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)