hello all, again i have been neglectful of the blog, but to be honest i think everyone is neglectful of their blog. unless they are not... in which case that may be a bit sad that they spent all their time inside writing their blog instead of leaving the confines of the hosue and doing things worth writing about. to be honest there hasn't really been anything to report. i have spent the last 5 weeks back in Mendoza after an amazing time in Chile. I have been working most of the time which has been really fulfilling. I have pretty much given up on the Eva Peron school which has been nothing but a disaster since day 1 and have instead been working in AVOME. this is what i have been referring to as the 'orphanage' but it is in fact more like a nursery where a large section of the children come from a government sponsored care home for children who have been removed from their families. some are orphans, a lot are the victims of abuse and one boy was found all alone wandering the streets of Mendoza and they have no idea of his age or if he even has a family.

the work is tiring and sometimes quite hard as it can be quite upsetting but in general i have been absolutely loving it. i have been working in a class of 2 year olds and i find it so rewarding! it's a very hands-on job and we are always picking the kids up and hugging them etc. it's a bit of a novelty not being told off and stared at like a pervert for comforting a crying child. i have a few favourites; Nahuel who always has a snotty nose, he likes to throw things at my nose and sit on my face and hit me with things. Sergio; often has bloody bogeys (some of which have been found in his mouth) but he is so cute and always wants hugs. Jamil; is one year old and the naughtiest boy i have ever come across, a few days ago i found myself inside a barrel with a sheet over my face and Jamil jumping on me, i was unable to move. and the Gaspard, also one year old and so unbearably sweet, i get jealous when his mum comes to take him home! today i encountered a new boy, i dont know his name or age but he has the peculiar habit of breaking into sobs whenever he sees me. it sort of starts with him staring at me, then weird grunts, these grunts lead to dribbling snot which in turn leads to gentle crying. this gentle crying quickly becomes uncontrollable screaming in which his whole body begins to shake. (meanwhile he is staring at me the whole time) it's quite hard not to get offended when your make-up free appearance inspires such a reaction! ahaha.

But en serio, work has been fantastic, my spanish hasn't improved as much as i thought it would from this work, the only things i ever seem to say are; 'get down Sergio' 'Roman stop biting me' 'Jamil stop hitting the others' 'I think Juli just did a wee on the floor' 'thank you so much for giving me your soggy, chewed corn flakes, but i think i'll pass' and in real shock; 'did she just stick her middle finger up at me'.

This is actually my final week in Mendoza, Hermione and I are (hopefully) leaving on monday for our big adventure. I say hopefully because it's all a little up in the air and we are hanging round til we receive some money which very proabably will not come for a while. anyway, i bought some rosary beads as an ornamental necklace yesterday so maybe we will have some luck. our first stop is Salta in the north of Argentina and from there we will cross to the desert in Chile and then go up Peru, hopefully stopping off to help out in an orphanage along the way, then cross and come down Bolivia and then (if time and money allow) go via Iguazu Falls to Buenos Aires. I am super duper excited! if any relatives are reading this, please try not to worry, i will do my best to try and avoid kidnap and mugging. if you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, please just email me. In all seriousness, i know some of you will worry but i dont think i will ever be too far from a computer. On that note, i will probably be doing more frequent blog entries while i am away, so if any of you actually do ever read my blog (how does one know?) check it more regularly because i will actually be doing things!

Finally i guess i should just thank Mendoza, i have had a wicked time here and will miss it a lot. i have met some amazing people and the past few weeks especially have been so much fun! The group I came out with have all turned out to be really good friends and i am very sad that our mendoza experience is all coming to an end. To anyone who reads this who i have met and liked out here, i like you. BAM! ya'll know who you are.

love

x