his plan

Not being able to see my babies from San Antonio's until Monday has turned out to be a blessing in disguise   I've gotten to spend the past three days getting to know little Naylee better.  I don't know why I worried about it in the first place, I should have remembered that God's plan is always the better one.

He's really shown me over the past year and a half not to worry, but to have faith.  Not getting into UT until second semester, ending up going to Peru, being at home by myself for six months, and being back here;  I really believe all these things have God's hand all over them.  I have grown so much through all these things.

My college story is a long one.  But put simply, I applied to ten schools.  I got into them all, but for various reasons I didn't really want to/couldn't go to any of them.  As I was about to hit accept to a college I wasn't 100% happy about, the week of the deadline, my college counselor called and said if I applied to UT I might be able to get in.  Thinking that this would be better than all of my other choices, having visited UT and liked it, and that it was "ment to be," I accepted the opportunity.

As God would have it, I didn't get accepted for the fall semester but I did get accepted for the spring.  Not knowing what I was going to do now that the deadline had passed for accepting any of the other schools, and with no school in line for spring, my mom suggested I volunteer.  I took this suggestion to heart and found IVHQ after applying for a few other programs and finding them full.  I think that my mom's idea of volunteering probably took place a little closer to home and for a shorter period of time, but I had my heart set on Peru.  I signed up for four months, got my shots, packed my bags, and stepped on my plan to start a life changing journey.

You know what I did here that first time if you read my blog.  I loved what I was doing.  Although I struggled with some issues part of the time, I loved the work most of the time.  I absolutely fell in love with the people.  Lidia and her family were so welcoming and open with their home, that by the end of my second week, I felt completely at home in their house.  I also met some extremely exceptional children.  Naylee, Joni, Jessica, and Joselyn; all of these people left huge imprints in my heart.  Some of them I may not see again, but other I will.  But they all have changed my life in drastic ways.  They made me so much more thankful for the special people in my life, and made me much more aware of the problems in our society.

I also met one of the people I still call one of my best friends.  I've heard that relationships built on Christ are the best ones, and my friendship with Jade is truly one of these.  The first time Jade and I really talked, it was about religion.  In the three weeks we were friends, she challenged my morals and faith more than any one person I have ever met.  She had a new view to everything I believed, and even though she is Baptist, she made me delve deeper into, and fall more in love with my Catholic faith.

After learning so much and being challenged in so many ways, being home was a relief.  I had more than enough free time to think and listen to God about His plans thanks to all my friends being in college.  One of the big things that I asked HIm to show me was what He wanted me to do with my life.  So many people had asked what I wanted to major in; what I wanted to do when I graduated. But I wanted to know what He wanted.  I also did a lot of great reading.  I read something one time that stuck.  It said something to the effect that to find God's plan, you should look at what really pulls at the strings of your heart.  I thought about this and realized what my heart has been burdened with.  Some people get really worked up about then environment, others about animals.  I have been given a great love for the poor and orphaned.  Ask a environmentalist about the environment ad be ready for an intense discussion; ask a vegan about animal cruelty and you will probably be in for a roller coaster ride of a conversation.  Ask me about the orphans and poor of our world and you are going to get an ear full.

After a lot of praying, I got the feeling God wanted me here, in Peru.  I wasn't sure why, but I said ok.  I bought my ticket and got ready to go, and here I am!  I'm not doing amazing things, or changing the world in huge leaps and bounds, but I am sharing His love.  I'm building even better relationships with my babies; showing them all of God's love that the parents they don't have will never show them.  I'm building a beautiful relationship with a girl named Jocelyn, whom I have never really known before.  He even sent a friend on the trip with me to share in the experience.  If this is all He wanted me down here for, I would be happy.  I just want to do His will.

I like to have everything planned out perfectly.  I like to have goals, and know exactly how I'm going to get to them.  Look in my planner and you will find every single step to every single day written down.  Doing this whole life thing God's way dosen't exactly give me a stop by stop map of where I will be in the next few years.  It is really hard at times.  Many times I want to take things into my control, mapping out my life the way I want it to be.  But, I think that if I give God the control over my life, I'm going to be much happier.  It will not always be the easier way; I'd rather be home at times with my family.  It may not be the most fun way; my heart is being broken into a million pieces each day here.  It may not be the fastest way even, but it is the best way.  I'm sure of that.

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass ... Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him - Psalm 37:4,7

bye until monday

I ended up at San Antonio's today in the afternoon, just in time to tell my little babies good bye.  From what I understand, they moved three orphanages together about two years ago to renovate the old orphanages   Today is the big day.  They went back home.  As I write this, I can only imagine how confused they must be.  They have never been anywhere except their room, the lunch room, and the playground. Their poor little brains are probably working overtime right now as they lay in their cribs in their new room.

Their old home is huge.  The kids are in about 12 rooms, I have no idea what is going to become of all of this space.  Peruvians aren't the best with details.  Every time I ask what the moving situation is, all I get a few shady details that don't match up with what the person before me said.  But, they have moved.  We don't get to see them again until Monday.  Until then, I guess I'm going to have to keep myself occupied with the older children, or maybe go visit the little ones at Semillitas, the special needs orphanage   I would like to go there once or twice to see how much they have grown.  I've gotten great reports from all the other volunteers.  I guess it's meant to be.

We ended up at San Antonio's in the afternoon, because the whole volunteer group was asked to go to a government volunteer program.  Lidia said that she thought it was going to be in English for just a few hours.  But lets just say it ended up being a really long session of Spanish practice.  I did learn a few things.  There are about 15 government run orphanages in Lima with about 920 kids.  Each orphanage has, among other things, a nutritionist, a doctor, and a social worker.  These orphanages are all like the ones I work at, with groups of about 10-20 kids of all the same age with one or two moms at a time taking care of them.

They have recently started a program that is either more of a family style orphanage or a foster cars system.  Juan asked them to clarify the new program, and they didn't clarify anything.  But, either way, I think it is way better than what they have now.

Having seen how this style of orphanage works, having the kids grouped by ages, I would have to say that I am a huge supported of family style orphanages.  The main idea of a family style orphanage is that the kid are kept in a family unit.  They have a consistant caregiver, and with that comes consistency in everything else; discipline, routine, etc.  The kids may have only a mother, or a mother and father.  They may be grouped closer to the same age,  all with special needs, all girls or boys, or a mix of all of these.  But, they live in a house, and share in family life.  What in the end may be a bit more expensive, also take away many of the negatives.  The children are never told they are not wanted, loved, or special.  They are loved by their new parents and siblings just like normal kids.  They are a part of the community, and live a normal childhood.  Kuddos to Peru for realizing this and starting to change!

not babies anymore

Today was a great day.  I spent the morning at San Antonio's playing with my little baby boys.  I realized is that their not really babies anymore.  I wish I was allowed to take pictures so you could see how much they have grown.  But it's not just growing physically, they are growing up.

The last time I was in this room, no one could talk.  They hadn't learned to count, or point to parts on their body.  They couldn't play a real game like rolling a ball, and they most definitely couldn't listen.  Had you walked in their little room last summer, you would have found me with five babies sitting in my lap.  If you had walked in today, you would have found five children sitting in a circle on the floor rolling the ball around.

I was truly amazed today as I realized how much they have grown up.  My baby Joni had a conversation with me today.  We didn't talk about anything awesome, but we talked.  I see the growth in him the most.  Probably because I spent the most time with him last time.  He used to be shy, tentative, and clingy.  Today, he is outgoing, he laughs all the time, and he is so sweet.

He has blossomed over the last six months.  My one wish for him and all the others is that they stay as innocent and sweet as they are now.  I've worked in the room that they will go to next, those kids can be mean.  Not because they are mean kids, but because that is the room where they start to not get as much attention.  In the baby rooms, there are two sometime three moms.  In the older rooms there is only one mom.  She struggles to just get them up, fed, dressed, and ready for school.  There is no time for love in that room.

Even though these babies don't have anybody to guide them into childhood, they are learning.

I was reminded today that there is hope. I hope that they will learn to love even though there is no one showing them how to.  I hope that in time they will learn how special they are.  I hope they feel wanted.  I hope they will lean of God's great love for them even though there is no one to tell them.

the hard things

I got to feed a seven day old today at San Antonio's.  As I was feeding her a bottle, with all the noise and chaos of at least 12 other babies under one year old crying and talking, she fell asleep. When the nurse told me to wake her up, make her finish her bottle, and put her back to bed, it hit me how different her childhood already is than a baby with parents.

Seven days old is not old.  If she were with her mom and dad, her life would not look like it does.  Instead of waking up to 12 other babies crying, she would wake up to a beautiful room prepared just for her.  At her first cry, her mom would come in a pick her up.  These babies are not allowed to be picked up unless they are being fed , changed, or bathed.  The theory is picking them up when they cry only makes them used to being held and will make them cry more.  They have to learn, even at the young age of seven days, to be strong.  After coming to pick her up because she is crying, her mom would change her diaper.  These babies get their diaper changed only a few times everyday, it dosen't really matter if they have a dirty diaper.  After getting a clean diaper the mother would feed her baby. She would rock her and feed her, singing songs only meant for her baby.  If she fell asleep, that would be ok; she's only seven days old.  Her mom would look at her, in awe of this tiny miracle.  My seven day old miracle has no one to sing to her, and no one to gaze at her and wonder at the miracle she is.

This seven day old is already learning hard life lessons that no one of any age should be made to learn.  She is learning that she is not special, she is not wanted, and she is not loved beyond all measure.  You may think that this is a little harsh to be saying, but it's not.  Think, where is it that we learn those messages?  Our dads are the ones who first tell us we are beautiful and that they will love us unconditionally.  They show us first so we can know the Lord's love for us later on, that He thinks we are beautiful no matter what we look like.  Our moms tell us we are wanted from day one.  They hold us day in and day out, never letting us our of their sight until they absolutely have to.

Why does this seven day old have to learn these hard things, why can she not be normal?  Why is it?

Pictures!

The toys were a hit, they all got played with non stop today! Here are some pictures. We're not supposed to take any, so these are the only ones I have of the kids at this orpahange…I wouldn't have been able to get them if I hadn't taken toys. Thanks to everyone who gave me money and made this possible!

The one sitting in my lap is Joni. He's the one I want to take home with me. He actually knows my name now, I don't even have to remind him anymore. Today was the last time I'll see him, I'm hopefully going to be able to sponsor him and come back for his baptism next year. I couldn't stop crying today when I had to leave them all, but especially him. I seriously love him like he's my own kid.

Back To Volunteering!

So, I've had a full week of volunteering. The first day after I got back from Colombia, I got to help finish a project they had been working on the whole time I was gone. We finished building a house for a woman who runs a wawa wasi (a government sponsored program, where single moms can drop off their children to be watched while they work). This woman had a house, but it was horribly run down, and the area where the kids stayed was really dirty and dangerous. She had a piece of land beside her house, but didn't have money to build anything. While I was gone, they got the concrete floor laid. The day after I got back, we got to the house and they had put up the walls, and we watched as they put up the tin roof. The woman who we were building the house for was so gracious, and invited us into her house for lunch. She made us chicken and rice, and very traditional Peruvian dish.

Before After

That Friday, we got to take a group of seven students from the school we teach at in Pachacutec out on the town for a day. It was one of my favorite days so far, because we really got to know the children. They came to our house with Soleded at about ten in the morning. Once we all got introduced, we set out for the zoo. It's about a 30 minute walk form the house, so we decided to walk it. We spent a few hours looking at all the animals. Once the kids were practically being dragged around by us because they were so tired (even the one who hadn't taken a breath all day was sitting on the ground every chance he got), we left the zoo and took them to get lunch. We gave them a choice between pizza and chicken. Guess what they chose..chicken. Never in America would kids choose to eat chicken over pizza. Lidia suggested we take them to Mireflores, the really nice area of Lima. So, we got a bus to Mireflores to go eat lunch at Norky's. Norky's is a middle of the road chicken and chips restaurant. When we got to the restaurant, I realized that most of them had never been to Mireflores, and none of them had been to Norky's. They were so cute all sitting around the huge table. When the food came, they ate and ate and ate. They were even amazed by the hand dryers in the bathrooms (which were enough to awe them by themselves). After lunch we took the to Larcomar, a park on the coast that overlooks the beach. The kids literally ran to the railing, and it was so precious. After that, we took them to Tottus, a Walmart like store and let them pick out clothes or shoes. One of the girls came out of the dressing room with her shirts on, and her face had the biggest smile I have even seen. It is things like these, their reactions to the bathroom and the view of the beach that make me appreciate my life and all the blessings God has given me.

The kids at Norky's Group picture

Looking out at the coast Fountain fun

Last weekend was a slow one, I got caught up on sleep and unpacking. We also went to a Japanese Peruvian festival where I tried some really disgusting Japanese desserts. On Sunday, we went shopping in the afternoon, and I went to mass at 8:00pm. Don't worry though, I managed to mkae it home between shopping and mass for pizza!

Japanese desserts..yum:)

I went back to my normal schedule once the new week started. Monday Semillitos, Tuesday Pachacutec and La Punta, Wednesday San Antonio's, and Thursday Pachacutec and La Punta again, and today back to San Antonio's.

I had a ton of fun Wednesday at San Antonio's. I'm still trying to convince my parents to adopt one little boy. I'd be happy if there are any other takers… His name is Joni, and he is amazing. Out of all the kids, I think he is the only one who really remembered me from my time there before my trip to Colombia. When he came in the room his face lit up and he ran over and gave me the biggest hug. He knows my name now, and gives me kisses on the cheek all the time. I wish I had a picture to show you all, because you would fall in love with him too. One of the downs babies in that room is also adorable. He is so aware and wants to play with the other kids so bad. He can finally walk really well on his own, and moves around the room quite a bit. He tries to play with them sometimes, but the kid like to pick on him. One kids in particulare likes to lay his whole body on him and bite his ear. I noticed this happening Wednesday, and I looked at the mom and she was just sitting there watching. She didn't care and it made me so mad. When I went over to pick him up, he was crying. When he cries and gets made he dosen't make any noise, but tears flow from his little eyes, and he clenches up his whole body. He ended up letting me hold him for almost 45 minutes. I would take him home with me too If I could.

Pachacutec and La Punta were a ton of fun. Tuesday we gave the girls at La Punta hair wraps, they LOVED them. Thursday when we went back, they had all cut them out. Supposedly, from what I could undertand, they weren't allowed to keep them in. But, when we asked where they went they all pulled them out from their pockets. It was so cute. There are only 7 girls there right now, and Jessica has left.

Jessica is one of the girls I got rather close to. She was put in the house by her parents becasue she kept sneaking out to go to parties. She told me that they were harmless parties, but I think they must not have been so innocent or she wouldn't have been there. Jessica really wanted to go home. One day she asked me to call her dad for her and ask him to call her at the home. They weren't allowed to come visit her, so she had no way to communicate with them. I said maybe, and came home to talk to Lidia about it. Lidia said I could, but I should make sure it was actually her dad. When I wrote her a note asking if it really was him, she never wrote back (I was in Colombia at this point) so I'm assuming she either got to go home soon after I left for Colombia or it wasn't really her dad. All I can do now is hope and pray that she is happy and safe. Jocelyn is still there, and as full of life as ever. Her best friend has left, and I think she might be a bit sad. But, sadly, their used to having people they grow close to leave them.

I LOVE Peru. Especially when it involves going to go see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows or Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte as it says in our movie theaters. Because being in Peru means I got to see it a DAY BEFORE everyone in the US! Yes, you heard that right, Harry Potter came out on the 18th here. We were lucky enough to be able to find a theater that was showing the movie in English too! So, as the hour approached we got our robes, hats, and wands (really black clothes, construction paper hats, and sticks off a tree) ready to go. We glittered our hats, colored in our Gryffindor badges with crayons, and put string on our hats to keep them on. We got to the movie theater 2 hours ahead, and there was almost no one there, nothing compared to the US. There were maybe two lines of people. No one else was dressed up, and our costumes got applauded when we walked past everyone. But, out mindset was that we already get stared at enough so whats wrong with standing out just a bit more? Minus well give them something worthwhile to look at:) Once they finally let us in, I went and got my survival kit: popcorn, skittles, and a coke. By the time they actually started the movie (they dimmed the lights and turned them BACK on twice after midnight when the movie was supposed to start) most of my supplies were gone, but I was just ready to see the movie. So the lights dimmed, and the famous music came on, and the rest is history…

Amazing costumes right? We really wore them..look at the first picture. That's us playing cards in the middle of our line. We did have people take pictures of us.

I'm going to meet my grandparents tonight at the airport! We're going to be in Lima tomorrow and then fly to Cuzco Sunday to see Machu Picchu. Pictures coming soon! I can't wait to see them!

I've Been Busy in Peru

It's been nonstop since I last blogged. We have been busy doing our normal projects: the orphanages, Pachacutec, and La Punta. On top of this, we have had some opportunities to do some really cool things!

Sunday was Canadian Thanksgiving. Since our house has been overrun by Canadians recently, we decided to celebrate. We had the traditional foods with a bit of a Peruvian twist in some cases. Turkey with amazing stuffing, beets, carrots, RICE!, and macaroni and cheese (that the boys cooked all by themselves). For dessert we had pumpkin pie (Saludad being the amazing woman that she is, managed to track down a pumpkin!) and bread pudding. I can easily say that the bread pudding is one of the top ten foods I have ever tasted.

I started the week off on Monday at Semillitos. I had a great day working with the older group of kids. I took a boy, named Isaías, outside to play. I love to see how the kids react to being outside. They don't get to go out very often, because there needs to be someone watching them all the time. Many of them are in wheelchairs, so they have to be pushed everywhere. Isaías can walk, he is probably about 6 or 7 years old. First, we went on the trampoline. He loved being bounced while he was sitting in my lap. He also loved to lay on his back or stomach and be bounced. Then, he wanted to swing. This was by far his favorite activity. I must have pushed him for an hour. He never grew tired of it.

Tuesday started off as a normal day. We began by teaching English up at Pachacutec. On Tuesdays I have the 6th grade. The lesson I had planned was a review of the last three lessons I have taught them; classroom objects, the concept of inside and outside, and the words this/that/these/those. Then after we reviewed these three things, we put them all together and learned how to make a sentence saying something like: "This workbook is inside." All in all, the lesson went very well, and they caught on quickly. After Pachacutec, we went up to on of the Wawa Wasis and helped put a concrete floor in. The floor that the kids had been playing in before was sand, and was always damp and moldy. The concrete will keep them healthier, cleaner, and safer. Mixing the concrete and watching the floor come together was a ton of fun. We got to meet the babies before we left. They were just as cute as the ones at the orphanage, little Peruvian kids are just so precious.

After Pachacutec, Miranda and I went to see the girls at La Punta. That has easily become my favorite place we volunteer. The girls seem like little sisters, they call us their sisters too. It's hard to imagine that at home they would be freshmen, sophomores, and sometime juniors in high school. They have all been through so much, but still have such a positive outlook on life. It's my favorite place, but it's also the hardest place to go. There are three girls who I have grown really close to, and two of them could leave any day (they were already supposed to have left). I never know if it's my last goodbye, or if they will be there when I walk in the door the next time. A lot of the girls really miss their home. We get to deal with a lot of tears and sad faces, it is especially hard to comfort them when you can't speak their language very well.

On Wednesday, I went to San Antonio and had a normal day. I played with all the kids, and gave lots of hugs and kisses. A few of the boys will give kisses on the cheek now when you ask them for one. One of the girls in my room graduated up to the next age group and we got a girl from the younger group. Her name is Melina, and she has the cutest head fully of curly hair. She is still in that stage where she totters around and falls down quite often. The bright spot of Wednesday was in the morning. We got there a bit earlier than usual, so I was in the room as the kids came in one by one from the bathroom where they were being washed up from breakfast (no sticky hands). Ss each one came in and saw me their little eyes lit up and they ran over and gave me a big hug. It made my day! Jonie is my favorite (shhhh), and he always gives the best hugs in the morning with his huge smile. I want to bring him home with me!

Thursday, we didn't go to Pachacutec because there was a march at Semillitos. Saturday is national special needs day, so they had a march to get ready. We got there at our normal time…just in time to see the moms start getting the kids ready. They probably spent 2 hours changing every kid into a costume, painting their faces, and decorating their wheelchairs with balloons. I got to push around a cheerleader named Maria. Once they were all ready we got lined up for the big march! In lines of four we set off. We thought that we would be marching at least for thirty minutes, but it turned that we were just going around the block. All the volunteers got a good laugh out of this. We prepared for 2 hours and walked for ten minutes. Either way though, it was fun and the kids had a blast. After we were done walking we got to go to the cafeteria for music, dancing, and food! We were also allowed to take pictures since it was a special day! That night a few of us went to see a water show (fountains with lights and music)…it was pretty cool. But, the pictures we got out of it ended up being the best part.

Friday was a normal one again, I went to San Antonio and played with all my little babies! After we got home we went to the Inca Markets and Plaza San Miguel, the mall near our house. I also went running! Yay for working off all those carbs!

I almost forgot last Saturday was the 75th Anniversary of Inca Kola, the lime yellow bubble gum flavored fizzy drink that Peruvians are obsessed with. One packed taxi ride later and we were at the park to join the festivities like a true Peruvian would. To celebrate, they had a HUGE Inca Kola bottle filled with balloons that they released on 10/10/10 at 10:00. It was pretty cool, there were fireworks, dancers, announcers in flashy dresses, and live music. So Peruvian! They also managed to lock all the gates but one to the park. So, everyone that had come into the park though multiple entrances had to squish through one or climb the fence to get out. Both seemed to viable options, I saw many people I thought would never make it over a fence hop it. Also very typical Peru.

Dear First Grade...

Dear 1^st graders,

Thank you so much for your letters. Reading them made me so happy. I also loved your pictures. I can’t wait to show them to all the other volunteers!

My family at the airport with me right before I left Nashville.

I have been in Lima, Peru for 2 months now, and I will be here for 2 more. I will be here for 4 months at all. I got here by traveling on three different planes. The first one went from Nashville to Chicago. The second one went from Chicago to San Salvador, and the third one went from San Salvador to Lima. I have had so much fun here so far! I get to work in four different places here so far. I work in an orphanage for children with special needs on Mondays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I teach the 5^th and 6^th graders in a school in Pachacutec. I also go work with teenage girls on Thursday and Friday afternoons. On Wednesdays and Fridays I work in an orphanage for normal children.

Two girls who go to school in Pachacutec.

This is Pachacutec. The blue building are their school rooms, they do not have any glass in their windows. The pavement is their playground, they do not have any swings or slides to play on.

Some more students.

This type of top is a very popular toy in Peru, all the boys can do tricks with their tops.

I have been lucky enough to be able to travel around Lima on the weekends. One weekend, I went on a boat to see sea lions, went to a farm to milk cows, and flew over the Nazca lines. The Nazca lines are huge pictures drawn in the desert by people thousand of years ago. The only way you can see the pictures are to fly over them! I also went to a city called Canta and went horseback riding to the top of a mountain to see ruins. Ruins are buildings that were built thousands of years ago, and are now falling down because no one lives there now. I have also gone to some really cool museums in Lima.

Horseback riding in Canta.

Learning to milk a cow!

The sea lions.

One of the Nazca lines called the waving man. Look closely…

The weather was very cold when I first got here, but it’s starting to get warm now! The seasons here are opposite than ours at home. When it is summer for you all in Nashville, it is winter here. During Christmas time, when it is very cold for us, it is their summer time so it is hot. Isn’t that cool? They don’t get snow on Christmas, but they can wear shorts outside!

I’m staying in Peruvian family’s house. Their family has a mom, dad, grandmother, aunt, 2 brothers, and a sister. There are also 14 volunteers that are staying in the house. They work in the orphanages with me. All of the volunteers are very nice. Since I have been living in the house, we have had volunteers from Germany, Australia, England, America, Canada, Scotland, and New Zealand! I’ve gotten to meet people form all over the world! I share a room with one other girl. Her name is Katryna. She has the top bunk, and I sleep on the bottom.

This is the view if you look outside my window. The houses are all connected, and people hang the clean laundry on the roof because no one had a dryer.

This is my bedroom. The bottom bunk is mine!

Our house is very nice. We are very lucky to have running hot water. Many people in Peru live in shacks and don’t have running or hot water. All of the kids who are in my 5^th and 6^th grade classes live in shacks without running hot water. They have to buy their water from big trucks.

This is what the houses that my students live in look like.

Our food is very good. In Peru we usually eat potatoes, rice, and meat for lunch and dinner. We have bread, cereal, yogurt, and fruit for breakfast. One of the traditional dishes of Peru is cuy. Cuy is guinea pig. They cook the whole guinea pig, and then bring it out to you to eat with the head still on. It looks really gross, but taste pretty good! They also eat anticuchos, which are traditionally made from cow heart. I really loved these when I tried it!

Anticuchos

My family does not have any pets. But, there are a lot of dogs in peru. Many families have dogs as pets. There are also a ton of stray dogs.

I wear normal clothes here. Most Peruvians dress just like you and me, in jeans and a shirt. There are some Peruvians who dress in traditional dress which is very colorful.

Girls in Cuzco wearing traditional Peruvian clothing.

Thanks you all again for all of your letters. They were so much fun to read! I hope you all enjoyed reading my letter and looking at the pictures! I would love to come talk to your class when I get back and share some of the cool souvenirs I got with you!

Heaps of love from Peru,

Maemie

It's The Little Things In Life

Yesterday, I went to San Antonio's for the first time in a week. I was supposed to go last friday, but I ended up at home sick. I'm not going to lie though, I really didn't want to go on Friday. I was almost relieved to be sick.

I went to mass on Sunday at the Catholic church on Sunday, San Miguel Arcangel. This was the second time I have been able to make it to mass at this church, and the third time while I've been in Lima. It was the first time that I took my Magnificat with me to read along during mass. Having the Magnificat with all the Mass parts, psalm, and reading, and gospel in English made Mass much more meaningful and enjoyable for me. I realized just how much I miss Christ the King and all my SEARCH friends. But, being in church made me feel very much at peace, and remember the reason why I am here.

I ended up here because of a series of complications with the whole college process. My mom thought a few of them were too "perfect" to be coincidences and had to be "God things." I came to believe this as the time to travel to Peru neared. It really did all work out just a little too perfectly to just have happened.

Going to mass made me remember that I'm here to do God's will, and that some of the things I'm going to be doing will not always be fun and exciting for me. On Wednesday, I went to San Antonio's with a new outlook. Yes, it may be tiring and boring at times to sit in a room with 15 two year olds, but they need to be loved. I remembered all the love and attention that my parents, grandparents, friends, and family gave me growing up and realized that these kids get about 1/10th the love that I got. Me just being there, holding them, talking to them, and trying to get them to be nice to each other, no matter how fruitless it may seem, makes a difference to them.

On Wednesday, something happened that made me want to keep coming back. We have two babies with down syndrome in the 2 year old room. I think that they must be older, but have been held back because they are under developed. Neither of them can walk, but one is starting to learn. Yesterday, he was in the back of the room by himself trying to stand up and take a few steps. When he finally managed, no one really noticed because they were busy with all the other kids. I was sitting on the floor holding two kids and watching him from across the room, when one little boy, who is usually quite a bully, came up to me and made me get up and go watch the baby with down syndrome walk. He was so excited for him, clapping and patting him on the back. I started clapping too, and you could just see the boys face light up as he was being encourage. He became much more determined to take those steps. I loved seeing one of the boys peers celebrate for him, it made me appreciate God's love and purpose for putting me here.

For you SEARCH people out there, the Bryan Adams song "Everything I Do" came on today in the bus home from Pachacutec. I was in the middle of grading papers that weren't getting very good grades and was really frustrated. We have spent a month learning what was on the test, and most of the kids still got a "C." The song made me stop and take a few deep breaths and realize that it will all be ok…gotta love SEARCH memories!

I have been looking for something concrete to give money to since I've been here. Today, I met with one of the 6th grade teachers. I am going to sponsor their graduation, which I will unfortunately just miss (December 16th). I think I will end up getting them food for the reception, graduation gifts, and someone to film the ceremony!

Thanks for all the love and support back home!

Just wanna Say Hey From Peru

I HAVEN'T HAD DIET COKE IN TWO WEEKS!!! But I have had a lot of potatoes and rice. To be more specific, for lunch and dinner every day. Not just one or the other, but rice with potatoes on top. Can you say carb overload? The freshmen 15 is going to become reality at this rate, and I haven't even been to college yet.

A little bit about where I've been working...I've worked in four different places since I've been here, and I think that I have finalized my schedule!

Monday: Semillitos

Tuesday: Pachacutec

Wednesday: San Antonio

Thursday: Pachacutec

Friday: San Antonio

Semillitos is the orphanage for people with special needs. Here, I'm working with the babies (from newborn to about 5 years old). I play with them, take them outside, and help feed them. They are very well taken care of, and loved. It is very tiering though. It completly amazes me that the "mommies" take care of them all day, I'm beat after a few hours!

Pachacutec is shanty town. In one of the schools there, I'm teaching english to five classes, two 5th grade classes, and 3 6th grade classes. Their english is very basic. This week, we will be teaching personal pronouns. Even though the 4th-6th grade classes all learn the same thing, but my 6th graders still do not know the things they've been taught for 3 years. They only get English for 30 minutes once a week, and with volunteers changing frequently, they don't ever get the same person for very long.

San Antonio is the orphanage for normal children. I'm working with the toddlers here, I do the same thing with them, that I do with the kids at San Megito. I love working with the kids here, but it's very hard sometimes. They all just want to be picked up and held, but we're not allowed to hold them. In each room there's usually 12 to 14 babies, and only 1 or 2 "mommies." When we hold them and then leave, they cry, so we can't. I hate the fact that I can't hold them. I was sitting on the floor with one and he climbed into my lap. I decided to let him sit there for a while. He snuggled into my arms and every few minutes he would turn around, look up at me, smile, and give me a huge hug. Then he would just snuggle back in. All he wanted was to be loved. They all need someone to love them. My mission is to get my mom and dad to adopt a baby:)

On a side note, the mayonnaise here is amazing. I have never tasted anything like it. It' rather odd though, because it comes in a packet. I haven't seen a jar of anything yet. The most popular soft drink is Inca Cola. I'm not really a fan of it, because it taste like liquid bubble gum and is neon orange.