A New Chapter

Sadly, Saturday was our last day to spend with the children!! These past three weeks have flown by - it feels just like earlier today I arrived with all my apprehension and excitement. We went to the market as always, which Ive (cannot for the life of me find the apostrophe on this keyboard) talked about quite enough already. I thought my emotions might get the best of me throughout the day, even with an additional unexpected event occuring, but the normal chaos that unfolds in the house kept me focused on the care of the kids. Prior to Saturday, we got to spend another fabulous Friday afternoon picking strawberries, riding caballos, feeding the cows, and snacking on popcorn and freshmade cheese at the beautiful farm. So, entering Saturday, we were in high spirits.

We had planned to have a mini-fiesta that good ole Tony had yet to find out - Tony Lazzarro is the MD and professor that gave up his life teaching medical science at Emory college to become the creator/founder/director of the Hogar in addition to becoming a loved and respected father to all of the 55 kids. After mass, Ashley and I handed out pieces of our "Goodbye and thanks for everything" Oreo ice cream cake that we had made the night before (props to Ashley for the good idea). It was a HIT - Tony, who never EVER eats sugar or sweet foods definitely indulged in having not one but TWO pieces. Whoop whoop - big accomplishment and feeling of acceptance for us. Then the fiesta began as we busted out the reggaeton musica that the children really liked. It was fun because we were able to rally the strength the pick up and dance with every kid wheelchairs or braces that wanted to go for a spin. BRILLIANT. Never seen some of those kids smile so much. Before we knew it, it was bedtime, and the reality of it being the last time to say buenas noches amigos to the kids kicked in very quickly. The sadness of the situation really set in after the kids went to sleep, and Ashley and I were left alone to pack. To cope with the situation in a healthy manner, I binge ate approximately 5 pieces of the cake we had made before putting my hand on the wall - a fabulous idea to commemorate the number of lives that have been affected by the Hogar in which all patients and workers put their painted hand- or footprint on a wall, which will no doubt fill up in the near future. An amazing experience I wouldn´t trade for anything! Thank you so much to the kids first and foremost, to Tony and his loyal staff for their never-ending compassion and dedication for the health & well-being of these children, and the volunteers who come and go but always make an ever-lasting effect on the Hogar!

At 3am, we hopped in our cab with our Hogar driver Javier and headed to Lima airport to atch our flight to Cusco. Didn´t (found the apostrophe) really expect to see a mass of people waiting to travel at 3 am, but clearly I was wrong. After our bags got checked it, all we had to do was relax and wait to board. Once on the plane, the flight was UNREAL!!! The scenery was unlike anything I´ve seen before in my life. As the sun rose over these endless peaked mountains of the Andes, the shadows cast upon the westward side of each mountain formed a wide variety of shapes - most I thought to look like morphed chess pieces, primarily rooks and bishops. Imagine being microscopic in size being amongst an oil canvas painting - thats what I thought it would looking like. BRILLIANT!! As was the descent, since we didn´t actually have to descend that far, as Cusco rests at 10,000ft above sea level.

Everything about our arrival went well - we got our luggage, our hostal drivers were sooooo pleasant and very informative, and the hostal is out of the world in terms of quality - WAHOO, Inca influences everywhere and wonderful pottery lining all the tables and countertops. As we were settling in/walking through the door, our amiable hostal owner Javier informed us of this great tour of the Sacred Valley that included a stop in Pisac, the best and busiest market around on a Sunday (which is the day we arrived). What is the best thing to do when abruptly arriving to a city of incredible altitude - take it easy and acclimate you say? Heeeeeeeeeckkk no! Board a bus that winds even higher up into the Andes on windy roads going really fast - yes, right answer. So approximately 13 minutes after we arrived and put our bags down, which is about 50 minutes after we landed, we hopped on a bus to explore the Sacred Valley. The views were spectacular, the environment so clear, and the air, though thin, is very clean. Pisac market was packed with merchants, artisans, and other vendors desparately trying to make a decent day´s wages...which for a few of them, Ashley and I definitely provided. Let´s just say there were a few "Oh, muchas gracias señoritas" as we walked away from few stands. But what great color and life in that market - definitely a top spot to people-watch for me.

On about our third stop, the altitude change definitely hit us. I literally felt like a 90-year-old woman with COPD and congenitive heart failure as I panted and wheezed going up a flight of 6 stairs. How embarrassing! Needless to say, we have taken it easy these past two days in preparation for our 5-day trek on the Salkentay trail... a trail that when mentioning it to those we meet in the hostal has received only a "Wow, heard that´s a kick in the ass" and "Salkentay...just take the train." ...Awesome - not really what we were hoping to hear upon looking for reassurance. However, we have since talked to those that have actually hiked it and said they´d do it again in a heartbeat - no matter how fast that may be when you are up at those crazy altitudes. So those testimonials, spending a day with a girl from Jersey who is doing two treks back to back and loving every moment, and seeing strangers upload personal pictures of Machu Picchu on neighboring computers in this internet cafe are enough to get me STOKED to start at 5am tomorrow! Much love to all.

Mercado de Chosica

Market day again - WAHOO! Best ever...today we tried quail eggs which for some reason are SO much better than chicken eggs! Love the organized chaos that surrounds the market streets, the people, the conversations (which I only catch half of), and the FOOD. Coming into the trip, I was predicting food to be quite problematic for a vegetarian - on the contrary, there are so many new things to try. Chirimulla is a fruit they have in Peru that tastes like a combination of piña colada, pineapple, and coconut which comes out to be one of the most delicious things I´ve ever eaten!! It is also a very popular ice cream flavor that I´ve tasted quite a few times ;)

Yesterday, the children had the opportunity to go to a farm owned by a lovely woman on the other side of Chaclacayo - what an awesome experience for them! There were endless fields of various produce and vegetation that the children could help tend to, a horse for some to ride, and many cows for them to pet. SO MUCH FUN. I keep meeting ridiculously amazing individuals on this trip and through Tony´s work, and the owner of this farm was definitely among them. She eventually hopes to get a routine down for the children to visit once every week - but for now, each time they come, she allows the kids to pick whatever ripe fruit and vegetables they can find and bring it home with them! You should have seen these children dart through the tomato and strawberry plants, herb gardens, and carrot field!! They had a BLAST! The woman also makes cheese from her cows´ milk, which she allowed us all to sample with crackers when we started wearing down from running in the fields. She sent two jars of homemade yogurt home with us as well which is AMAZING - never had yogurt so fresh and could only think of how much my mom would LOVE IT!! Needless to say, I am hoping that we get to go again this Friday, if for nothing more than to see the sheer excited and joy the kids have in the field - they do not get out much aside from the nearby park, so when they do, they have at it!!

As for now, Ashley and I are not looking forward to saying goodbye to our new friend from Ireland, Aoife (pronounced Ifa), who unfortunately flies out Monday night to continue her 8-month trek around the world. She has been such a source of entertainment and inspiration - she has also taught us many Irish terms and phrases which we are definitely bringing back to the states. However, as we are reluctant to see her go, we wish her the best of luck to her in the remainder of her journey! Much love Aoife!

Settling In

Now that a week has passed since I first arrived, I am finally getting into the groove of life here with the kids. It´s getting slightly more difficult to get up in the mornings, primarily due to the coldness fact0r - the weather in Chaclacayo is sooo strange because the days are incredibly warm but the mornings and nights are quite chilly. Needless to say, the best way to dress is in layers. We went to the market to help the mamitas get comida for the next week - markets are by far the best places (in any country) to people-watch. The market was so lively, full of color, and packed with people who were seasoned pros at picking out the best fruit and vegetables. It was lots of fun to just walk through and listen to all the names and prices of products being shouted by the various vendors. It is also fun to purchase the food because things here are very cheap. In a few minutes we are actually about to return to the Hogar in a "tuk-tuk," or really tiny cab, for one or two Soles, which equates to approximately $0.50!! Can´t beat that. Much love to all. Will update later when I have a bit more time to ramble. Take care all.

Lunch on the Pacific

Today one of the fundraiser coordinators for the Hogar invited us to her lovely home that overlooks the Pacific in a very nice area of Lima. The views were spectacular and the bad weather/fog really accentuated the colors of the houses that traversed the oceanside. The people we met were lovely and again, it is amazing to be surrounded by such positive, good-hearted individuals. We got to see a video of one of the fundraisers thrown in Lima earlier this year - so adorable because all the children from the Hogar were there the help raise money by singing their hearts out on two Peruvian songs. Fantastica. Another new volunteer showed up late last night, so his first day volunteering involved relaxing in a beautifully luxurious home and consuming large amounts of rich, homemade food. We hope that he doesn´t assume each day is like that - we can already picture him writing his friends back home saying, "This is the best place to volunteer EVER!" Tomorrow should be an interesting one for him ;) Anyways, still amazed by the children each and every day! We introduced some of our sweet moves which got all the older kids involved and they had a blast! I even taught them some tango steps, in hopes to represent for my sister, tango extraordinare. They showed us how to dance in Peruvian discotecas, but we definitely need more practice before we actually test the waters. Hope all is well back at home, wherever that may be. Much love.

Oh, the Spanish

As you may have noticed in my last entry, I am still learning the Spanish language (as indicated by my spelling of bueños instead of buenos). The children are very tolerant of my incorrect pronunciation and grammer, and for that I am extremely thankful. However, if the lovely Ashley Curl were not with me, I believe I would forever be called the gringa, or foreigner. She is my liason in all conversations and is there to clarify things if I accidently blurt out a word that is similar to the actual word, but means something horrendously awful. So this is a big shout out to Ashley.

Life in the Hogar

Bueños noches mis amigos y familia! Life here at the Hogar is like trying to read the music of one of Mozart´s symphony - it has its crescendos, its high notes, its low notes, but it is non-stop and always intriguing. The children have such enthusiastic attitudes and glowing personalities that keep us going throughout the day, no matter what might be thrown at us. These kids are BEAUTIFUL SPIRITS! I am so thankful that I have been granted this opportunity as I will without a doubt learn so much from these amazing human beings that surround me. It is an amazing thing to wake up in the morning and ultimately have one goal to accomplish during the day - to love the children! That´s it. Sounds easy, right? Everyone here in the Hogar, including the children, are learning more patience, compassion, and love with each passing day! It is beautiful thing to watch how all the kids at the Hogar function as a cooperative family unit - there are arguments from time to time, but in the end, there is nothing more important than the well-being and happiness of its members. Cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings! Miss you all very much and take care! Sending my love.

Off to Peru!

Heading out with the parents for one last meal together and then off to National Airport to fly to Peru via Miami. Cannot wait to finally meet the doctor who has been so kind to me in all previous correspondence and, of course, see the CHILDREN! Will update as best I can, but hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the beautiful weather of the past week!