Today was another long and tiring
day. I am so exhausted but always happy, of course :). The volunteers and I
worked at an orphanage called Semilleta (hope I spelled that right) which is an
orphanage strictly for children with special needs. It was the most amazing
experience. I’ve always loved working with children with special needs. I feel
empowered and content through working with these children. They inspire me on a
level that I never knew existed.
When the volunteers and I got to
the orphanage, one of the little toddlers, Maria, ran to me and wanted me to
pick her up. I picked her up and she laid in my arms. She also tried to bite or
lick my arm. Maria would repeatedly put her hand on the inside of my arm. It
was cute.
The new volunteers and I got a
little tour of the orphanage before we began work. I wanted to take pictures of
the place, but since it was government funded, with rules and regulations,
photography was forbidden. This orphanage is probably one of the most advanced
orphanages in all of Peru and it is especially designed for orphans with
special needs. I cried when I was holding a little blind baby named Salvador.
He had the most precious face ever. He will be one year old this coming
February 14 (Valentine’s!), but he looks as though he is just 6 months old. His
head was swelling due to an excessive amount of water in his brain. He was just
precious. Lying near him was Fernando who is also blind (he looks just like my friend's daughter :)). Fernando became the baby
that I fed during lunchtime. The next place we visited was for the older
orphans. There was a gym, a place to do physical therapy, the stimulation room,
and a large gathering area. One of the older boys, after finishing his lunch,
asked me to push him on his wheelchair to go to the pool. We talked on the way
and when I got back, the new volunteers and Juan (our “guide”) were already off
to a new area. I caught up with everyone and we all visited the children with
moderate to severe special needs. I taught the volunteers and the children in
this area a new song (Baby Bumble Bee, thank you Jumpstart!).
Before lunchtime started, I
played with the babies and we sang songs. Feeding Fernando was a messy but great
experience. Fernando ate very well, but there wasn’t any baby spoons left so I
had to feed him with a huge spoon which proved to be quite messy. When
finished, the poor guy had baby food all over his face. How do I know that it’s
the spoon’s fault and not my fault for Fernando’s food-covered-face you ask?
Well, I have fed babies before and am quite good at it so there!
When the babies were done with
their lunches, the volunteers and I headed over to help feed the older orphans.
I fed a little boy who gobbled up everything and did not know when to stop. He
almost threw up because he was so full but kept insisting on “mas” (“more”
food).
One little boy in a wheelchair
asked Doug (one of the other volunteers) and I to play with him. Doug pushed
the wheelchair while the little boy held onto my hand. Then, we ran altogether
back and forth from one side of the institution to the next. It was fun and the
little boy’s laugh made me feel like flying.
Right now, I’m back at the home
stay. All alone (sometimes, it’s nice to be alone). The other volunteers left
to Mira Flores to go paragliding. I wanted to paraglide too, but I am so tired.
Plus, I wanted to save some money for this weekend since the volunteers and I
will be going to Huacachina. Other than volunteer work today, I was able to get
some laundry done (Peruvian style). They do have washing machines over here
(thank God). They just don’t have dryers. Everything is air dried. It literally
took me 30 minutes to hang up 4 days worth of clothes to air dry; that includes
socks and everything else (-____-).
Speaking of air, the air here in San Miguel is not so great. It is heavily
polluted and the only time I feel like I can actually breathe is when I am in
Pachacutec. Then again, I really like San Miguel. We’re close to all the
orphanages so we can take the bus (for 1 sol) to work and back home. The buses
here are awesome! It’s like you’re on a roller coaster with a greater chance of dying from a heart attack.
I should probably mention that,
lately, there’s been someone watching the house. Lidia has called the police and all
the volunteers are told to be careful. We were also told that we are safe and
that the people watching the house mean us no harm. They just want to rob us.
Yes, those were Lidia’s exact words (-__-).
On another note, I am going to
try and blog every single day about what’s been going on. If I don’t blog for
about a week, start worrying.
Lidia just came up to talk to me
earlier. I feel kind of special that people easily open up to me. I honestly really
like it. Some drama has been happening and I was glad to be there for her. Something
just felt terribly wrong earlier. She looked so stressed out but I’m happy I helped
make her feel “alive.” Yes, kiss my brain! :)
Other than that, I'm hungry. Today,
dinner will not be prepared since everyone went out to have dinner and I
changed my mind at the last minute to stay home. Was pretty much hungry (had
some crackers) until Soledad fed me. Sweet! She’s really an amazing cook.
Usually she makes these awesome Peruvian dishes, but tonight I had some chicken
nuggets, fries, rice, and veggies. She also threw in some dessert for me! Whoo
hoo! Now, here I am. It’s 7:30PM right now. I have nothing to do except wait
for my laundry to finish air drying (-___-).
Oh yes, about my Spanish skills... they suck! But hey, I use my arms and legs to get the point across and Peruvians understand. Actually, I'm not that bad. Supposedly, according to Joel, one of the staff members here in Peru, my pronunciation is good and I look like Mulan with my hair in a bun. :)
Ciao amigos! Te quiero mucho! <3
[UPDATE]
Okay, I was starting to feel pretty lonely without the other volunteers. When they finally got home and I heard their voices, I peeked out my window and excitedly shouted "hello" to them. I missed them. I love the other volunteers. We've become like a big family.
When everyone got inside, we all sang "Happy Birthday" to Abu. Today is her birthday. I believe she is 80 years old. Wonderful isn't it? In Peru, when it is someone's birthday, everyone sings "Happy Birthday" and then offers a praise, comment, or bible verse to the birthday boy/girl. It felt very nice and communal. Abu made a personalized comment to each of the volunteers. She said that with this particular group of volunteers, it feels like she is hosting angels. She also said that me and Lan (a volunteer that arrived sometime over the weekend) are very tranquil, mellow people.
A side note about my laundry: Well, it started to rain and my clothes got semi-wet. I got a little upset because it was taking forever to dry. Oh well, have to work with I have and appreciate it. My barely washed clothes smell super gross but who cares. I know the orphans won't care. All they care about is whether or not I will hold them in my arms, feed them, sing to them, and show them the utmost affection that anyone can possibly give them. I love them.
Some thoughts: I strongly believe that most Peruvians are very loving people. Although the driving here is crazy, none of the volunteers and I have witnessed any accidents. People actually yield to another. I'm also glad that I am being taken care of so well here. I would love to stay here longer but I know I have so many things to take care of, goals to accomplish, dreams to make come true, and people to love back in California. I would love to travel more and love more people around the world. I'm hoping that if I can save enough money, maybe I will go volunteer in another country this summer. Maybe.
I feel like I am going to explode with love. Is it possible to even feel the way that I feel? How can I continue to love so much when someone that I used to love hurt me so much? How is it that I have so much hope in love? Maybe it's because love has been the age-old remedy for pain and sorrow. It has been the only thing that has given humanity proper healing. Love hopes, enables, and heals.
Love not only creates miracles, it is a miracle. I mean, look at babies. One cell, then an embryo, then a fetus; all from an act of love (for the most part). It's just sad that some people can treat these little miracles with such cruelty. There's hope though. There really is. God made you and he made me. We can do something. The choice is yours. God gave us choices. We can choose to care or we can choose to live in our little selfish bubble.
And supposedly, other countries view Americans as very selfish, stuck-up, and ignorant. For the most part, it's true. America, when will you wake up and realize that there's more to life than nice cars and nice homes? Yes, it may be comfortable, but nice cars and nice homes won't fill the emptiness in your heart. Only love can make your life fulfilling. Love can come in the form of Jesus Christ, Allah, etc. Who am I to tell you that your definition of love is less significant than mine? You know it's love when you feel it in your core being. I won't ever judge anyone nor will I tell someone that their version of love is irrelevant or unimportant. I love everyone. I really do. I just really hope that everyone will love one another and continue to grow in love.
I am totally going off on a tangent here. So sorry. I just keep thinking about the orphans and reflecting. It's like I know how to love people, but to find someone special just for me and who knows how to love me is near impossible. Maybe I just haven't met the right person or maybe I have and am too scared to let that person love me. Eh, only time will tell. So for now, it's bed time. I will let go and let God.
Ciao amigos! Lo siento porque estoy escribiendo mucho (sorry for writing too much)! I love you! :)
