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!