Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Day 1
I can't tell you what an amazing experience this has been so far. I'm a day behind, due to technical difficulties and a VERY long day and late night!
Day 1 started with a stop at the the District of San Juan de Lurigancho district offices. We were met by the alcalde (mayor) and it was this big production. I'm told that they have never done this before and it is a wonderful thing as the government previously seemed to wash their hands of these poverty stricken community. The local news was there and filmed us, so I think we were on the news Wednesday evening! Each team member received a special pin from the mayor and we got a tour of their district offices. They also served us yummy empanadas and cookies and Inca soda, which is a local favorite and I think tastes like bubblegum!
We continued on to the work site in the Santa Rosita community. My heart just broke when I saw the conditions, but exploded with joy and love for these people! The ninos especially!! We immediately set to work forming an assembly line to pass the sand in bags up the mountain to where the first home will be built. Most of the children were in school, but their mammas helped. Even the ones with little bebes...they would wrap up their baby in a blanket and tie them to their back! I tried to take some pictures to give an idea of the steepness of these "hills".
I have to laugh at what the team members call "Peruvian time". We all stopped for lunch which I expected to be about an hour or less. But after lunch the American kids went to play soccer. As they were playing, several children, who were coming home from school, joined them. It was fun to watch the Peruvian kids playing with the American kids! Games are definitely borderless!
Molly has several chicas that follow her around. She has taught them games and songs and she has fallen in love with all of them! They call her "Mahlee".
Josh has been working extremely hard! There are seven "boys" (ages 15 - 20ish) and they all get along so well! They work hard and have fun with the kids and adults alike!
While I was watching the kids play, I pulled out my camera to take some pictures and suddenly I was surrounded by ninos wanting their picture taken and wanting to take pictures! Some of the picture I'm posting were not taken by me!
So yesterday was a very long, but fun day! I have to say, though, that I was cranky and frustrated by day's end. Everything just kind of piled up on me! First, the bus ride from the work site to the hotel is about an hour. But because we got a late start (due to the visit with Alcalde Burgos), we had to stay later to get the work done. This put us in the middle of rush hour...ugh. Then we had to stop at the grocery store to shop supplies and lunch items (we bring our lunches to the work site), and we only had 30 minutes to shop. Now I don't know about you, but it takes me 30 minutes just to figure out my list. Add to that the fact that I didn't know where a thing was AND everything is in Spanish...do you know how many varieties of Jamon (ham) there are?? When we got back to the hotel, we had 30 minutes to clean up (we were FILTHY!!) before dinner. That's 30 minutes for ALL THREE of us!! One shower...one hair dryer! After dinner (which was delicious, by the way) we returned to our rooms...exhausted!! Only to find that I could not get wi-fi in my room! I was missing David, I was missing Maggie and Jack and had no way to communicate! So you can imagine my crankiness!! But as I laid down in my bed, I started to pray (and cry!) and I felt God give me a bit of a slap upside the back of the head. I heard Him say, "Your discomfort is NOTHING! Remember why you are here and remember the people you are here to serve! What discomfort would I suffer for you?" Yeah, I'm such a baby. But I'm listening, Lord. Give me your eyes so I can see.
Love, Paola
P.S. Check out the photos from Day 1 in my photo albums!
- comments
Connie I know that you guys will be blessed immeasurably by this experience! Kudos to you and the kids for taking it on! I know when we lived in Portugal it used to blow me away at how many Portuguese kids ended up in our yard playing soccer, hide and go seek, and other games with Bethanney. They didn't speak a word of English, or she a word of Portuguese, but they made it work. I wish we grown-ups could take a lesson from their book.
Maria Bates OH...this sounds like so much fun and the Inca cola sure does taste like bubble gum! You guys are awesome and I love the pics!
Francesca Wonderful experience for all of you. Is your italian helping with the Spanish?