serving of delicious fries and an 1/8 piece of chicken for 4 and a half soles (around $1.50). I´m not going to lie...it was a pretty tough decision...deciding between ¨Super Pollo¨ (which I had with Meghan the first week I got here) and ¨Top Chicken.¨ But alas, I was feeling lazy and ¨Top Chicken¨ is just around the corner from our apartment.

Tomorrow is Meghan´s birthday. We both have a lunch break around 1pm so I´m going to catch the bus over to where she works, and we are going to....eat nachos!!! ah! I am so excited! We have been talking about it since I got here...and we decided that her wonderful life deserves a proper celebration...with delicious yummy nachos at this nice restaurant near where she works at the bakery! So I am very much looking forward to this tanke treat! At night she is inviting her boyfriend and some of our friends over for dinner. She has a recipe for Fetuccini Alfredo and chicken that she wants to try to make for everyone...so more yummy food yay!

Well, all this talk about food is making me a little hungry. I think it is time to get some groceries at Mega Super Mercado for this week. I hope you all enjoyed a relaxing weekend! Happy Monday :)

what stuff is made of

I wrote a blog entry friday but for whatever reason...it is not here. So here it goes again. On friday I had a meeting with my supervisor, Angela, to review how my first week went at the Hogar. She also gave me a tentative schedule for the next month or so. Starting tomorrow I´ll be ¨in charge¨ of watching over the youngest seven girls...Melinda (the youngest...she´s five), Maruja, Liset, Diana, Julia, Monica, and Eva. My day will start at 7:40am when I catch the ¨Batman¨ bus to the Hogar. From 8am-11am, I´ll be helping in the sewing and handicraft workshop. At 11am I´ll go pick up the seven girls from the sala de estudio and walk with them over to Niña Maria (the name of their dorm). I´ll help them get dressed and cleaned up for lunch and school. After lunch I´ll walk with them to school which is about 15 minutes down a really busy sreet. I walked with them friday and was blown away by how the row of girls, hand in hand, were able to j-walk across one of the busiest streets here...dodging taxis and buses that are at least 4 times their size. From 2pm-3pm I´ll help out in another workshop...then it´s spanish class until 5pm. The girls get out of school at 6pm so I´ll be there waiting to walk with them back home. And this is my schedule...for now.

I had an interesting weekend...spent much of yesterday with new friends...and spent much of today sleeping, eating, and resting (tanke wut wut!). As soon as I get off of the computer, I´m going to meet up with my roommate and her boyfriend to to go some big festival here. I´ve already forgotten the name...but it´s supposed to be the second biggest event here. It started at 3pm today and will last until late tomorrow night. So we´ll go check out some music, food, dancing...and who knows what else.

Earlier I was feeling pretty bummed out. I got to talk to Sean for a while which was good...good to process. I was just thinking about what I must really be made of. I miss home and everyone like crazy. And when I get to talk to my parents, or sean, or the tankes...I feel strangely like I am myself. But then I was thinking that I am probably more myself here because I am forced to face who I really am here...without my family, friends...the comforts of knowing how to say what I want to say...the stuff that I don´t have as much control over. Here, I get to see what I am really made of at my core. what about me is more unchangeable than not? what am I running on? when it comes down to it...what do my actions really show? this has been both disappointing and exciting to learn about. I told Sean that I didn´t feel like a very quality person. He told me that it´s okay because we know the way to quality.

on strike

I can´t believe I have already been here for a week. I haven´t written since I left New York...so here it goes. Today is my third full day here at the Hogar. On Monday I started spanish class with Vanessa who is the oldest girl staying here. She is 17 and attending the university just down the street. I´ll be meeting with her monday through thursday from 3pm to 5pm for a month. I´ve been walking 45 minutes to and from work every day because there have been a lot of strikes. On Friday, a group of students from the university hyjacked all of the buses and locked them behind the gates of the school. This was in protest to the increase in bus fare. In general, prices here have been going up. So today was a national strike day. Everything is closed. I saw no cars on the streets as I walked to work...only masses of people with signs and banners. The girls here at the Hogar haven´t been to school all week because of the strikes. The schools are supposed to open up again on Friday.

I am very excited to say that my stomach has been good to me lately. Thanks for all of the prayers for my physical well being. I´ve been feeling pretty good. It´s been an quite the adjustment getting used to meals here. I feel like I´m either really hungry, or super full. Breakfast at the Hogar is at 7am which means that I´d have to leave my apartment at 6 to get here in time. So by the time lunch rolls around...I´m pretty hungry. Lunch is the biggest meal here. There is always soup and something else...it´s so much food. I barely finish. But then by the time I get home around 6pm, I´m hungry again. And dinner really isn´t big here.

Overall, I have had a warm welcome from the people here in Cusco. I really would like to write more, but I have spanish class with Vanessa in just a few minutes. love love love you.

closing time in astoria

It's going on 5am here in good ol' Astoria, NY. Orientation with GSV has come to a close. And I've just been resting and enjoying some down time with mama bear. My flight leaves Tuesday at 12:20pm. I first fly to the Domincan Republic, then to Panama, then to Lima (where I have an overnight layover), and finally to Cusco. So I'm a little nervous about travelling alone and finding my way through the airports...but I think I'll get to Cusco eventually :).

Lots of things are running through my head at the moment...I'm thinking about whether I should get up and check on my clothes that are in the dryer...I'm thinking about the last phone conversation I had with an old friend...my mom sleeping in the guest room here at Astoria...my friends who are either on a plane or already in the host countries where they too will begin or are beginning the process of volunteer life in a new place for the next year or so. I'm thinking about my Esperanza family at home who I didn't get to see this past Thursday! Ah! I'm thinking about my tanke club...my brother who probably just woke up to study or just put his head down to rest after studying all night. I'm thinking about my dad and what he will have to do tomorrow to keep Coco entertained. So many wonderful people in my life...how am I so loved? You all give me so much life! I am forever sustained by God's love through all of the people in my life who he has blessed me with. Thank you. May I someday learn to love as I have been loved. Please, God, please grant me the strength and grace to seek this wholeheartedly.

These are two of the quotes that came up this week during orientation that I wanted to share:

"Simplicity and solitude walk hand in hand. Solitude refers to the inward unity that frees us from the panicked need for acclaim and approval. Through it we are enabled to be genuinely alone, for the fear of obscurity is gone; and we are enabled to be genuinely with others, for they no longer control us." - R.J. Foster.

"Go out of yourself to enter into God and a holy love of your neighbor." - Mary Euphrasia.

Even though my heart feels heavy when I think about how I will not be able to give many of you hugs and see your faces for a long time, I find comfort knowing that we are still connected to one another in spirit and through God's love.

back from MISO

It's 1:01am...which means it is 4:01am back at Maryknoll. I just got back from training in New York. It was a bitter sweet thing to come back home. When I got off the plane, I was happily greeted by the loves of my life- my family and friends. I was immediately overwhelmed with love and a sigh of relief to be home. The last two weeks were long, tiring, hilarious, and just plain wonderfully good. Please pray for all of us who are getting ready to embark on so much unknown. Staying at Maryknoll almost felt like a vacation. The stress of leaving was suprisingly supressed by the joys of spending time with others who are in a similar situation and just want to have a good time being normal kids our age. I leave tomorrow night for a week trip to Colorado...then it's back here for two weeks before the big farewell. I'm waiting.