Volunteer Abroad Lima, Peru

Just to recap:

On Sunday morning I went to church. Finally! I have never been to a regular church meeting that lasted this long. It literally was two hours long. The sermon lasted exactly 52 minutes O_O. I barely understood anything so what I did instead was I looked at the birds that flew in and out of the church and I stared at the ceiling fans that looked like they were going to drop from the ceiling. I tried my best to understand, but the pastor spoke too fast and most of the words he said, I had never heard before.

I really enjoyed the energy of the church though. It felt very communal; like a big family. It felt like a loving environment. I knew Jesus’ presence was thriving in this little church. Everyone greeted one another with kisses on the cheeks. I got lost in a swarm of people kissing me. It was overwhelming (just kidding :)). Papa Juan (Lidia’s husband) was literally patrolling the church for people who were falling asleep during church. It was hilarious watching him scan the church. There was one man who did fall asleep. Papa Juan approached this man, gently placed his hand onto the man’s shoulders, and woke him up. I loved how startled and embarrassed the man looked when he woke up. I wanted to crack out laughing but I had to keep it to myself.

Sunday night was when I started to feel miserable. My headache worsened and my stomach started acting up. I didn’t even feel hungry to eat dinner.

The next day, I thought my headache went away, but it got worse and in addition to that my stomach acted up more. I don’t know if I was having an ulcer, but it was so painful that I couldn’t even sleep and I literally cried because of the pain. I also couldn’t stop going to the bathroom. It really scared me and made me super tired and weak. I was really hoping I’d feel better as the week progressed. Lidia has been taking such great care of me and I feel terrible for being such an inconvenience. In all honesty, I tried my best to pretend that I wasn’t sick. I really don’t like to complain, but the pain had become unbearable :/. I literally stayed home all day and slept. I felt so weak and tired. There was no way I could go to Semilleta’s and work with the orphans with special needs. I really missed them. After all, this is my last week and it made me feel sad that I have to get sick this week.

I feel I need a getaway. I really do need one. I feel like racing to the beach in the middle of the night and just lay there underneath the stars while I think and listen to the sound of the waves. It’s really comforting for me to think about the beach since I have no way to get there right now.

And prayer, thank God for prayer and meditation. It really helped me deal with everything. I can honestly say that God has reenergized me and renewed me. And that makes me happy that God is always there for me and never lets me down. :)

Yesterday night, I began to feel so much better! Hallelujah! I went to Tottus and on the way back, the taxi driver almost hit a bicyclist. It was really scary. It was the bicyclist’s fault though. He saw the taxi coming (like literally made eye contact with the driver) but still decided to cross. Whew, close call.

Also, that night, a cute little mouse was discovered in our house! Awww, Juan and his brother tried to catch it but they were too scared. It was hilarious watching how scared they were. I had to man up (LOL!). I wasn’t able to catch it. The poor thing was probably very scared and tried to hide itself well.

Today was an exceptionally beautiful day. It’s warm but breezy. I love it! The volunteers and I went to Pachacutec today. Usually, I work in the Wa Wa Wasis with the babies and toddlers, but today I went with Juan to visit an elderly woman who lived in a shack on the side of the mountain by the beach (wow, lots of prepositions). It was quite difficult (and dangerous) climbing down the steep, rocky mountain to where the old woman lived. It’s amazing that she can walk these mountains daily to get water.

The old woman was such a warm and loving woman. She invited Juan and I to have some fish soup. The soup was amazing. I felt kind of bad eating her food because she’s very poor and she probably has barely enough food to feed herself. We sat and talked a little. I was supposed to take her to the doctor today and get her medication for the pain she’s been experiencing in her body, but she could not leave her house today since no one was home to watch over it.

So what Juan and I did instead was we went to the clinic to ask about the costs and expenses for a medical consultation and some medication. I won’t be able to take the elderly woman to the doctor next week since I will be leaving this Friday night. I’ve decided to leave some money back to help with the woman’s medical expenses.

In the afternoon, the volunteers and I went to La Punta. I love the girls there so much. Each and every one of them has such unique personalities. I love being in their company. Although, I may be really tired from work in the morning, I still enjoy the La Punta girls’ energies. Today, we did some English lessons and then we danced. It was nice. These girls have truly taken me to a whole new level of happiness. I love them a lot.

In the evening, I was able to see Allie and Katie again! :D I love them! And I miss them so much. They came back from Cusco to visit just a little before they headed home. It was so nice to see them (Katie gave me some medicine for the parasite too :)). I love their energy. They possess warm, positive energies and I love being around them! It’s an amazing feeling to be close to such wonderful spirits :).

On another note, I sense myself growing spiritually. I know it. I can feel it. And I love it. I’m really fortunate to have some people in my life to help me overcome challenges in life and help me to grow as a person. I definitely do love challenges. After all, challenges are what helps people grow and mature.

A personal thank you to my very special friend: Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me. I’m definitely growing in spirituality because of you. I can’t wait to go home and give you a great, big hug! :)

Goodnight friends! :)