I changed rooms, but not countries...

This week I had to change rooms because another volunteer got bed bugs and they have to fumigate his room (which is where the founder of the orphanage is going to stay when he comes next week!)

This week I have totally realized how UNDERrated some things in America are bc they are SO different here. For instance, the ability to flush your toilet paper in the good ol' U-S-A!!!! Be thankful for that, people!!! Secondly, boneless, skinless chicken breasts!! What a cool invention that was. Here, everyone always has their hands in their mouths picking out bones and small bits...gross. Another thing- Gloriously cold ICE!!!! It may not seem like much to you there, but you are missed, ice! I could go on and on about the amenities of America, but you guys are there...you know. However, one thing I really really miss above all is feeling thoroughly clean. My feet are a constant shade of dirty due the mere fact I live in a desert and I'm surrounded by sand. But alas, this is my life now and I will embrace my sand-kissed feet. And what you all have been waiting for...more kid pics!



























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Does eating cow intestines give you pink eye(s)?

No matter if they are really related or not, they will be forever linked in my book. They are just two of the many unattractive phenomena that I have experienced in Peru thus far. Also, I now sleep under a mosquito net at night and still wake with about a dozen bites. I guess I'm just too sweet...

Today a few other volunteers and I hit the beach town of Huanchaco after getting meds for my poor lil' ojos. It's about an hour away due to taking 2 different micro buses and needing to wait for them to circle around to pick us up. It was so refreshing to be near the water and to hear crashing waves.
And when I closed my eyes, I felt like I was in California!! After lunch and meandering the streets a bit more, one of the other volunteers and I were ready to head back. He's only been here a week, barely speaks any Spanish, but is totally nuts and is fearless. I was told to be very of taxis and to only take as needed from 2 companies (there are about 100 different ones constantly driving around and beeping their horn at you at all times!) well this dude, Jesse, just walks up to each taxi asking him to take him to any market....thus I managed to get myself home from town all by my ABLE self!!! I bought groceries, changed buses 2 times, knew where to get off, and was able to ask questions and say answers. I'm not gonna lie- I was impressed with myself.

I feel myself falling for the kids more and more each day. They are giving me a good run for my money playing soccer, I keep them laughing with my salsa moves, and they even taught me the words to "La Bumba" which I then learned on guitar and played for them...a fun dance party ensued!!

Thanks for all the updates and emails back! I really love hearing what everyone else is up to! Keep it up!































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La princesita del albergue

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Happy 1 week anniversary to me!

Well, I have officially survived living in Peru for one whole week!! Funny how it seems like I've been here for a month! And probably have already gained a few pounds from all the bread, rice, and potatoes!! The other volunteers have said it's customary to have a "food baby" during your time here! The days have gotten a little easier as the week has gone on, but this is still MUCH harder than I ever anticipated!!!! I'm happy to say my Spanish is improving by the day, but it still gets very overwhelming when the kids come up to you in packs and talk at the speed of light. I have all the basics down pat ("listen to me", "look at me", "do you want to be punished?", "sit down", "be careful", "don't hit", "obey me", "do you want a sticker/chocolate?") I'm reading children's books 5x/day and looking up all the words I don't know so I have random words in my vocab that I probably won't ever forget...warts, dandruff, snout, claw, whip, wig, etc!!! Some peeps have asked for my address here...
Albergue Infantile Hogar de Esperanza
Autopista Moche/Salaverry KM 3.5
Frente de Camal de San Fransisco
Trujillo, Peru
South America

If you want to send chocolates or any candy for the kids, i would use it to bribe them to be good during my groups and I would love you forever!!!!!!
Escribiré mas pronto....

Is it too early to come home?

I'm posting some pics of some of the kids that I took today. Some were during my guitar "lessons"...when my lil one got into my guitar case and almost zipped herself up! More to come...



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Location:Peru

Is it too early to come home?

I don't even have the words to describe my first day other than utter chaos. I wish I had a video of it so you could actually see the chairs flying across the room, the 3 boys climbing on the bookshelf and it almost falling over, the despaired spanglish i was trying to utter... Oh, it was terrible!! I was completely overwhelmed 20 min in to my day. I was supposed to be with another volunteer who has been here for 5 mos and whose Spanish is pretty good, but he had to cover a house and so I was alone for 2 hours with 4 kids under 6 (2 are 5 year-old likely ADD/ADHD or some special needs twins that don't listen AT ALL!!!! Esp to Spanglish!!!) everything that could make noise (there was a piano, guitar, bongos, and microphone with amp in room) did and everything that could be thrown was! I "read" in Spanish to 5 separate groups of 7 kids each, each group worse and wilder than the next)- talk about a brain buster! My mind was fried! I was with 2 other volunteers for jewelry-making which was a breeze. I had time after that to stare at a blank wall and recharge. I was laying on my bed deciding whether to laugh, cry, play guitar, sleep, call someone from home, etc. I chose guitar bc I was supposed to teach it the next day and hadn't picked it up in a month or so. I randomly opened my book of songs to a song a few of my friends wrote called "Overwhem Me". Thank you, god!! And thank you Adam, Kyle, and Justin for writing it!! I played it over and over and over! My favorite part is "take me broken-all I need today is you". Today was 1,000 times better...the other volunteer was with me in the am for tutoría and I had a discipline plan for all 5 groups using a reward system-any kid will work for dulces ,esp chocolates de los estados unidos!!! (mom and dad, I might need more chocolate!) thanks for the prayers - keep 'em up!!!

Estoy aquí!!

Thank you to all who stormed the heavens and made this a ridiculously
smooth transition! Thanks to my dad and AA (not alcoholics anonymous) for first class (4A!) the whole way and putting me next to good seat mates! Besides being a tad overwhelmed and my brain waves being overstimulated, I am happy,


healthy, and well. I had my first trip to town today for church, the store, the market, and raspadillas, something similar to a snow cone. I understood about 10 words in church so it
made for a LONG 2 hours! I called it "create your own sermon" bc I was just trying to link together the words I knew and make sense of them. The micro bus was interesting to say the least-i barely got one foot on before the thing took off! I now know to move QUICKLY! The kids are adorable and want to hug you all the time! I wish I had more arms! My


room is small but cozy and I tried to make it mine by covering it in pics- I feel like many of you are spending the nights with me! Tomorrow all the summer programs start so it will be a busy jam-packed day. We start with a kick-off morning devotional at 8 then I'm scheduled the rest of the day until 5:30 tutoring, teaching guitar, starting a choir (?!!), teaching jewelry-making (?!!), teaching sand boarding down the sand dunes in the back yard (!!), etc. I'm exhausted already and that's just the English


version! Pics to come!

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