A Busy Week

This has been a busy week. I've barely had any free time, between volunteering and getting ready to go home. I can't believe how much time has passed so quickly. I leave to go home on Thursday and it just doesn't seem like I've been here for eleven months.

I spent Monday and Tuesday with Express Connect. We went to a new school and gave multiple presentations about Self Esteem.

Wednesday, as per usual I went to the orphanage.

Thursday I volunteered again with Express Connect, we went to the Alexander Flemming school again, the school we first visited in November. We gave five presentations about bullying.

Friday I was back at the orphanage of course spent some time with Alejandro and Eduardo. Ale played with my camera, and took lots of selfies, which I think are absolutely adorable.

How can he not make you smile?

Today we went to the Inca market and bought some souvenirs and a few gifts for friends. We also walked around at Locomar and made a visit to the Gap store. I bought a hoodie that says GAP Peru. It was a fun day with my family despite preparing for leaving.

It feels crazy to be going back, and I am sure it will seem as alien as Peru did at first when I go back.

 

Breaking through Walls

Walls are good for two purposes- keeping things out and keeping things in. Which is why it is so common to use walls in our world today. Peru is full of walls. My house is  encased by twelve foot concrete wall topped with electric wires.  We use another type of wall- metaphorical walls used to keep secrets locked up, and people away from the delicate matters of the heart.

On Wednesday, Express Connect came to Westfalia Orphanage to do a workshop with the kids fourteen and up. The first workshop we talked about bullying, but we soon realized how quiet all the kids were and decided before the next group came that we needed to regroup. Sometimes, before learning can occur you need to break a few walls. In this case, we needed to get them to relax and be more comfortable with us and themselves before we dug into anything deeper. We played games with the second group, which proved to be more effective.

 

These kids have a lot of responsibility. They take care of the cooking and cleaning, wash their own clothes, take care of younger siblings or children, work in the gardens, and some have jobs. It was fun getting to know the teens and seeing them relax for a few hours. 

I hope we put a few cracks in the walls these kids had put up- and am excited for the next time I get to spend more time with them. (:

Up Up and Away!

Big plans are being put into action right now, not just for Westfalia Orphanage, but for Express Connect and schools in the nearby areas.  We have ideas to brighten children's lives at the Orphanage, and Express Connect is working on expanding their campaign! In March I will be joining them again to help with their Raise Awareness Campaign.

 

I am excited to announce that Project #2 is off the ground! We will be hosting a bake sell to buy school supplies for the Children living at Westfalia Orphanage.  It will be held next Saturday at a park near Nicole's house.  We will also be selling Peruvian souvenirs handcrafted by the kids. The money made from these sells will go directly to the Orphanage to use for food, water, school uniforms, shoes, and other necessities.  

 

Girls ages eight and up make these colorful bracelets to sell.

 

Girls and boys learn how to sew by making these colorful wall hangings. Each one is as unique as the child who made it. This one shows Westfalia Orphanage, located in Cienguilla.

 These adorable bookmarks are made to look like native Peruvian people.

The hats are made of the wool that the kids ages seven to ten spin.

 

Project #1 Update  

At the beginning of my adventure, when I learned I would be moving to Peru, I organized a project to make school kits at girls camp. Unfortunately, we moved before girls camp and did not have the opportunity to bring them with us. We have not found a way to get these school kits here, but will bring them back with us after summer. 

 

My Day and a Few Thoughts

Hello Everyone,

I went back to Westfalia Orphanage today, I will be going every Wednesday and Friday for a few hours a day. We arrived and spent a while playing with the kindergarten aged kids. My little friend Melissa found my hand Sanitizer and was very into it. She liked how it made her hands smell. Good thing I don't keep perfume in my bag! She brought out a few of her friends to show them and they all begged to try some. I kept saying "no mas, no mas!" and they would hold up their fingers and say "un poco por favor?" and who can resist saying no to sweet little kids, especially when they are excited over something so ordinary. Plus their just so darn cute!

Today we discussed the kids with Tia Sara, the psychologist. These kids have either been abandoned by their parents or neglected and abused and taken by the government. Because most of the parents still have parental rights over their kids or the situations are complicated, none of these kids can be adopted. They live at Westfalia until they are 18/19 and start college or working.

The place is okay, little orphan Annie had it easier than these kids; the place is a bit dirty. A lot dirty. What I don't understand is how the staff and volunteer can be there and not want to make the place better. This came up in a discussion with my dad and he explained that they were never taught, and they did not expect the level of cleanliness I do.  It makes me sad, and I have to keep reminding myself that it's a different world here. We have plans to clean up the place- starting on Wednesday with the psychology office. It also needs to be organized and I am practically a professional organizer so I will be happy to do so.  It just needs some TLC my friends and I are going to try are hardest to spruce up the place.

Right now we are working on putting together posters for each house with all the kids names, birthdates and pictures to hang in the psychology office. I spent a few hours today handwriting notes about the kids to type up since I can't bring their files home.

Other than Westfalia, I am still working with Express Connect. I am going to start training with Ale so I can start presenting more which will be really exciting.  Ale was also sweet enough to contact a school, the Sir Alexander Flemming school, we visited a few months ago (the one with the really sweet kindergarteners) to see if I could help out in any way, maybe buying art supplies or books or building a playground- something for the kids.  I am excited for that because I would like to do some little projects while here and help out a few different schools.

I think that's all, there is so much going on in my head right now. Ideas are just piling up!

Happy Friday!

Little Wonders

My favorite song is Little Wonders, by Rob Thomas and tonight while thinking what I did during the day, it came to my mind. I had the best experience volunteering today. It was one of those warm fuzzy moments that make you realize how wonderful life is. This is one of those little wonders, a moment that will stay with me because it impacted me "Our lives are made in these small hours-these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate.Time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours still remain."

Express Connect  goes to schools to talk about social issues, abuse, self esteem, bullying, and leadership.