I'm sorry what was that....it's May already??

April  was a lot of fun, but definitely flew by. After finding a job listing that seemed to be an awesome opportunity, I scrambled to get my application in on time. It is listed as an AmeriCorps position and the deadline was April 15th. I found the listing just a week before and still had yet to complete and submit my application to AmeriCorps. Thanks to my wonderful roommates who helped me edit my personal statement, I turned everything in just in the nick of time. My personal statement was very personal so it was a bit intimidating to share it with everyone as they read for grammatical errors. At the same time I was happy to share a piece of my life that has influenced me greatly. After a long while, we took a break and went to the next town over, Chosica, to relax and get some ice cream. We all enjoyed the day and each others' company as we sat in the grass in the park (a rarity for us, because there is almost no grass in Huaycan). This great day turned into a great weekend, as we celebrated my birthday by going out for dinner on the Friday night before, and then they surprised me with cake on Saturday, my actual birthday. On Friday we went into Lima for delicious Indian food and then delectable pastries for dessert. Saturday's for many of us, are the busiest so I didn't expect to do anything to celebrate. However, after dinner they surprised me with a yummy cake and a sweet homemade card. We hung around at home and played a fun pictionary-type game complete with lots of laughs. Overall, everyone made my 25th birthday in Peru really special =) I felt super special to even get cards in the mail from family back home. A birthday to remember indeed!

A birthday "present" that I did not expect at all, was the news of a possible job when I return in August. We had a short term volunteer come through for a week. She is an assistant principle of a public charter school in DC and wanted to come and see what LLI is all about. During her stay, she was able to attend a few of my classes and let me know that she thought I would be a good fit for her school. She said that I have a certain intuition in the classroom and that they are currently hiring for assistant teachers. I was completely floored to hear this news, as I'm very much hoping to find a job before I return home. I've also realized how much I do enjoy being in the classroom and how I thrive on the relationships I create with the children. They give me so much joy and I have learned so much from them. When I first got here, I only thought about teaching as a part-time or temporary thing that I could do. I didn't think I was destined to be in the classroom. However, it's become more of a natural thing for me, I feel now as if I could make a career of it. So currently I am in the process of waiting for a second interview. Leslie, the assistant principle, gave me the thumbs-up concerning the first interview, since we spent a week together. Now, I am waiting to hear back about the second interview (via skype). The waiting period is always a bit nerve wracking, but I'm confident that whatever happens is meant to be.

At the end of April, it was difficult to say goodbye to a couple of really great volunteers. That part is never easy. However, it's nice to know that May began with the arrival of more volunteers. I can't believe 3 months have come and gone. I realize how far away I really am when I hear about the semester ending back home and the next round of students getting ready to graduate. I really wish I could be there to celebrate with them, but I will have to send my 'congrats' through good ol' facebook =)

Kindness--Pass it on

The past week was a good week…

I was able to skype with my sister-in-law, which last week when we attempted we had some unfortunate technical difficulties. It was so good to actually get to see and talk to her this time. Really the whole idea of talking to someone "face to face" on another continent is just amazing! I'm thankful that we have an internet connection where we live. I learned that my little niece is now crawling, which makes me incredibly happy, but at the same time it's hard knowing I can't be there to experience it with her. I love her so much; she has done wonders in bringing out the best in our family. I was also able to skype with a dear friend, Liz. I've also missed her greatly. She has been a sweet, loving friend ever since we met working together at Starbucks. She was the friend that helped walk me through beginning a relationship with Christ. Back home we served together at church, The Summit, with the adorable two-year old's. She emailed me a few pictures of them displaying "we miss you Lauren" signs. Of course it touched my heart and made me miss them all even more. Plus, I just recently received a birthday card from my brother and sister-in-law, with a picture of Addie to boot! Between the card sent from my small group, the pictures from Liz and card from my family, I've never felt so loved, so far away!

On our volunteer excursion for the week, we went to the coast, but further down to a small beach town, south of Lima. Since it's the off season (summer being December-March), there was NO ONE on the beach. It was amazing. The day was overcast, without an ounce of sunshine to be found. But the empty beach was beautiful and peaceful. The only noise was the sound of the waves, and the occasional seagull flying overhead. A few of us went swimming, but after dipping my feet in, I knew there was no way I was going into that freezing water. I'm sure if I was more accustomed to it, but I got used to warm ocean water in the middle of July when I lived on the NC coast. I just enjoyed walking along the coastline, letting my feet sink into the wet sand. One of the small beach "restaurants" (more like food huts), lent us some of their chairs for free. So we all sat back and relaxed, reading our books or taking short naps. For a while I just sat there taking it all in. It felt as if God was right there with his arms wrapped around me, proud to show it off and content that it made me feel at peace. I watched the others enjoying it all, happy to know that they were there in the same moment, taking in the beauty of God's creation. Whether we share the same thoughts on how things came to be, and although we sat there in silence, it was still remarkable to take it all in together.

At the end of the week, we decided to go out for fruit salad's after realizing it'd been a while since we'd last gone. We ventured out, but found that because it was a busy Saturday night, getting a table would be difficult. We went to our usual spot, where we have become friends with one of the waitresses, Alicia. But after seeing that it was slam-packed, we decided elsewhere. We've come across that problem before, but generally do not mind waiting. However, there have been times when she's asked someone who was finishing to clear the table. It may not seem like a big deal, but we don't the idea of showing up just to make others leave. Instead we walked back to another juice/fruit salad location down the street. On the way, we stopped by a little shop that sells yarn. I'm pretty certain I've become their #1 customer in knitting purchases, lol. I've gone to them for my own purchases, which I won't lie, have been quite a few. (I've decided to knit hats for everyone in the house.) I've also brought them more business by recruiting others in the house to join in the knitting festivities. So we stopped by to pick up needles and yarn for one of our new knitters. The owner ended up giving me a book about a traveler's outdoor adventure in Peru that took place in the 80's. At first I didn't understand what he meant. I saw that the book was in English, but I wasn't sure if he wanted me to help him read it or wanted me to have it. I heard him say he couldn't understand it, but I didn't catch the part where he told me I could have it. I didn't want to assume he was just giving it to me! But he did, I guess because I do frequent his shop at least once or twice a week. It was a really nice gesture and I think the next time, I'll stop to chat a bit more with him and his wife. It was an evening of nice gestures, because when we got to the next juice bar, all the tables were taken except a small one with two seats. However, there were 5 of us, so that table wasn't going to work. Suddenly, a couple got up and offered us their table in order to join it with the smaller table. It was very generous because in that moment they didn't have a spot to sit. Just a minute later though, another couple got up from a nearby table and then offered to the nice couple. It was a really nice thing they did, we were very grateful. Most of the time we receive wary and confused stares from the other customers. Oh yeah--and then a generous act that someone did earlier that afternoon for another volunteer and I, was on the way back down from a class in Zone Z. A passenger on the combi paid for both of our fares. He was nice but he mistook us for tourists and said he'd like to pay for our ride back down. It was strange again, because we usually just face curious stares when we get on the bus. But we were appreciative and chatted on the ride back. So it turned out to be a day full of random, generous acts! A good finish to the week.

All we need is Love

Yesterday and today have been really meaningful and encouraging. Right before we sat down to have lunch yesterday, our day security guard, Cesar, brought the mail in. What do you know, but it's a letter addressed to me! How pleasantly surprised I was to see my friend Sarah's name on it. She told me she sent a letter, but I thought it might take a month or two to arrive. I ran upstairs to read it and when I opened it up and saw that it was from my whole small group, joyful tears welled up in my eyes. It was just what I needed and it brightened my whole day. Prayers and encouraging words from home were just what the doctor ordered! The joyful ambiance seemed to fill the house the entire day as we went about our Tuesday routine. The only thing that was different this week was that our friend and roommate, Connie, was leaving that night. We went out for fruit salad, cake, and icecream (yup, we do love our sweets here--cheap and yummy!), and then we returned to the house and gave her a card and said our goodbyes. Shortly after she left, I passed out the individual notes she had written earlier in the day. She even made everyone little envelopes to go with their personalized note--so thoughtful! Her note was so kind and straight from the heart, she gave the nicest compliments. To be honest, she reminded me a little of me. Sometimes I have difficulty expressing myself verbally about how much someone truly means to me. But I really enjoy writing it down and explaining it that way. She did just that and by the end of the day, I felt like a million bucks. I was so sad to see her go.

Today, we got started bright and early in order to travel to another shanty town (Villa El Salvador) to volunteer. This time we weren't doing our normal thing, teaching, instead we were going to spend time with the elderly. Our director, Lara, volunteered with this program that placed people in various areas of Lima to serve. She spent part of her time at a center for elderly folks that is opened for their enjoyment three times per week. The best way to describe it is a day camp for the elderly. They come early in the morning to have breakfast, and then stay the rest of the time before noon for various activities. Today's activities consisted of literacy class, crafts & jewelry, and March birthday celebrations. At the end of every month, they celebrate all the birthdays of the month and have cake and dancing. We arrived just in time to sing "happy birthday" and pass out cake. Then we joined a few of the real lively "abuelos" (as they were called) on the dance floor. I found myself smiling and laughing that entire time. It wasn't even just because I was having such a good time, but whenever I looked over at another housemate, they too had a huge smile on their face, and that made me so happy. I just love volunteering as a team, and I think it was such a good experience for us to undertake together. We can get so caught up in our own separate classes during our weekly routine, that many times it hardly feels like we're a cohesive group who work for the same organization. Today was special and spending it together was really meaningful. We agreed that we want to make monthly trips out to visit the old folks and "shake a leg" with them again.

Volunteers with the lady in the hat--she was a dancin' fool!

What sound does a monkey make?

Today was such a fun day--the zoo field trip went stupendously well! We got all 16 children there safely and (surprisingly) didn't lose any on the trip around the zoo. They are a wild bunch so we were a bit worried about a few running off. However, our guide was wonderful with the kids and they followed her every command. The zoo itself was interesting, there were the "standard zoo animals", zebras, bears, monkeys, birds, but the strangest thing was the dinosaur exhibit. When you walked inside, you immediately had to enter this dark "time travel" tunnel with rotating neon stars around the entire inside. It felt like the whole room was spinning and it was difficult to even walk straight. The kids were loving it, but I actually got really dizzy. So we hurried on through and walked past the rooms of eerie, large mechanical dinosaurs. To me it was comical how fake everything looked, but I could tell that some of the kids were a little frightened because it was dark and really loud inside. I would say that's the most odd exhibit I've been through at a zoo. We finished our last half hour at the gigantic playground, complete with the most fantastic pirate ship I've ever seen. It was so wonderful to watch the kids run and laugh and seem to have the time of their lives. Where they live they don't have any playgrounds that even come close to how great this one was. They seemed to enjoy all parts of their journey through the zoo, but on the playground they were free to roam and laugh their little hearts out. I even had to join in because the pirate ship was too cool to not try out myself. I pretended to be the witch that was coming to eat them all, so their giggles turned to elated screams as they scrambled to run away. I loved this time to bond with them and to just be wild, silly and carefree. Back at home for dinner, the day came to a nice end with our traditional "guacamole night". Every Monday we whip up a HUGE bowl of guacamole (like the size of one of those giant popcorn bowls). We make it a complete meal by adding red peppers and choclo (giant sized corn kernels) and then pairing it with fried yucca (aka yuca frita) and bread. Tonight was even more special because we went out for cake, ice cream, and fruit salad to celebrate Connie's (a friend and fellow volunteer) last night in Huaycan. Sadly, she will be leaving tomorrow and her last request was to get a taste of her favorite deserts she's grown to love here. But all in all, today was great! Another volunteer and I, finished off the night by throwing around ideas about what to do about the attendance issues. It was refreshing to talk to someone and come up with ideas about how we can make things better. I want to change the negativity I've felt into something positive, to actually improve things. So it was so nice to feel like we're starting to get somewhere in coming up with a better system of getting the kids to attend the classes. I'll go into more details later, but it pretty much entails giving them more of a motivation to come to class. Despite my frustrations, I am excited that I have four more months to stay here and observe their progress and the growth of the organization. 

Outside of the dinosaur exhibit with our lovely guide

Guacamole with a multitude of ingredients

Giggling is good for the heart

I don't know think it's an official mark but a month and a half in a foreign country is about the time where you stop being a tourist and start seeing more of the way local people truly experience life. When you first arrive there is so much going on that it was really just a big whirlwind of new things to see, hear, and smell. After a few weeks things become more familiar, and then going from the mark of one month to two, the "newness" of things begins to wear off. I think that's partially why I haven't kept up my blog very well. At first new things were happening so frequently that I felt like there was always something interesting to report. Now I feel like I've gotten used to things and it's not as exciting as it used to be. However, it's still an entirely different experience than I've ever had before and part of the whole process is going from the early phase, to in-between, and then the end. Part of it has also been that I feel like I've hit a bit of a rut with my work here. To be honest, some weeks have felt monotonous where I feel like not much progress is being made, and the same problems keep happening. For example, in pretty much every zone, just about every class has attendance issues. First, just getting the students to come to class on time is a struggle all itself. But second, we've had repeated classes with only about half the students who actually show up. As far as the tardiness is concerned, I think it's something that as long as we push, we will still run into problems because that's just the way things are here. "On time" is merely a suggestion, and this is not just a problem with the younger students. It makes it really hard to plan a full lesson, when sometimes only one or two students come to class on time. We've tried the 15 minute rule, where anyone who comes 15 minutes late or more, cannot enter the classroom. Unfortunately, those students then get behind and then sometimes just lose interest in coming to class. With the issue of missing students, we can attribute most of the reasons why to the beginning of a new school year. Students are in school all week long, a standard 6 hour school day. Then they have to attend English class shortly after they get home from their school day. However, the English classes are only once per week, therefore not demanding very much of their time. I've adjusted one of my class because it overlapped with the time that a few students were on their way home from school. It's made a difference, but still more students miss class than before the school year began. There is confusion over whether the students are motivated and truly want to learn English or they are attending because their parents want them to. It's difficult to decide what's more important, because many times parents know what's best and ought to demonstrate authority. But if there are students who go and do not pay attention because they are not interested, it feels like a waste of time. I hate to say that but it's true. That's how it can feel to me. Especially because I run into kids and families on the street who ask about being admitted into English classes. When the parent asks, they usually point to their child who appears eager and ready to learn. So that's where I'm at with everything. I've been feeling bad about it because I didn't know if I should really go ahead and post about it out of fear that it would seem like I'm not enjoying myself. Because that is not the case. The time I do have with the students who come, is very special. I'm loving my women's class on Saturday's. It's so great to be able to teach them phrases and have them conversing with one another that same evening. I do also enjoy singing songs and coloring with the group of young students I have on Monday's and Friday's. Another reality that I have to consider is that this organization is still very young. We are not quite 2 years old, so there is still a lot of trial and error taking place. This was communicated during orientation and that suggestions are always welcome.

Now switching gears to current news. Sooo because I've been in a bit of a frustrated slump, I go through times where I feel like there's not much joy to be found around me. Being at home can be very solitary, which sounds odd in a small house of 7 people, but it happens. Yet it's amazing how opening up and sharing your feelings with God, helps to reveal joy around you. I told Him that I hate going to see the kids when I feel 'blah' because I don't give them the energy that I really want to. I don't feel like my goofy, fun-loving self. But after talking with God, my day with the kids on Friday was just great. The title of this post is "giggling..." because I don't think I've ever heard anything that adorable before. During playtime, we usually play futbol (can't say soccer here, it feels weird!) or another group game. However, we were down a ball, so we brought out the long jump rope and took turns. Two kids that I don't think I've ever witnessed jumping rope decided to participate and they had me laughing so hard. During each of their times to jump, they were giggling like it was the most fun, joyous thing that they have ever done in their lives. They giggled like jumping rope was more thrilling than any game they've ever experienced and it made me so happy it just about brought tears to my eyes. It was the most heartwarming thing I've witnessed in a while. One of the kids I simply adore for his happy nature and bouncy, contagious energy. His name is Jean Carlo, yup that's right, he's Peruvian. He always runs up and gives me a big hug and then holds my hand when we walk outside to play. I thanked God in that moment for giving me such a precious reminder that joy can be found all around me. On Monday, we get to take that group to the zoo. I'm looking forward to it; it should be fun to see how they react to a trip to see the animals. I'm also curious to see what all a Peruvian zoo entails. 

Tonight at home we celebrated the worldwide Earth Hour and ceased to use electricity for one hour. At first it felt a bit strange to all of a sudden shut off the lights and sit there in the dark. However, we turned it into a fun bonding experience with a game of hide n' seek. It was pretty comical because there's not an abundance of really good hiding spots, minus under the beds. But beneath the mattresses and bed frames lie all sorts of things that I'd rather not uncover. I was pretty happy with the turnout, everyone participated. Usually I'm ridiculed for being such a "gamer" and have to plead with others to get them to play a game. But without lights or technology (aka being glued to our laptops), we took a trip down memory lane and pretended to be carefree kids as we scurried around in the dark.

Zona I

Today turned out to be really great. I'm so glad I took the time to go visit the kids in Zone I. I wasn't planning on doing a formal class, I just wanted to go spend time with the kids and show them that although classes are canceled, I still want to see them. There only ended up being three girls around, but it was still worth while. I taught a mini-lesson and then we chatted while coloring pictures. It was super sweet just to spend time with them relaxing and mindlessly coloring. One little girl even went home and came back with a glass of homemade limonada (lime-aid) for me--so thoughtful! These couple hours were absolutely worth staying behind today. When I was leaving, I heard some children yelling up on one of the steep hills. (This particular zone is situated on really steep hills--remember the scary "path of death" that I described in an earlier post, yeah, this is that zone!) So these kids recognize me and start yelling "Miss Lorena, Miss Lorena, Miss Lorena" and then came sprinting down this steep hill towards me. It was some of my favorite little girls, so I was really happy to catch them on the way out. They pulled it out of me to sing a few songs, and then they walked me part of the way back to the main road. It was quite funny because on the way back some boys starting laughing as we walked by. So I had the girls all wave goodbye and say "chao" and I said that we were off the the United States (in Spanish). Then a few of the boys run up to join us. So there I was with a pack of about 8 kids walking down the road, leaving Zone I. A woman walks by and asks (with a smile on her face) if I'm stealing the children-lol! Of course I eventually said my goodbye's and gave them a million more hugs. Now, I really can't wait until the next time I go back. They made my day =)

Relaxing Day in Huaycan

Today starts the weekend for us, but it still feels like the middle of the week to me. It's going to take a little longer until I get used to it. The group went into Lima today to visit "La Punta" and get ceviche. As much as I thoroughly enjoyed my trip there last time, I'm trying to limit my excursions in order to make the money I have last until the end of July. Plus I'm planning to go to Mira Flores and spend some time at the beach tomorrow. If I take a sandwich I don't have to buy lunch, so it won't be an expensive trip. I'm also looking forward to having time just to walk around and sight-see. When we go out as a group, we generally have a goal and some sort of a time constraint, so there's not really much time for casually walking around and popping in stores here and there. Wandering around without a real destination in mind also helps me to navigate for myself. Now that I've gone into Lima several times and a couple by myself, I feel much more comfortable getting around. 

The house to myself has been quite nice so far =) I decided to organize and clean my part of the room I share with another volunteer. When I got here, I just plopped things in random places and have kept it somewhat tidy, but it has been getting out of control. It's amazing what just two people can do to a room. My life feels a little more organized when my room is clean. Then I came downstairs to eat lunch and found one of my very favorite dishes prepared on the counter. It's called tallerin verde and it consists of noodles with this thick green sauce made of spinach and a variety green herbs for flavor. We eat it with sweet potatoes and hard boiled eggs. Many things in Peru are prepared with eggs and potatoes. In fact I've never eaten so many potatoes in the summer before! I usually eat hearty foods like potatoes when it's cold outside. It's funny because most days during lunch I'm sweating just eating because it's hot out and the food is hot. But I will gladly take being a little sweaty in order to eat delicious home cooked meals everyday!

This afternoon I'm planning to go visit the kids in Zone I, the one where we aren't continuing programs this session. They live on a super steep hill so I get to test my leg endurance while climbing up to see them. Although they don't have classes with us right now, I thought it'd be fun to go and play with them and teach them a little English while I'm there. They are one of the groups that really enjoy my silly songs the most, so I course have to humor them by stopping by for a song and dance session =) Later I'm planning to meet up with two of the guys from our adult English conversation class. We try to meet up about once a week so that they can practice more English and I get a chance to practice a little Spanish as well. They are super nice gentlemen and I feel completely comfortable when I spend time with them. Many Peruvian men, especially here in Huaycan have a false image of what American women, or really foreign women in general, are like. So we don't spend time with too many guys here. Minus our three security guards, a few of the men in the English classes, and the guys I've met at Agua Viva, I generally steer clear of any other interaction with guys here. Sometimes I feel like I'm not being very welcoming, because I have no qualms about smiling and saying "Hola" to a woman or child passing by, but I don't really do that with men. It's just the reality of being a woman in a foreign country.

Tallerin Verde: I like LOTS of sauce!

Another favorite of mine: Papa Rellena--riquisimo!

New schedule....no students?

We started the new schedule this past week, but with the kids busy going back to school, our numbers have been down. We're told that in the very beginning it takes a bit for the students to re-adjust to the new schedule. Saturday's and Sunday's we have full days, but the past two days most students have failed to show up. I also think it can be difficult to get them to come out on the weekends, especially Sunday. I think many adults work through Saturday, but if they can have Sunday's free, it's for time spent with family. After my last class today I went out to get some yogurt for smoothies tonight, and the streets were packed. It can get pretty busy at times during the day, but weekends are crazy. There's so much to see and smell, and so many noises that it can be overwhelming. The roller coaster of smells is sometimes too much for the nose to handle. You might pass by a delicious smelling bakery, and then many food stands along the street, but then you pass by random heaps of trash or animal waste and then it's all ruined. You also always need to keep your eyes open for sudden holes or cracks in the pavement, or wandering dogs or children--they do not look out for you. I will attempt to get some photos of the main road "quince" sometime, but probably not when it's extremely crowded. 

As far as classes are concerned, yesterday was fun and eventful, and today was more low-key. On Saturday, I helped teach an English class and an Art class. Then I led a dance class and an adult English class. I enjoyed getting to help out in both the English and the Art classes, getting to spend more time with individual students. One of the new volunteers has Art experience, so she has taken over those classes. We made 3D animals out of that "fun foam" material. However, dance was immediately after art, in the same room. So we quickly transformed an art room into a mock dance studio. I decided to be goofy to entertain the kids, so I wore my bandanna like a sweat band, gym shorts and knee-high red socks. I was going for a look of "the tackier, the better". We stretched for a bit and then did the silly "banana song" and then learned the Cupid Shuffle. It was a fun class, but way to hot to be dancing around inside with no air conditioning for 45 minutes. Afterward, we decided that we'd extend art and shorten dance class by 15 minutes. The most rewarding part of the day was during the final class, English for women. The students were very enthusiastic and had lots of questions. I really love my children's classes, but there's a lot more discourse and (generally) no behavioral issues when you're instructing adults. One student in particular was so gracious to receive the lesson and was very adamant in asking about the proper pronunciation. It's interesting because a few words that she inquired about would be correct in the way that she said them, in British English. So it's not that the way she said it was incorrect, but we had to explain that there are ways that we speak in the United States and other ways, like British English. It's also funny at the time being because one of our new volunteers is from England, and we've had debates about English from the states being incorrect and British English being correct. As if explaining English grammar wasn't difficult enough, going through various dialects and accents only further complicates things. 

Today's classes were pretty laid back. There was a small attendance in each class, but there was more time to connect and teach one-on-one with the students. However, for such a quiet day we had a few small mishaps...two cuts and one bloody nose. None of which were from fighting, thankfully. I almost felt more like a nurse and a babysitter than a teacher today though. But I'm sure many teachers would claim to hold all three roles, and more at times! Now I'm relaxing at home with a quiet house. I think I'll turn in early tonight because my stomach's not been itself and I'm sure some extra sleep could help (one can only deal with so much peptobismol!). The excitement for the night--smoothies(!) when the other volunteers return from class. Smoothie of the day: banana berry (a berry called sauco, plum, and of course banana). That's all for now!

Catching up!

So I've been a bad blogger….I've been meaning to blog about my weekends and I have failed to do so. I will make it up to all you readers out there by elaborating now. March is here which means that summer is over, according to the school schedule. Kids went back to school on Monday, and our teaching schedule changed to Friday-Tuesday. We teach on the weekends so that we can do more than just weekday afternoons. The school day runs from about 8am-2pm, so we can't conduct classes during those hours during the week. Needless to say, it is a lot for kids to do, attend school and our programs on top of that. However, we are providing a service that is not generally offered for free: English lessons. Long story short, our weekends our now Wednesday's and Thursday's, so I'm taking time out of a lazy Thursday to catch up on my blog.

I'll start with my weekend in Huacachina, the second-to-last weekend in February. Huacachina is a lagoon in the middle of this desert south of Lima. It's a pretty touristy place, with activities like sandboarding, riding sandbuggies, and wine tours. Two other volunteers, Connie and Elizabeth and I went for a two day visit. We got in late on Friday night and went straight to the hostel to go to bed. Our two days were relaxing and cheap as we all agreed that it was going to be a weekend on a budget. We ate two meals a day, and splurged more on breakfast than dinner. The first morning we ate at this adorable outdoor café and the second morning we ate gigantic fruit-filled crepes at a restaurant alongside the lagoon. The first day we hung around the lagoon and checked out the small shops with all kinds of objects for sale. We toured two local bodegas (or winery's) and tasted wine and the Peruvian beverage, pisco. That evening we came across an Argentinean folk band playing by the lagoon, and stopped to listen and dance for a while. We ended up chatting with the members after they were done playing and then all decided to climb up one of the enormous sand dunes. It turned out to be one of the hardest climbs of my life! I know I'm not in the best shape, but scaling a huge hill of sand was much harder than it looked. The next day we enjoyed being lazy by the pool and having an entire day of no plans. It was a very chill weekend, but I was looking forward to getting back to Huaycan. 

Dunes that surround the lagoon in Huacachina

Lagoon with (super steep) dunes--where we climbed

Giant crepe filled with fruit and topped with caramel!

Coffee at the outdoor cafe

Contraption that squishes the grapes

Using bamboo to retrieve wine for tasting

The pool that looks like something from paradise in this photo

This last weekend (the last of the "Saturday-Sunday weekends") I got to meet up with Beth from the church in Lima, Agua Viva. The second weekend in Peru, I was able to meet her and attend the church thanks to my Aunt in Florida. The church that my Aunt Sharon attends in Orlando is connected to the church here in Lima and the grand-daughter of the church planters, Beth, is who I was connected with via facebook before coming to Peru. Meeting Beth and going to church was such a blessing. She introduced me to some of her friends and we went out for food after the service. So last weekend I got to meet up with her again, on Saturday and go to church a second time. This time she and a group from the church was going to a nearby park to invite people to church and to do the Lifehouse "Everything" skit. (This link is another very talented group who performed the skit in Louisiana). It was really great to be a part of their latest campaign "una oracion por ti" (a prayer for you) and get to know more of the women in Beth's discipleship group. The church service was really good, it was so cool to sing songs in Spanish that I know in English. I also enjoy translating the sermon in my head, realizing that I can understand quite a bit. It's really in conversation that I struggle with, speaking in past-tense gives me problems. But now I've met many more Peruvians to practice with. Since the weekends have changed, I won't be able to attend church with Beth, but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to make it to her Friday night cell group (what they call their discipleship groups), so I'm looking forward to that.

This week completes a whole month

After a fun weekend in Huacachina, it was nice to be back to what I now call "home" in Huaycan. (A weekend re-cap will come soon, right after I upload a few pictures!) This week marks the last week of summer classes, so it's final exams all day, everyday. During the first test on Monday, this particular class was very good and quietly took their tests with little problems. The first child to finish is named "Smith" (yes odd, not what you think of when you think Peruvian), and he then got to color one of those hidden picture worksheets. I watched as he scanned the room to find inspiration from the many art projects that line the walls and hang from the ceiling. He settled on a yellow butterfly, and colored the butterfly on his page to match. I'm not sure exactly why this moment stuck out to me. I think it's because in many of my classes, especially with the younger kids, there's always so much going on that I rarely get to take notice of these creative revelations. Back home, for the rest of the morning before lunch, I prepared the fruit for another smoothie night. Last time it was mango, banana, and lucuma, this time it was pineapple, strawberry, and orange. Later this week, I'll be making mango, peach, banana, primarily because the mangos are so cheap and absolutely delicious. For the afternoon class we do one hour of outside time, and one hour of class time. However, Monday was the hottest day since I've been here, with little breeze, so we cut playtime short in order to sit and relax in the shade. Elena, one of the mothers to a couple of our young students in Zone Z, owns a little shop near the classroom, so we sat around to chat and avoid the extreme heat of the South American sun. Elena is very involved in her children's activity in the classes, but unfortunately represents a minority of parents in this area. But we are grateful to have her and truly feel welcome by her warm presence and friendly smile. She was even on our side when we announced that starting next week, we will be a full-immersion English program. With the start of the new semester, we will eliminate all Spanish spoken in English classes. Of course that does not mean on the kids' level, but as instructors we are required to speak only English. I think this will be of significant benefit to the students, allowing them to soak up more than they ever realized they could. Now we are hurting them more than helping them by communicating in both Spanish and English in class. I know it will be challenging, but I am excited to watch the progress of the students over the next few months.

Yesterday was kind of all over the place, high points, low points, and some kind of in-between. The morning class in Zone D was wild and crazy. We were attempting to give the exam while kids are talking, pushing, fighting in the bathroom, copying answers, you name it, they were doing it. I finally got to my not so nice place and had to yell in Spanish that if they do one more thing, they all get zero's. Again, not my ideal teaching strategy, but they pushed the limits and there wasn't much more to get done. After I lost it, one smart-aleck student replied, "Your face is red (in Spanish)", to which I replied, "Por supesto!" (or well of course it is!).  So not the best start to the morning. Although I did surprise myself in my ability to lose my temper in Spanish-lol! Lunch and the afternoon took a turn for the better. Dina, our lovely, talented cook, made ceviche for lunch, which was absolutely delightful. Then after lunch a few of us grabbed ice cream from one of the corner stores around the block, before I had to head to my class in Zone I. The class went well, much more organized than my morning class. However, it broke my heart because I had to remind the students that it was the last week of classes in Zone I. In the past few months there has been problems with attendance and students coming prepared to class. It is unfortunate though, because for the last month that I've been there, I keep seeing the same faces over and over. Therefore, there has been some consistency more recently, so it was really hard to tell them that classes will not be starting over next week. I am going to do my best to fit in a weekly visit to the kids though. They adore the banana song, and almost have it memorized so I just can't leave them hanging! I did have to go right away because I had to get to Zone Z for the women's literacy class. For the last few weeks, we've had no students show up, but after chatting with a few last week, were hoping for a change. When we arrived, it was a very familiar scene, no women anywhere. The story has been that they just haven't had the time, but it's just too bad because a past volunteer had come a long way with the ones that attended. When she left, the program kind of died out, as women stopped coming. But much to our surprise, two women showed up and we were able to determine their level and interest in reading and writing. They are more advanced than we had expected, but thought it be fun to make it like a book club with snacks and discussion every week. So starting next week, we will all read a chapter or two and filter through various questions about the reading. Mimosa (the other volunteer teacher for this program) and I were finally super-pumped to have students for this class. We completely understand that the women have so many things to keep them busy, but want them to know how important some time for themselves can be. They at least deserve a break from all that they do. Imagine life without washing machines, dryers, indoor plumbing, sinks, ovens….so much of the housework they do is hardcore manual labor! With that being said, it also means many of them have lived a life only within their household, never being able to learn about the world outside, even life outside of their own town. We are really hoping to offer a class where they can explore more of life through reading and discovering more about what exists beyond Huaycan. To end the day, Connie (again another volunteer, and a fellow fan of The Office) and I stayed home and watched the most recent episode and drank hot chocolate. It was actually quite perfect, especially considering the events of the day. I do enjoy spending time with the group, but it's also nice to get time to spend with just one other housemate. I'm sure our night guard, Oscar (who also serves as our house dad when he's here), was wondering why two silly gringas were laughing so hard while something on the computer. Good times =)

Today was a good day. I co-administered 3 final exams and for the most part, they all went pretty well.The two in the afternoon were for Connie and my Zone Z classes. She is the lead teacher of the 6-9 year old class, and I am the lead teacher for the 10-13 year old's. I'm growing more and more attached to those students. It's so great getting to know them more, and learning more about their personalities and learning styles. I'm sad to have to go down to only teaching them once a week with the new semester, but I might just have to go and visit more often as well. We just have so much fun when we break for outside time. The younger class goes for an hour, then it's an hour of outside time, usually with both groups, and then we wrap it up with an hour of class for the older students. I really enjoy the outside time with them because it gives me a chance to be silly me and goof off and have fun with them. It's not like I turn in to Susie-Stickler when we go into the classroom, but I have to be a bit more professional as their "profesora". It's also a wonderful thing to watch students recall information that you've taught them. I just love watching their faces light up when they know the answers, even if sometimes they yell it out when I've asked them to please raise their hand. English is such an important skill to gain, so I really want to help them develop a strong foundation that they can take further if they so desire. I also really like hearing their accents when they try to pronounce some English words. I'm just a big fan of the way Español rolls off the tounge as every syllable is pronounced; it's such a fluid, vibrant language. Today they did a worksheet with fruit, and it was fun to hear them say pineapple (peen-ah-play). As much as I plan to work with them to correctly pronounce English words, I will be secretly amused every time I hear them speak with their accents. Maybe it's just me, but I just loove Spanish =)

(PS- Yes, I know I say "just" a lot. I'm just weird I guess ;) It's probably also because I think my English is getting worse as I'm using Spanish more--lol!)

Sliding down a sleep rocky hill...no thanks, I'll pass!

After spending the weekend in Lima, staying up too late and getting too much sun at the beach, I looked forward to starting another week back in Huaycan. Yesterday was a bit hard to find energy because of a long weekend in Lima. However, this week is pretty much all review, so there won't be a need to create entirely new lesson plans yet. We've been playing review games to prepare for the "final exams" next week. I use quotes because the way I perceive the words "final exam" is a lot more serious and dreadful than what the children will have to endure. But it will be the test at the end of the summer session for them, as the new semester starts in March. This morning in English with the Zone D 6-9 year old's, we played hangman and then a team game in order to practice numbers, colors, ABC's, and verbs. It was one of few classes where the game was entirely successful and I really felt good about the content we were able to review. I did a few review games last week and had to stop them because the kids just got too wild and wouldn't play the right way. I know it's boring for them to do worksheets and instruction from the board all the time, and I do enjoy games more. I hate to be a stickler and cut a game short, but I'm determined to work with them so they know they need to show respect to their classmates and teachers. It was a really sweet finish to the class this morning when one of the students came over to tell me she really enjoyed class; she made my day. This afternoon was another story. In Zone I there have been a few complications because of a lack of organization within the Zone. The whiteboard has been in a room locked by a key that we do not own, so again class today was without a board to do review activities. While we were still able to review verbally, many of the students have issues with spelling and that's hard to work on without space to write. But we did what we could and then called it quits to go play outside. That's when it got interesting yet again. So it's probably not very clear in my pictures, but much of Huaycan is built on the mountainside, making roads and alleyways extremely step in some areas. Also, many of the children run around in flimsy flip-flops, which seem to always break. (On a positive note, if you've browsed through my facebook pictures, you will find a TOMS reference!) Ok, so generally in this Zone we don't do outside activities because of the difficulty of getting to the "playground" area. But today....we ventured out, across the tiny little dirt pathway full of loose rocks (oh and also with a very steep drop just a step away on the left side). The little girls are just hurrying along like it's no big deal, telling me to come along, while I'm trying not to look down the hill. Finally we get to one point where I'm thinking, "Yeah right, you have got to be kidding!". The "path" curves around the side, which is even steeper and with many more small loose rocks. That was all it took, I said "I'm done, nope, not for me!". I made my way back and went down another route, only to find a set of actually stairs just a few yards away. The girls warned me about dogs that bite (again the dogs here are not generally pets, and are not usually friendly), so I was a bit hesitant. After standing around feeling silly, a few girls called from up above to come up that it was Ok. Well I felt stupid just standing there in the road doing nothing, so I figured I'd just go for it. It turned out to be just fine and we attempted a game of volleyball and then futbol. I know I will definitely think twice before following the acrobatic children down another "death path" again!

Now we're truckin' along

Here I sit, Friday evening, the end of our week here in Huaycan. Last week seemed to crawl by, and this week flew by so fast, if I blinked I would have missed it. Everyday last week was a brand new experience because I had no idea what to expect. However, this week started over with new possibilities, but the same schedule. Thanks to last weekend and a few days during the week, I know feel much more comfortable getting around. It's such a constricting feeling to not know an area well, having to depend on others to get where you need to go. I still have a lot more learning to do, especially about getting around Lima, but for now I'm pretty comfortable navigating around our little town of Huaycan. 

Last weekend was our (my first) trip into Lima to explore around. On Saturday we went to a place on the coast called "La Punta" and ate ceviche at a small restaurant near the water. Then we spent some time down on the beach enjoying the perfect weather and the sound of the waves on the rocks. Like the sound machines you can buy, it was a combination of the "crashing waves" sound and the "babbling brook". After we sat mesmerized for a while, we walked around for a bit and then headed to the Incan markets. During our travels around Lima, we passed the church that I'm hoping to check out soon. My Aunt in Florida has connections with a family that started churches in Lima and I'm planning to meet one of the daughters this weekend. It's a non-denominational called Agua Viva and from what I saw briefly as we passed by, it seemed to have quite a large following. On Sunday we went in to Lima to watch the Super Bowl, I wasn't really partial either way, but the fans of the group were happy with the end result.

This whole week has been more a of a learning process than the last. My first few days here I was just trying to take it all in. Now that I've taken it in, I'm trying to figure out just what to do with it! I'm working with so many kids throughout the week that I'm just trying to keep track of who's who everyday. A brief overview of my teaching schedule is as follows:

Monday

- Addition/subtraction, Zone D (ages 6-10)

- English, Zone Z-232 (ages 6-9)

- Conversation class/Advanced English, Zone D (young adults/adults)

Tuesday

- English, Zone D (ages 7-9)

- English, Zone I (ages 6-9)

- English Zone I (ages 10-13)

Wednesday

- Multiplication/division, Zone D (ages 10-13)

- English, Zone Z-231 (ages 6-9)

- English, Zone Z-231 (ages 10-13)

- Alfabetizacion/Spanish Literacy (women)

Thursday

- English, Zone D (ages 7-9)

- English, Zone R (ages 9-13)

Friday

- Private tutoring, Zone D (Katty, age 18)

- English, Zone Z-231 (ages 6-9)

- English, Zone Z-231 (ages 10-13)

Needless to say, it's quite a lot! They definitely keep me busy. A lot of what helps is that many of the classes are team taught, and the English classes are all at a basic level, so I can make my lesson plans with the same worksheets. As far as the Zone's are concerned, they signify where in the town of Huaycan a class is located. We have classrooms in Zone's D, I, S, and three in Z. Zone R's classroom is through another organization and I was the one sent in to try it out. I've given good feedback and we are planning to adopt it into our program with the start of the school semester in March. Right now were are doing supplementary teaching because it is summer vacation. The school semester resumes in March and then our weeks will change to Friday through Tuesday, leaving us Wednesday's and Thursday's off. Those two days are a must! I am quickly getting attached to the children, but any sane person needs a day off here and there. Sometimes the biggest challenge is just not knowing all the ways to communicate with the children in Spanish so that they will listen. I have noticed by the end of the week, my Spanish and English turns into "Spanglish" from trying to rapidly respond to the needs to the children all week. The best thing though, is the way they run up to you every time you see them. Just about every class I walk up to, there are always at least one or two little kids running up to say "Hola Profesora" and greet me with a kiss on the cheek (the traditional way to greet in Peru). It's so adorable and it makes my day. I'm so thankful to be able to have this time to spend here, doing this work. I'm excited to make strong bonds with the students and to learn more about their lives. I may not be sure exactly where I'll be after Peru, but I am sure my purpose is to be here right now.

Playa at La Punta

School in Zone R (waay at the top of the hill)

A few of my older students in Zone Z-231

Not even a full week yet

Only four days in and I feel like it's been a lifetime! Everyday is full of activities and I'm still getting used to the way of life here. I'm loving it though, which is good since this is home for the next 6 months. The hardest things so far have been not knowing my way around very well, handling unruly children in the classroom, and accepting the way that animals live here. As far as traveling around the town we walk or take moto's or combi's. The moto's are little motorized carts with a roof and combi's are small buses and some are more like vans. It's just like getting familiarized with any public transportation system, you have to learn the routes but the thing here is that there aren't any maps to learn. You just have to get used to what to look for and make sure to get off at the right place. I know it will only be a matter of a few weeks before it all makes sense. Oh and if you've been to a third world or developing country, you know what traffic is like -- crazy, unorganized, better watch out or they WILL run you over! So needless to say, it's quite an adventure. Most of the time the kids are well-behaved, but there are sometimes the one or two in every class that get everyone else off course. This morning there was one boy who had a bird (yes a bird, and yes alive) in his book bag in class. So he proceeds to take the bird out during class, which I thought was good for the bird, but bad for class. While he's holding the poor little bird it manages to escape and is hopping all around the room trying to get away. Of course the boy is chasing it and the other kids are chasing him. As this is going on, I'm using all the Spanish command words I can think of in an attempt to get the kids back to their seats. (I was also rooting for the terrified bird, hoping it would be able to get away.) But much to my dismay, the boy finally caught the bird and once again has it clenched in his tiny hand. When the bird then decided to bite the boy, I just didn't have much sympathy. The poor thing was fighting for its life! I knew I couldn't really do much because as far as the boy was concerned, it was his pet because he paid for it. Arguing over setting the bird free would have only escalated the problem further. At the end of the class I had a talk with him about treating animals nicely, although I think it went in one ear and out the other =/. It's a difficult thing to cope with, the treatment of animals here. In the states where animals are commonly pets and not wandering the streets, they become more humanized in a way. Here dogs are everywhere (not neutered), freely roaming, fulfilling their inner animal instincts to be free. But it comes with a cost because traffic definitely does not stop for animals. Sadly I had to witness this the other day. I saw a dog get run over by a moto, but luckily was able to limp away. It was just in time because the combi I was in would have hit it run it over next. Just awful! These are just a few things that are going to take a little while to get used to. On the upside, I really enjoy my purpose for being here, and I am looking forward to watching the progress of the students in my classes. Today I got to work with students in a school high up on the mountain, about 30 minutes away from where I'm living. It was their first English lesson so we started with ABC's and colors. Thus far they were the most well-behaved as a group, so I eagerly anticipate teaching their class again next week. During the walk back down the mountain to get to the nearest combi stop, I thought a lot about how much we take for granted back at home. These kids were perfectly happy with what few sheets of paper they had and the crayons they got to color with for a short while. Overall, everyone in the community has been very friendly and generally wave as you pass by. I still have many pictures to take, but for now I've included a few of the house where I'm living.

View from our balcony

Right view from balcony

La cocina (notice the rice cooker--rice w/every meal!)

La casa!

Bookshelf w/lesson plans for every class

Upstairs hallway (our rooms are here)

Room I share with 2 others

Baño (notice the white thing on the wall--water heater! must turn on 10 min before showering)

Canciones, juegos, y frutas--Oh my!

Today was another fun day. It already feels like I've been here for a week -- there's been so much going on each day. I teach 3-4 classes everyday and meet so many adorable children. I need to step up my A-game with games and songs because I'm using all of my ammo so fast! I've already done the banana song, the hokey pokey, head-shoulders-knees-and-toes, and little Sallie Walker. I still have baby shark on the backburner, because it takes a whole lot of energy. If anyone have ideas for good songs, i.e. camp songs or fun, goofy kid-songs, please let me know! Overall today was oodles of fun. Again the food was terrific, even dinner which consisted of rice, fried bananas, and fried eggs (pic below). Sounds super strange, huh. But it was really tasty. I'm not too picky so I'll try just about anything. This evening the all the volunteers (currently 6 in the house) went out for fresh juice. I got mango/orange and drank it down to the last sip. We get out fill of fruit here for sure. It's all fresh and local, so I plan to take full advantage!

Primer día

Wow what a great first day! The weather is just gorgeous here. So I'm told that it wasn't quite as hot as a typical summer day, but the breeze was wonderful. Despite the fact that the roads are dirt and many houses are shanty's, the town is just beautiful to me. The class that I went to teach today was up on the mountain side, which offered a great view of the town below. We take a small bus up, or the equivalent to a VW van, to reach the classroom. It costs about 25 cents to get to our stop called "el cemetario" for the extravagantly decorated cemetery on the hill. It's like no cemetery I've ever seen in the States. Instead of solemn grays and creams, the headstones are brightly colored as if to celebrate each person for whom they represent. It also creates a very stark contrast to the surrounding terrain of dirt and rocks. Another volunteer, Elizabeth and I played games with the kids before starting English class. There wasn't too much excitement in class being that today was quiz day. I promised more fun during the next visit. In the evening a few volunteers and I held a conversation class for a few young adults with more advanced English skills. I've already been unofficial nicknamed the "camp counselor", I guess I'm kind of spunky or something;) During class we of course spoke Spanish, but afterwards I had a chance to practice my Spanish with them. I got to meet Katti, a super sweet 18 year old that I will be tutoring in SAT prep. It's such an interesting and wonderful thing to be able to help others to practice another language and then turn around and allow them to help you. It really creates a give-and-take relationship, where everyone's on the same playing field. Sometimes as a volunteer, you have a one track mind about all you can do to help, but it's equally important to realize you need others and that learning goes both ways.  Tomorrow I have a few more classes, English, Math, and Spelling. I'm looking forward to meeting more adorable Peruvian children. Oh and the food---¡qué rica! I truly feel spoiled to get to eat delicious food everyday. The living conditions here are really above what I would have expected as a volunteer in a poor area of the country. However, we are really taken care of, plenty of clean water, home-cooked meals, hot showers (seriously!), wifi, laundry service…it almost makes up for the fact that we are neighbors to roosters and nocturnal barking dogs. Thank you earplugs! (A must for any travels to rural Latin America!) But I do feel very blessed to be in this experience. I'm looking forward to what's to come, but enjoying what's happening right now. 

Away on a jet plane

(Yesterday 9:31 am)

Reality has finally set in that I'm going to Peru, now that I am sitting here in RDU looking outside at the plane I will board shortly. Preparing for a 6-month adventure doesn't feel quite real until the night before when you're cramming last minute things into bags and wondering if you really have everything you need. I wonder if you can be too prepared? Well either way I packed the works: clothes, shoes, enough toilitries for a small family, snacks, books, school supplies, medicine, games, coffee, tea, hot coco…hmm, maybe I did go a bit overboard! The nice thing is that much of it won't be coming back with me. Maybe I'll make friends by being the go-to for all the good snacks -- haha =)

To answer everyone's questions, yes I'm excited, nervous, anxious, ready…and all the other things I've been asked about. I can't really give much more feedback about how I feel until I get there. It's like I'm getting anxious just talking about being anxious! Once I get in and check it all out, I can't wait to share it with everyone. All of your prayers and support mean so much. It's nice to know you're being thought of on the other side of the world.

Well as they say in Español, "¡hasta luego!" Or until we meet again….via the online world at least ;)

One month to go

(First post, 12/31/10)

Finished. I am finally done with my undergraduate studies, after five and a half long years. It's such a strange concept to me, no more cramming for tests, late night trips to the library, or crossing the famous NC State brickyard in between classes. The end of school has been immediately followed by holiday events, with a whirlwind of Christmas shopping, cookie baking, and family visiting that has kept me from the reality of being completely finished with school. I went from panicking about final papers and exams to stressing out about not finishing handmade scarves by Christmas. It has been a wonderful way to fundraise for my trip, but I felt like an elf in a workshop as I knitted for days to complete orders before Christmas. However, sometimes hard work is necessary and I'm grateful for everyone who has purchased a scarf from me to help me raise support. Now I've almost reached my goal and I still have 4 more weeks until I fly out. Christmas and New Years came and went so fast and the next big thing is my adventure to Peru. On the other hand, I only have 4 more weeks until I leave. It's been a topic of conversation for so many months now, I can't believe it's happening so soon. The more I think about it, the more excited I get. I re-watched the brief video with my dad and stepmom over Christmas and was motivated all over again. It was like the feeling I got when I first read through their website. I felt instantly connected, as if this was exactly where I was meant to go. I may not know exactly what's in store after Peru, but I know I'll find more answers when I'm there. My experiences have been the most instrumental in helping me to realize what I like and what I don't, and the kinds of environments I'd like to work in. Although there is structure and a plan for what I'll be doing in Peru, I'm looking forward to the unknowns and the surprises that will unravel during my time there.