tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83086941957671594872023-11-16T06:06:29.231-08:00Moffy in Peruu.Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-24648617618004083892012-05-10T07:05:00.001-07:002012-05-10T07:06:23.545-07:00A bad weekend and some things I will dearly miss<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last weekend was really hard for us all because of something that happened with one of the members of staff. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Around March time we had a meeting with Hugo (all the vols) to discuss some of the things we had concerns about and wanted to help with. The three main points were starting up some kind of English lessons or taller, issues with the education here and boys always copying and the emphasis not being on actual understanding of whats being taught, but mostly presentation, and abuse towards the kids - mainly concerning one member of staff. We just wanted to discuss with him what to do if we saw any kind of abuse, what his stance was on what is unacceptable, talk about how to prevent it, and to let him know he needed to pay more attention to it in the pabellons because there are unacceptable things going on with some of the staff. We decided not to name names because we didn't know what he knew and didn't want to get anyone fired on the spot, and asked him to bring it up in the next tutors meeting, which he did. During orientation there was some great information about how to discipline kids without violence, and we suggested that if he could, to provide the staff with more of that. Most of them come here with no training, so we were thinking give some information to work with, then see who continues mistreating the kids.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But then last week it went too far in Sonrisa when one of the hermanas shoved shit in a boys face for pooing his pants. Then in the face of four others because they'd done badly in their exams. Rosanna ended up leaving work in tears and we all got together to speak to Hugo and told him what happened. He asked for a list in writing of what things she had done in the past - washing the kids' mouths out with soap for talking too much, banging heads together, dragging kids around by their cheeks or ears, hitting and kicking the boys, smearing shit in their faces are just some of them - and said he'd speak to her in the next couple of days. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rosanna went to check what he was going to do the next day, and there was talk of her staying on in Sonrisa or maybe moving up to San Antonio. At this point we were all so frustrated and sad for the boys. Almost all of them come here from an abusive family seeking somewhere safe and this is the treatment they recieve. These boys that we love and work for were being treated like this and we were all just spitting. If Hugo allowed this hermana to continue working, then he was saying it's okay to treat our children like this. I don't fucking think so. Laura went to have a word with the Hermana Mayor in San Antonio to warn her why that hermana might be swapped into San Antonio and she refused. She's been here for around 15 years now and I reckon Hugo's a little bit intimidated to her, but I think that was the final answer he needed. Luckily on Monday she was told to pack her bags and a replacement was sent into Sonrisa. We're just hoping this woman will be better with the kids, and not resort to violence.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apart from this</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">,</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> things have been pretty normal, boring and nice. It's hard to describe to people back home what it's like here, but have definately realised we haven't got much time left :( and I started thinking about some of the things I'm going to miss. Maybe this will give you an idea of some of the small things that put a smile on my face:</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Being able to buy chifles for 50 centimos when I want a snack</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- My little bed/den</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Peruvian style palo cleaning</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Trying not to laugh when all the peque</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ñitos</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> are asleep in church</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Then resorting to holding the their nose when they really don't want to wake up</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Anderson, my biggest fan here (Aged 5) saying 'Good night beautiful sister Hannah' just about every night before bed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Abram's laugh</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Jhover's smile</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Sitting in the roperia folding and listening to reggaeton on Okey radio - 91.9FM</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- It being acceptable for me not to shave for six weeks</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Voldemort hiding on the back of every pack of cigs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Living with Evie, Harriet and Rosanna, Americans downstairs and Christoff round the corner</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Bright and colourful peruvian patterns</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Cusque</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">ña</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"></span>- Daily sunshine</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Speaking and learning spanish</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Seeing my boys' faces and how excited they are about just being</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- The sound of laughing and screaming</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Constantly eating carbs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Elisa and Doris' alternative dancing in Alabanza</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Seeing my boys jump up and start dancing when a song they know comes on the radio</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Cremoladas</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Pollo a la braza</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Cheap, tasty, tropical fruit from the market</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Nothing ever having a fixed price and always trying to get a good deal</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Moto taxis</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Being able to go on a weekend trip to somewhere amazing for so cheap</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Discotecas that are open till dawn</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Sitting outside and watching the boys play</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- The look on one of my boys' face when they've learned something new</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Arturo trilling Que Riccoooo at everything</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Chats in the tutoria with Anita and Elisa when all the boys are in bed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Tiny people hugging my legs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Boys running up to me with arms open for their hug and kiss before bed</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- DVD lady and DVDs costing 60p</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- The feeling that anything is possible when you're on a bus somewhere you've never been before</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Chatting away to other travellers</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Winkyface from San Antonio turning round in Church</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Paseos to see the chickens, horses and pigs at the farm</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Giggling when Father Sergio gets in a kerfuffle about us running through the prayer and having to do it again</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Sebastian's timid sweet smile</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- When I'm feeling down and one of my boys comes up to me and says 'te queiro mucho hermana' out of nowhere</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Feeling so proud when my boys read a passage at the front of church or dance in front of an audience</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- The excitement when you recieve a parcel</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- Everything being little - little chairs, little toilets, little clothes, little socks to put on little feet</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I could go on and on - the list is endless. In short, I'm really loving work at the moment. I do not want to leave. Don't even want to think about saying goodbye!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We've also been trying to take advantage of the culture, especially seen as we live in a capital city, and went to see a ballet/modern dance, a museum about the Shining Path terrorism that Peru suffered and a memorial that's been put up to honour the lives that were lost. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This week has been a short one because of extended salida so we're going to Huanchaco tonight! Can not wait!</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Adios amigos, </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moffy xxx</span><br />
<br />Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-42104550035068311142012-04-11T05:58:00.001-07:002012-04-11T06:15:17.061-07:00PASCUA<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">With everyone here being very Catholic Pascua was a big holiday here. Bigger even than Christmas! It started on the 1st April with Domingo de las Palmas, where they celebrate the day Jesus first arrived as a mesiah into Jerusalén and was welcomed with the public waving palm leaves in his honour. We got everyone together by the main entrance to Ciudad to wave their palm leaves at the preists and walked down the street and into the Church. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">I was brought up Agostic and knew almost nothing about Pascua so it´s been really interesting to learn all about it. There´s something different to learning at the same time as taking part of it instead of just reading about it or something. Especially because the people I´m able to ask questions to are Catholic themselves and this holiday is very important to them. Jackie, the secretary at Ciudad, called us into the office and gave us us some information about Pascua and what it´s all about, which I thought was quite sweet. She also said the boys would be asking questions and we needed to be able to answer them, and they did…we had a lot of ´Hermana did Jesus really die like this´. We did our homework as well and watched the Passion of the Christ and read some of the passages in the bible about his prosecution and ressurection!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">On Jueves Santo we had our first Misa de Pascua, which was three hours long! Hugo explained a lot about the last supper, how Jesus went to pray in the Olive garden, was betrayed by Judas and taken away by the guards. Definately too much kneeling though!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">Then on Viernes Santo we had two hours of readings from the bible and prayer in the church. I had to go up to the front and read one of the passages from the bible! It was infront of roughly 350 people, behind a pew, in Spanish and everything, I was very nervous. This was the day that Jesus died, so we were told to wear dark colors in mourning and there was a more serious atmosphere. Ciudad also attempted, and failed, to keep the boys in silence for the whole day and at lunch though we all had a tiny amount of food. Then after church, they reinacted Vía Cruz y el doce estaciones de la cruz. San Francisco did the acting, and each pabellón was in charge of making an altar and preparing a prayer, and we all walked round Ciudad stopping at the altars to act out each station. Me, Evie and Amy were asked to play the lloraras crying of Jesus´ dead body!</span></div><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpKwHzjQbvDGh6_iXiSXRtM_t0P3qjoixf3KUmRASDxZUPaJLUpWt3pJPbVQCmk2C4vkffakGVO1Oll1mj257p7MWZ22kY7yJ6vWVKPY1euJGR_UmCh8BxVvHa_W-9xHG4kJ4bxOWtDE/s1600/P1020222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNpKwHzjQbvDGh6_iXiSXRtM_t0P3qjoixf3KUmRASDxZUPaJLUpWt3pJPbVQCmk2C4vkffakGVO1Oll1mj257p7MWZ22kY7yJ6vWVKPY1euJGR_UmCh8BxVvHa_W-9xHG4kJ4bxOWtDE/s320/P1020222.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Francisco boys acting out the stations of the cross</td></tr>
</tbody></table> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-xTVBW4fyqVuI9YlOxJZ4pciI2zNeqkOH0ADG6zWxnolSV78_EhGdeZ_DWF34TX-yw6GrXITpBpIiAKe2dJiQCoOciFlHi9j1U5ux2KJqqMWT6nbMK0L1kas_c3wmewGfFeM0u58Nq4/s1600/P1020235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1-xTVBW4fyqVuI9YlOxJZ4pciI2zNeqkOH0ADG6zWxnolSV78_EhGdeZ_DWF34TX-yw6GrXITpBpIiAKe2dJiQCoOciFlHi9j1U5ux2KJqqMWT6nbMK0L1kas_c3wmewGfFeM0u58Nq4/s320/P1020235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Saturday was another three hour long sesh at church. It started with everyone gathered outside around a bonfire and we gave each one of the boys a candle. Then we walked together into the church with our candles and singing. It was supposed to represent the upcoming ressurection of Christ and the return of light – hope, happiness and joy – spreading through the darkness. None of our boys sent the church up in flames either so that was a result! All us volunteers went up to the front with the offerings as well – wáter, candles, grapes, bread etc. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXdNCW7sQaw9kshyphenhyphenpBdqxhffesrPt9HMSyspp-8vmhE7t-J6p6a4kZxmbTkm_951jiEkSNfnXyjE6nWNLNbkh31I5AXpWwFekQksXlM1jidZ01vkRNRAT-Ypj2ItA_km2T5lsFE76NbA/s1600/P1020274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheXdNCW7sQaw9kshyphenhyphenpBdqxhffesrPt9HMSyspp-8vmhE7t-J6p6a4kZxmbTkm_951jiEkSNfnXyjE6nWNLNbkh31I5AXpWwFekQksXlM1jidZ01vkRNRAT-Ypj2ItA_km2T5lsFE76NbA/s320/P1020274.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh049BZS-uT9qOwsm-rEAMd5WClSD36C3MBXpZNcBHZHbNrCJTJdxwvnCE4qhby0IJZIdGJDwV80_PUEO0CtcstMnrF-XLvvYWAXKWsV_Pn_De0AKGPNXyw0pESAB-urLeQ2zEXC9LCIc/s1600/P1020278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh049BZS-uT9qOwsm-rEAMd5WClSD36C3MBXpZNcBHZHbNrCJTJdxwvnCE4qhby0IJZIdGJDwV80_PUEO0CtcstMnrF-XLvvYWAXKWsV_Pn_De0AKGPNXyw0pESAB-urLeQ2zEXC9LCIc/s320/P1020278.JPG" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">Sunday was the final celebration, and started with mass at 6am! It was a much happier day with people walking round and wishing ´felices pascuas´ and the cooks prepared a special breakfast. We had caldo de gallina with boiled egg, a chicken leg, bread and coffee. Then after we handed out little easter eggs to the boys, and took a picture of them all while they were still in the church best!</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-juF1X5qgp4OZQEqRM9Y6SfWWLdQKQhyphenhyphen1MJM7RMm2f29t_ablzF6rX2f9tHbuSU8fUDH_e-MbuoPumrOfCqMxqOTvN_mm2B5GFkafm1gXDcg8LWL70AppoMs0bU1B8N4dTU0fbqbEqE/s1600/P1020301.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-juF1X5qgp4OZQEqRM9Y6SfWWLdQKQhyphenhyphen1MJM7RMm2f29t_ablzF6rX2f9tHbuSU8fUDH_e-MbuoPumrOfCqMxqOTvN_mm2B5GFkafm1gXDcg8LWL70AppoMs0bU1B8N4dTU0fbqbEqE/s320/P1020301.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">It was definately a bit different to how we´d normally ´celebrate´ Easter – in our house it´s just an extra day off work/school and eating an easter egg – but it´s an experience I won´t forget! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">Felices Pascuas, </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="mso-ansi-language: ES;">Moffy xxx</span></div>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-79474046779367617372012-03-29T10:29:00.002-07:002012-04-19T10:39:14.543-07:00Travelling with Momma!There's something special about the change that happens in your relationships with your parents when you make the transition into being an adult. I feel lucky to have be able to have that with my Mum. We had an amazing time and saw some beautiful places in a beautiful country, but the best part of the trip for me was just chattin away, which we did plenty of! It was fun to show her around this country that I have grown to love and call home, and for her to meet my boys - who I'm pretty sure she wanted to take home with her. Also as much as I love my work, it was good to get out of my normal routine and do something completely different!<br />
<br />
We started off in Barranco Lima and went for lunch with the other PT girls, which was really lovely. Managed to find a restaurant with a pretty little terrace, views of the sea and epic maracuya sours. We had a little wander around Barranco, and by the time we left to get on the night bus to Barranco she´d ticked cerviche and anticuchos off the list of typical Peruvian foods to eat. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXfuFRX-qjC_rWsT3MVPIwb4Aht4IXzmRoZH8uOKI1PiYEAlUFheNig5T3ZdsG4dZsjc5B5pqAWqGghxubKFhfC_YmfWsASlAqIHP7Qmpacz-xXvKv4f8S5i8z8hpu1UKc5OPdx0vTSg/s1600/Hannahs+pics+701.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOXfuFRX-qjC_rWsT3MVPIwb4Aht4IXzmRoZH8uOKI1PiYEAlUFheNig5T3ZdsG4dZsjc5B5pqAWqGghxubKFhfC_YmfWsASlAqIHP7Qmpacz-xXvKv4f8S5i8z8hpu1UKc5OPdx0vTSg/s320/Hannahs+pics+701.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Restaurant in Barranco</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Bus was luxurious bed cama with all films and food and the like so I was happy as larry. Got off the bus though and we´d been wandering round the bus station for a good 15 minutes before I realised my bleach stained work trousers had ripped all along my arse from curling up on the seat haha. Anyway, we got a hotel, had a wander round Arequipa city centre and booked ourselves a two day Colca Canyon tour! Tour was amazing, all the landscapes around Arequipa are so beautiful and of course the deepest canyon in the world was pretty cool as well. To top it off we saw condors at the mirador! Someone can tell you they´re the second biggest bird in the world, but that can´t prepare you for just how fucking HUGE they are. Managed to meet up with Lauren as well, so surreal to meet up with her in Peru still, but awesome. And we went round the Monastaria Santa Catalina which is this convent that used to have around 200 ´hedonistic nuns´ and we were lead round by a madwoman by candle light. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryFprYnGRkMCmsyxbzvlB7Z3ur9tTxRuRUYFnDT1GMgyKbeo1WvfvLlySY8lxl8A7pHoLXF7MeQ7rmNlY9yPb5jHVcsBH3Kj_H6Phi_PvaImaIlAkZIT-4YaWqT2vxw9fC_8Wl0XaN4Y/s1600/Hannahs+pics+731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgryFprYnGRkMCmsyxbzvlB7Z3ur9tTxRuRUYFnDT1GMgyKbeo1WvfvLlySY8lxl8A7pHoLXF7MeQ7rmNlY9yPb5jHVcsBH3Kj_H6Phi_PvaImaIlAkZIT-4YaWqT2vxw9fC_8Wl0XaN4Y/s320/Hannahs+pics+731.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In Monastaria Santa Catalina - mad woman insisted on taking a picture </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCACtJsUKceXnmfdSGp_EBDVooc7X9ZNS0bk15yR_D5o9CHibJNsemW_NCuq0sJs9M2ILv36pkhwzFjnnDNq3Dhv3MmlI2Xzgbq0X-fJLFPIgO_E1C2wDYBbr-72EAJUclMjlf8ClfOc/s1600/Hannahs+pics+735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCACtJsUKceXnmfdSGp_EBDVooc7X9ZNS0bk15yR_D5o9CHibJNsemW_NCuq0sJs9M2ILv36pkhwzFjnnDNq3Dhv3MmlI2Xzgbq0X-fJLFPIgO_E1C2wDYBbr-72EAJUclMjlf8ClfOc/s320/Hannahs+pics+735.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Colca Canyon Tour</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Next on the list was Cuzco. We didn´t have much time in the city because we had our trek booked, but enough to get a feel for it. Definately want to go back! We did the Santa Theresa trek up to Machu Pichu which was 5 D/4 N and we were almost in a private group. March is the end of rainy season, but parts were still closed off because of landslides and it´s a less popular time to go. So it was just us and another couple, and they only joined up that day! Also because it was still so rainy we were told to buy ponchos because even gortex waterproofs don´t always work. There was lots of rain and lots of mud, which was nice seen as I live in a dessert! We did a fair few river crossings and hopping over landslides that were blocking the path. One of them was still sliding and big rocks were falling off the edge into the river below so we had to wait an hourish to cross. Loved the excitement. I think the trek was the right amount of a challenge for me and Mum as well although the other couple we were with were really fit and the pace pushed us to the limit at times. Especially because there were so many steep parts - uphill and downhill! On the last day we were at the front with the head chef who was also trained as a guide and he would just leg it round the mountains/jungley hills at high speed in sandles made of old tires and not blink. We were fed up of steep downhill and wanted it over so we pretty much raced/hobbled/slid down the last stretch for a couple hours - hillarious. Then after the trek we had a night in Aguas Calientes and I kid you not I have never been so thankful for a hot shower. Amazing. <br />
<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehFwUiUItEUByPc-IEa3W3MvDtdk5PkiUNpHsNxI7ERGgjtCw6ApQ0plHZXuyaUavbMrpWZ6adQfxTF5IAzu_EU3rQZ1dYWelpyvtflg7PeQ_Mvp7EnnpVTxDPtfSMMozBMzzmZOkwgQ/s1600/Hannahs+pics+720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiehFwUiUItEUByPc-IEa3W3MvDtdk5PkiUNpHsNxI7ERGgjtCw6ApQ0plHZXuyaUavbMrpWZ6adQfxTF5IAzu_EU3rQZ1dYWelpyvtflg7PeQ_Mvp7EnnpVTxDPtfSMMozBMzzmZOkwgQ/s320/Hannahs+pics+720.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First breakfast on the trek</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_skbqxK9CrICfskNczc0r6UXdy6GJv_S4SiAEFJT2dlfhlnBTRRy9Um1vF3SG6jhsx0ue9QbMxqWfpXYcm4QXN9nhdP_Du20PR4uNPQbPhwRQ3SGfAG16cIzdgIN_x8dUMqs2EFc_kU/s1600/Hannahs+pics+903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM_skbqxK9CrICfskNczc0r6UXdy6GJv_S4SiAEFJT2dlfhlnBTRRy9Um1vF3SG6jhsx0ue9QbMxqWfpXYcm4QXN9nhdP_Du20PR4uNPQbPhwRQ3SGfAG16cIzdgIN_x8dUMqs2EFc_kU/s320/Hannahs+pics+903.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the trek</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXvgT8P_KUlMrXoqmsXF6HhrJT0GGC258Y3kKjYmJKkClr6I9yPNFF6WOnQnrEWxgl9k3CaaDDclW3EggfE9jIP4Is8-_hRbSBV7zXPX33YdR1Ylx3Tj456mTJlAa3G0bon6gmYKSRE8/s1600/Hannahs+pics+887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXvgT8P_KUlMrXoqmsXF6HhrJT0GGC258Y3kKjYmJKkClr6I9yPNFF6WOnQnrEWxgl9k3CaaDDclW3EggfE9jIP4Is8-_hRbSBV7zXPX33YdR1Ylx3Tj456mTJlAa3G0bon6gmYKSRE8/s320/Hannahs+pics+887.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mum lookin fly in her poncho</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Then the next morning we went to Machu Pichu! I went before when I did World Challenge, but this time was somehow very different. When we arrived there was this heavy fog that hid it all from sight, but slowly lifted as the day went on and it got really sunny. The guide we had for the trek also gave us a guided tour of Machu Pichu. He was very honest and said that no one really knows exactly why Machu Pichu was built, but that there are lots of credible theories backed up with evidence. The theory he believed was most credible was that it was built as a some kind of University - or place of knowledge. The Incas were so successful in their empire because when they took control of an area they also looked at what knowledge and wisdom the people had that could be useful to them. Machu Pichu could have been a place to bring all that knowledge together and for further study. As we were going round you could hear people talking about all kinds of theories. Another popular one was that it was some kind of holiday resort for the king, but we didn´t think much of that one because there was no grand palace. Theories aside, Machu Pichu is a stunning and breath taking place to see. A small hidden city built on the top of a jungley mountain. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v1jRZ6LiQKwboja-51EMG3pOrwrMqYdhLohznWV-pXuDvG7cPHhsm4ilGqtanXEEmTeTlfLIoZS85UQhymiIjusKrfECt1ZH3Cc5XsvTRld2b91ay80ro1-P7zeTiSkSZHUTE3_ntD4/s1600/Hannahs+pics+988.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4v1jRZ6LiQKwboja-51EMG3pOrwrMqYdhLohznWV-pXuDvG7cPHhsm4ilGqtanXEEmTeTlfLIoZS85UQhymiIjusKrfECt1ZH3Cc5XsvTRld2b91ay80ro1-P7zeTiSkSZHUTE3_ntD4/s320/Hannahs+pics+988.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We made our way back to Lima on a Sunday and Mum came to see Ciudad. She had the chance to meet my boys and Anita and Elisa then came to Mass and dinner. It was strange to have her enter my world here, but amazing at the same time. Then we spent our last day in Central Lima, went to Monastario San Francisco and just had a look around. <br />
<br />
Project Trust spoke a lot about homesickness and it maybe being worse when you see your parents, but it was nothing like that for me. We had a great holiday and I left in a great mood because of it! I think that´s just something that´s very different for everyone. <br />
<br />
Mucho Amor, <br />
Moffy xxx<br />
<br />
P.S. hope you enjoyed that one Grandad!Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-83818700219036206972012-03-05T07:03:00.000-08:002012-04-11T07:08:34.124-07:00Madness and new facesOnce the boys got back, we had three weeks where they were off school to get them used to Ciudad, the routines, way of life here etc. Days started at half six and ended around eight at night with a half an hour break for a shower. I can honestly tell you me and Evie went crazy. Our brains stopped functioning properly and we went delirious. We literally sat around dreaming of the days when the boys would go to school and we´d only have to work a ten hour day. On the bright side, because the boys didn´t have school, we had more time for sillyness with them which is always nice! <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfsfmTzAi9CfqhEDjeghfl6lMts0OK6bPFLAPo-S-h4C60dzKJsz4JbF58sfyqUZO340ils4xt2LYM_GfMtAINwl5aBmopajEW8WjTOLoJB8ZMwhfRVgrgqxzgnGs3hUZ9nowVn19iN8/s1600/blocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfsfmTzAi9CfqhEDjeghfl6lMts0OK6bPFLAPo-S-h4C60dzKJsz4JbF58sfyqUZO340ils4xt2LYM_GfMtAINwl5aBmopajEW8WjTOLoJB8ZMwhfRVgrgqxzgnGs3hUZ9nowVn19iN8/s320/blocks.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
We had a desperdida for Tania which was really nice, but also very sad. She played such a big part in Niño Jesus everyone was sad to see her go! But we got all the boys in their best, bought a piñata, party food and played loud music for the kids to dance to. Dead cute.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74bML21MSGW_MODzksBVxzQO5RfbL6EDhIywLicyJAjK6qjf5N2_OIXRlffsk9f8Stu2DaV61-Pl6xRCPXzDHrOHP6s0Pi_4L9KDQ1K5pTHUxBRzqdXqspzYgssDHuxSC7pcUaclMSg0/s1600/tans+desp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74bML21MSGW_MODzksBVxzQO5RfbL6EDhIywLicyJAjK6qjf5N2_OIXRlffsk9f8Stu2DaV61-Pl6xRCPXzDHrOHP6s0Pi_4L9KDQ1K5pTHUxBRzqdXqspzYgssDHuxSC7pcUaclMSg0/s320/tans+desp.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Boys being off school and it being summer also meant PISCINA TIME. Lots of fun, if a little crazy. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1IL5sFRseD8K4Aim8QC4rt0jBQxTJmdpkZJLOoGQlY-RvBwyG0baIiMMCufmjxjJpcYJADJnQdhyphenhyphenO5lkCCBrFK29JyjDA-YFKjdhZom4j7p2_Dq_xSQoz3u1r5nap7y8sHIq2h2mU64/s1600/piscina+fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC1IL5sFRseD8K4Aim8QC4rt0jBQxTJmdpkZJLOoGQlY-RvBwyG0baIiMMCufmjxjJpcYJADJnQdhyphenhyphenO5lkCCBrFK29JyjDA-YFKjdhZom4j7p2_Dq_xSQoz3u1r5nap7y8sHIq2h2mU64/s320/piscina+fun.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Xc4KnWIsxrcvTWDkTLragMQ5I9O9GId1IQVCtQYjYQOJ80Bqlj0upVENCH_zcMqk0M-XscJBEK-5UBSeoAWfSxfHqDe6ALmos4uJzmX5OgsKVn1s6MWbI8DmcdjqSe1SejqiaY-49Fw/s320/more+piscina.jpg" width="320" /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">Daily naptime also made up for a lot of the crazyness! I think a lot of the time we needed it more than the boys!</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaBCJ335ubuwBO7YT8vSlU2azekVdloxcea0-nS87hWmo4kc-B4Q7gFfQIeb_dPnTXV-QsCp6roHiTsBUMvPF3D0HZtA-Rl7lmPPTBCpPwrrkQFN693ps6z0Ulhg_dhCSU7YjEmHCBCM/s1600/naptime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaBCJ335ubuwBO7YT8vSlU2azekVdloxcea0-nS87hWmo4kc-B4Q7gFfQIeb_dPnTXV-QsCp6roHiTsBUMvPF3D0HZtA-Rl7lmPPTBCpPwrrkQFN693ps6z0Ulhg_dhCSU7YjEmHCBCM/s320/naptime.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We also managed to squeeze in another trip to Parque de las Aguas, which is always a good laugh. </div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6YU0_6dULq6VO6pEu9gacj2Uq5y9mqarxMx0bYSOoi9ViYTAXvmf0N0sbVHTL4ojh3HO65VTN9ZyKrVnPmVJDWjuFegQOb9uSM0Yc201AOU9SyQrdz-LnFcm-5DlGwBy4OFFKevmTWw/s1600/parque.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe6YU0_6dULq6VO6pEu9gacj2Uq5y9mqarxMx0bYSOoi9ViYTAXvmf0N0sbVHTL4ojh3HO65VTN9ZyKrVnPmVJDWjuFegQOb9uSM0Yc201AOU9SyQrdz-LnFcm-5DlGwBy4OFFKevmTWw/s320/parque.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div align="left" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;">On top of all this, we also got news that the two girls in Chiclayo would be moving down to Lima to work at our project! They were only allowed one hour a day of working and had been trying to get Project Trust to listen to them about what was going on since November. It wasn´t until they asked for a flight home that they really got any response. But, they´re here now and it´s great. Mine and Evie´s friendship group has doubled haha! </div><div align="left" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcmiK_UNK2uSAG1-OoTZl5zdWaHST20YIzR_RDgXV2RWmn2BLO6_M1fAVdEmULGC3YesR7fVJu5H7UDZlu4zaNGnJsCWJypedvl_HG9AIGuEe99aUwxjxTwApBqvrjRi6lKA8zhgMipc/s1600/foursome.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcmiK_UNK2uSAG1-OoTZl5zdWaHST20YIzR_RDgXV2RWmn2BLO6_M1fAVdEmULGC3YesR7fVJu5H7UDZlu4zaNGnJsCWJypedvl_HG9AIGuEe99aUwxjxTwApBqvrjRi6lKA8zhgMipc/s320/foursome.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Moffy xxx<br />
<div align="left" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"></div>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-27952986945975360322012-02-15T07:08:00.001-08:002012-03-06T07:15:10.804-08:00Orientation and boys are backSuch a massive change going from the freedom of travelling back to Ciudad! Not even nessecarily in a bad way, but took some getting used to! The first week we had back was orientation - a week of information and training preparing staff for the year ahead. First couple of days were mostly team building activities that encouraged us to interact with staff from the other pabellones, which is nice because as I´ve said you can easily get caught in the bubble of your own pabellon. They taught us lots of games as well that we can pass on to the kids and things, and talked about how important play is for the kids. Bit like being back at training in Coll! We went over some dilemas we might face in the next year and discussed in groups how we could ressolve them. Some of the more experienced staff also shared some of the things they´ve learned and awkward or difficult situations they´ve been in over their time here. Then the last couple of days were about child rights, noticing and seeing kids if they´re suffering from problems in their homelife, and a presentation on child development! Was like being back in Y13 studying psychology, we even went over Bowlby and the effects of privation and deprivation! Although in Spanish it was a little more difficult. <br />
<br />
During this week me and Eebs also spent a fair amount of time playing voleyball with the older boys that had stayed on to work and staff, which was fun, and a nice way to get to know them a bit better. We also discovered our love for Flor! She´s the hermana mayor in San Antonio at the moment, been here a ridiculous number of years, and just knows her shit. Evie ended up going to ask her advice about some of the problems she had in Sonrisa last year and she was really helpful. So because of their chat, Evie spoke to her hermanas and has managed to get more responsibilities, to be seen more as a tutura than just a volunteer, so she was pretty pleased with that. It made me realise how much I took that for granted in Niño Jesus. From when I started, me and Tania shared the responsibilities of a tutora, then when she got ill with Hepetitus B before christmas I took on the other half of the role. <br />
<br />
Then on Saturday the boys were due to be back! Kids talk about the night before Christmas when they can´t sleep because they´re excited about all their presents, and I was literally like that. I was so excited to see my boys again I didn´t sleep till stupidly late. They all came in through the comedor to register with us, then we´d take them down to the pabellon to play. It was soo nice to see my old boys, and meet the new ones of course. We were due to have 33 this year, but on the first day only 19 turned up. Apparently this is normal, and over the first month back kids slowly dribble in. We had two or three kids that just cried all day for their Mum or Dad, which was a pain, but in fairness it´s young not to be with your parents. So we had until Sunday at 6 to get them into shape for Mass. Lots of practicing walking in a line, practicing sitting in silence for mealtimes, practicing kneeling down and saying ´Jesus Te Ador y Te Amo´ on the entrance to church. Ended up going smoothly except for Joseph running out to pee on the grass outside the church. At least it wasn´t in the church though eh!<br />
<br />
Ooh also, we got a Peruvian volunteer that´s working in Niño Jesus until the end of March called Natalie and she´s really lovely. Also, the American girl, Amy, we´re living with has been put in Niño Jesus, so lots more help for now! Although because Anita will be so busy with the new boys shes said it´s my job to train them up. <br />
<br />
Love, <br />
Moffy xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-24359861559621961172012-01-18T06:19:00.000-08:002012-05-17T07:59:05.710-07:00Bye bye EvieSooo me and Evie finally managed to make it back to Lima and we went to meet her parents! There´s something so strange about knowing eachother so well and not knowing much about eachothers friends or family so it was really nice to spend some time with them. We just went for a quick lunch and chat at our favourite La Lucha! Then she jetted off for a couple more weeks of travelling! <br />
<br />
I got back to Ciudad and Evie and the boys weren´t here, the two things that keep me sane. Also, a new girl called Amy moved into our apartment and it was disgustingly dirty! I asked around and they were struggling to find work in the office for the volunteers that were here, so it was unlikely there was gonna be any for me. Had to find an escape route because there was still three weeks of time off. Hugo hadn´t made it completely clear that we would have six weeks off work after Christmas while the boys are on holidays, he made it sound like they needed our help in the office. So, for next years volunteers, your travelling time is six weeks at Christmas and two weeks in July, but they´re pretty flexible here so taking other time off is okay as long as you discuss it with him first. Anyway, I considered more travelling or a couple weeks working at a hostel, but decided to go with the hostel because its cheaper and managed to find work in Lima! So that was class and much better than sitting around at Ciudad doing nothing. <br />
<br />
Moffy xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-50978917909051930772012-01-15T06:02:00.002-08:002012-04-11T06:30:13.578-07:00Maracuya slushies, Montanita Tacos and PT girls reuniteOfficially left Ciudad on Christmas day to start our travels - best present I could ever ask for! Went up to Pariwana for the night to meet Butt and Shanwan for a festive tipple. Then in the morning stumbled onto our bus to Trujillo! The bus was amazing, managed to get a bedcama and haven't felt that comfy in a long time. Basic plan was travel up the north coast of Peru and spend some time in Ecuador - so we did just that. In Trujillo and Chiclayo we did couch surfing, which ended up working really well and a lot cheaper! Its just like a website where people say if they have a room you can sleep in for free. The guy we stayed with in Trujillo actually lived in Huanchaco, which is like a beach town just outside of Trujillo, fucking stunning, loved that place, so that was a win. We ended up meeting up with the girls from Trujillo as well and got to visit their project! Its a bit further out of Trujillo so has a more rural and relaxed feel. I can't even describe how much different their project is! Also because they have such shorter working hours and live close to Huanchaco, they have a social life! I think after talking to all the other girls we've come to realise ours is like the odd one out, they're all pretty similar except Ciudad! In the beginning I found that really hard, because we had to make the adjustment from what we were expecting to the reality, but now we're more used to it I love our project. Yes it pisses me off reguarly of course, but it's our home.<br />
<br />
We only spent one night in Chiclayo, just outside of it in a town called Lambayeque with a girl and her massive family. She lived in a rougher part, not like the shanty towns or anything, but like no propper roads, corregated iron roof type thing. One of the good things about doing couch surfing was getting to spend time with local Peruvian people that are outside Ciudad. It sounds stupid but because we live and work in such a heavily Catholic place, where all the people are reserved, moral, and without sounding mean, not that fun, I just thought that was how all Peruvian people are. Then when we left Ciudad we realised it's just like any other place, where there are all different types of people. Not everyone outside Ciudads extremely Catholic, most people are, but just like go to church on a Sunday types not like twice daily church types.<br />
<br />
And then to Mancora! We managed to organise it so all the PT girls were together for new year and it was absoloutely epic. Lovely to all be together and talk about our projects, the good things and bad things we've experienced so far this year. Also just to generally have a good time without having to be a responsible example was a much needed break! Loki also introduced me to the best hangover cure - a maracuya slushy and a jump in the pool. You wouldn't think it, but it saved some of us at our lowest moments. We said our goodbyes to some of the vols and headed up to Montanita in Ecuador with Trujillo and Pucallpa girls. I loved Montanita, it had loads more character than Mancora, which was mostly just gringos. It was like a hippyish surfer town with loads of tiki buildings and hammocks. Also it had cocktail street! At night the locals set up stalls all down the sides of the road and made cocktails with fresh fruit and blasted music out. On one of the nights a band set up camp as well, and it just meant that everyone was just talking and dancing in the street. Not forgetting the epic Montañita tacos either. Loved it.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnjTtvo6tDBGqCYyZbb2CA_EqEk5kZetz9g7j_lAOUkG5lDp4lzdpKgH_2tIrSMhU7_-SapwrOrkHd-QESCONqxHllTNhVZSE52NWHa7Fu-YIf8zSn7w1SIrXwzhcHs4Fsi-LGoJmgc8/s1600/ecuador.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglnjTtvo6tDBGqCYyZbb2CA_EqEk5kZetz9g7j_lAOUkG5lDp4lzdpKgH_2tIrSMhU7_-SapwrOrkHd-QESCONqxHllTNhVZSE52NWHa7Fu-YIf8zSn7w1SIrXwzhcHs4Fsi-LGoJmgc8/s320/ecuador.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next was Quito, the capital of Ecuador. All the bus rides round Ecuador and Peru are pretty, but the journey from Guyaquill to Quito was absoloutely stunning. We only spent a couple of days there, but it was such a beautiful city. It's massive, but surrounded by tall forresty mountains so it kind of felt like a small town at the same time. We had a wander round the Old Town which was really pretty and colonial, and went into some of the churches, one of them decorated almost completely in gold. And we made the journey just outside to stand on the equator! Although apparently it isn´t technically the equator, but I was happy either way. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBveyL96rDbLejpDMuyZl6iHCxfomgkonqhstTG3qOhhCnFnbruQUa1b0ped9HG-ezX8bFZaU5NR_PY1855HeWQoRu-Cnnx-n2UlSJseYZ2pOV3Pd6EkAvK9-OaAXbichNi1nZcUPo3A/s1600/ec+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsBveyL96rDbLejpDMuyZl6iHCxfomgkonqhstTG3qOhhCnFnbruQUa1b0ped9HG-ezX8bFZaU5NR_PY1855HeWQoRu-Cnnx-n2UlSJseYZ2pOV3Pd6EkAvK9-OaAXbichNi1nZcUPo3A/s320/ec+2.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<br />
<br />
After Quito we headed down to Baños, south of Quito. Its a tiny little pueblo stuck in a valley just on the edge of the rainforest so surrounded by lots of green and waterfalls. Of the whole trip, I think Baños was my favourite place! First full day we had there we hired some bikes and set off on the Avenida de Las Cascadas with Wendy and Frances. Managed to cycle for 20 km without dying so was pretty impressed with that. Had a little hiccup in the beginning when we made a wrong turn and were climbing up an effectively verticle hill wondering why we´d bothered with the whole thing, but a nice old Lorry driver told us where we´d gone wrong and after that it was pretty flat. I´m not that into biking but it was definately worth the effort to go. You´re cycling towards the jungle on the way to Puyo, so the further you go, the more rural and green it gets and all along the way there´s loads of waterfalls. We had a stop off at one of them for our picnic and hopped on the cable car to get a closer look. Lovely day! <br />
We were pretty sure four of the other PT girls were in Baños at the same time, but couldn´t get an exact location on them. Managed to stumble upon them a few days in and it turns out they´d been living it up with Jungle Jim and Mogli in the selva for three days! So we dragged Harriet along for some white water rafting the next day and almost drowned her, oops. We spent the nights going out down the strip of clubs they had, which much to our shock all closed at 2am. The police would drive round after that trying to round up troops into their beds, which was always pretty funny. Evie and Frances managed to pluck up the balls to do a bridge jump - I didn´t. But, had my first ever driving experience in a buggy, in Ecuador, on windy mountain roads with lots of lorrys and trucks. Shat myself for the first fifteen minutes, but once I got into it I loved it. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnslDYabE2ZrHqblRV0vVqIJQwpPsXVndY68yPsmQ3pObxB6_8GQ0Qe874GMMt3hyuF_GJSvLeQdEcQtPazoTaxBA9WyAP1yDF2RXdejN6TvIjSPffOR7ZVRgFZEvFTbKqRf5yoazARKY/s1600/eccy+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnslDYabE2ZrHqblRV0vVqIJQwpPsXVndY68yPsmQ3pObxB6_8GQ0Qe874GMMt3hyuF_GJSvLeQdEcQtPazoTaxBA9WyAP1yDF2RXdejN6TvIjSPffOR7ZVRgFZEvFTbKqRf5yoazARKY/s320/eccy+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQs6iQ2d5UsSoqGU9xxBVp-RV9PnbUNn-J2OH8MLRw28IAXVzN7RVdDmMbsBjhPIAK6r4LL8Cuex-hvBV0lZFOesoIBtKq0iTXCQ9kOSTxwxzc-XpZONKvaMeZpC4vYt6lQ0o08lZ9Dno/s1600/eccy+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" qda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQs6iQ2d5UsSoqGU9xxBVp-RV9PnbUNn-J2OH8MLRw28IAXVzN7RVdDmMbsBjhPIAK6r4LL8Cuex-hvBV0lZFOesoIBtKq0iTXCQ9kOSTxwxzc-XpZONKvaMeZpC4vYt6lQ0o08lZ9Dno/s320/eccy+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
There´s just something about travelling and the freedom of it, that you can go where you want and do what you want that I´ve well and truely fallen in love with. Can´t wait for more!<br />
<br />
Moffy xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-24220354715348072082011-12-27T13:43:00.000-08:002012-03-06T06:22:25.045-08:00A crazy last couple of weeks before travellingWe've been so busy in these last two weeks it's been crazy. The boys broke up from school for their summer hollidays and since then we've been working from roughly 7am till 8pm. It's been really nice to have more of a lie in but I've definately been missing our breaks! Works had a different feel though because they haven't had to do homework, go to school etc so it's been a lot more chilled out which is nice. I've had a lot more time to just spend with the boys playing with them, which sometimes we don't get much time to do because everything is so routiney and structured normally. We've had the time to do some daft stuff like crafty things and a little puppet show. On one of the days we spent hours playing with bubbles with the boys, they loved them so much! And of course there's still been loads of visitas and actividades for the boys, which have been funny.<br />
<br />
Most of the visitas just come in and play games with the boys and bring panetone. Always plenty of panetone! One of the visitas the other day was in San Antonio with a clown and a girl in a slutty mrs santa outfit. Ben Diez and Papa Pitufor came along as well for a bit as well! I was kneeling on the benches next to Elsa but kept falling off because it was hurting my knees and Elsa, one of the hermanas in Sonrisa, just turned round and jokingly called me a 'nina malcriada' which apparently means like crazy girl. Evie was saying they all think I'm a bit wild and a bad influence haha, oops, not the reputation I was hoping for. <br />
<br />
Ciudad gets loads of donations from the public like toys and clothes for the boys and that kind of thing. A lot of the clothes we get are for women girls as well, which is silly because it's an all boys care home, but it means volunteers and hermanas get new clothes! Had a big lot in the other day and managed to find two pairs of jeans, a top, a jumper, jacket and pair of shoes that fit! Evie says I'm slowly turning into a Peruvian and starting to look like one now and if I didn't have blonde hair I'd almost fit in haha.<br />
<br />
The other day we went to Parque de las Aguas with the first second and third place acts from Noche de Talentos and other volunteers! The fountains were really beautiful and there was a light show thing which was stunning. Hands down highlight though was jumping and running through the fountains! It was really nice to spend some time with the older boys as well because they're all so nice and funny. Normally we don't really see any of the boys except the ones in our pabellons. We were just running about playing tig, pushing the boys and other volunteers into the fountains and generally bein daft. Although I managed to bulldoze Paul from Nino Jesus over when I was running round, oops, although he found it hilarious. Also because it's summer here none of us even got too cold, even though it was about half ten at night when we left and we were all soaked. It was just a great day!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHrzDRsI0IswPcOFVuk4uqqY-9ZfEmC1CXiUTTe9_8-IwVUBrFZl4m0WXBc94PeOG5nG5lzzbQHkntpa7mlrxDVtd5IVRH5lgAA63j-f3TysIhnkScCHbgWL8__DcRERTv83xaUrDarY/s1600/391156_342958382386428_100000168062804_1639054_1095076115_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHrzDRsI0IswPcOFVuk4uqqY-9ZfEmC1CXiUTTe9_8-IwVUBrFZl4m0WXBc94PeOG5nG5lzzbQHkntpa7mlrxDVtd5IVRH5lgAA63j-f3TysIhnkScCHbgWL8__DcRERTv83xaUrDarY/s320/391156_342958382386428_100000168062804_1639054_1095076115_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Hepetitus A seems like it's here to stay for at least a while longer, a boy in Sonrisa and in San Antonio have it now as well! Although Tania is doing much better and had her bloods back which were good, although she's had to take about 6 -8 weeks off work! It makes me feel so relieved that I got the jab before coming! Work has been crazy though because there's only two hermanas and me looking after all the boys. It's been fine because it's only temporary, but I'm definitely hoping there will be another hermana/volunteer here for next year in Nino Jesus. Who knows anyway, some people are expecting a bit change round with the hermanas next year!<br />
<br />
We had the biggest coincidence last weekend! One of my best friends is at Cambridge and there's a guy called Joaquin staying in her halls who's from Lima! He came back to Peru for three weeks over christmas and one the one day off we've had we messaged him to see if he wanted to go out for a drink - and it was his birthday! Couldn't believe our luck! So we hopped on a bus to Barranco and went out for some anticuchos and cocktails! He was really sound, had a really good night, and it was nice to get away from Ciudad and have a night out. Also they're very few and far between because we don't get much time off! <br />
<br />
After a good 'ol sleep through the day Alex and Aneesha, the two PT volunteers from Iquitos and our roomies from training, came to visit that weekend as well! It was really nice to talk to some of the other girls here and just hear stories of their time in Peru. They both had a look round Nino Jesus and Sonrisa then we borrowed one of them each for church and tea. I stole Alex and kind of talked her through what work was like here and showed her round. Then after we just stayed up talking in the amplitheatre about our projects, speaking spanish and life in Peru. Their project sounds really nice and a lot more relaxed! I get the impression that our project is like on the opposite end of the scale from theirs. Like sometimes ours can be so structured and routiney with not much room to do our own thing, whereas some days they were saying they don't really have anything to do. I think there's just good and bad things about each project, it'd be easy to say I wish ours was more like that or something but they all have their faults and good points.<br />
<br />
There's this new Italian man volunteering in San Felix that's going to be here 'por siempre'. When we first met him we didn't get a good first impression - he seemed like a bit of a cocky sleeze. Well it turns out he IS a cocky sleeze! Sara, the Italian woman that we live with said to us last weekend that if he comes by again and asks to see her to tell him she's not here because he's been bothering her. The other day he told her he thinks because they're both Italian and a similar age (they're both about 40) and working at the same project they should get together. He bought her some earings, and said she was pretty but that you don't need to know someone to have sex with them. But it turns out he's been leaving flowers for one of the women in the office as well and saying similar things to her! I'm so glad he thinks me, Evie and Laura are too young to target. To be honest he's just a creep and they've spoken to Hugo who said if he carries on he'll lose his job, so we're hoping for that! The boys struggle enough as it is understanding girls without his influence.<br />
<br />
We had Paseo the other day as well to the park just down the road with all of Nino Jesus and some of the Mums! We were just playing with the boys really and had a tutoras and mums game of volleyball! We decided to get the boys a treat for lunch so went to Rokys to get fried chicken and chips and it cost almost 350 soles for all the boys and mums! Worth every penny. Then after lunch we sent the boys off to play football together and we ended up having a right little mothers meeting. Emmerson's Mum started it off and that woman can talk. They were comparing ways of bringing up their kids - like how late to let their older kids stay out and when to stop breast feeding that kind of thing. Emmerson's Mum was giving out tips of how you can earn more money and be successful when you're selling things. Then the conversation turned to men. Again she was talking a lot and saying how you have to keep your man in line but know your place as he's the head of the household. They were all trying to set eachother up with their friends and things. It was really nice to get to know some of the Mums a bit better because I know the boys so well but sometimes feel like I don't know much about their family life. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQEhHzaLwfagF8YnTPhwm7Gf6rY7LwMrKdn4IyD0qiNB11fN_mySGRIKIysRfJLDmU9B4v_n_4uCM7uTQAaRLJ1I0pVruJ-6HDw0T6TDhCh1MjNHoyaMSrASyE30L-LcUcMuBeYEDRl8/s1600/100_6894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQEhHzaLwfagF8YnTPhwm7Gf6rY7LwMrKdn4IyD0qiNB11fN_mySGRIKIysRfJLDmU9B4v_n_4uCM7uTQAaRLJ1I0pVruJ-6HDw0T6TDhCh1MjNHoyaMSrASyE30L-LcUcMuBeYEDRl8/s320/100_6894.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Ok so Christmas time! Christmas was actually really lovely here. Had Christmas Eve off because the boys were just resting and sleeping ready for staying up late so watched Love Actually and did some errandy things like sewing up my clothes and getting things ready for traveling! Managed to skype my family back home as well which was really nice - and got to speak to them all together! Borrowed a dress from Laura and went up to mass at half eight. It was two hours long so I wasn't really looking forward to it, but ended up being really nice. Last year the electricity cut out on Christmas day so as a joke Hugo turned all the lights off except the fairy lights around the altar which was really pretty. Then we all headed up to the comedor for Christmas dinner. There were 'traditional' remote control shark and fish balloons in the sky which I didn't really understand, but was funny and the kids liked it. We ate some tasty but slightly questionable beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, rice, and Michael made some stuffing that went a bit wrong and no one ate. Ahh well what can you do, and ice cream for dessert! Best of all we used plastic plates and forks and stuff so we didn't have to wash up after. We sat about for a while just chatting and playing with the boys for a while, then at midnight the boys all got to open their presents! Most of it was just like clothes and shoes for next year, but some of the boys got bikes and toy cars. I think the tutoras were asked which boys had good behaviour and then those ones got the best presents. Also I didn't realise that last year Isaac's Christmas present from Ciudad was to have an operation so that he could walk properly. His legs were really bent and they paid for them to be straightened and he stayed at Ciudad over the holidays because his family couldn't care for him properly when he was in a wheelchair. Anyway, everyone went round as well and wished Feliz Navidad with a hug and a kiss, which took a while seen as there's so many boys. On Christmas morning all the boys headed back to their families for their 6 weeks holidays, and Ciudad turned into a ghost town. We had a little volunteers Christmas thing and did our secret santa, then at night we went off to Pariwana to begin our travels!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOja_1_PJmWNIK0_Ypck_yLjX8HAPlKKCxH1BJ1hRhS6SlzQzxWxxDHx0wJtR0-DMPbO_On0JTgkxmKDFSzs5Pl4TDMPwUG9r8b9ik23mHiMfdglTY07Go3kG7bByRI5gPA8hLpjSFhrw/s1600/xmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOja_1_PJmWNIK0_Ypck_yLjX8HAPlKKCxH1BJ1hRhS6SlzQzxWxxDHx0wJtR0-DMPbO_On0JTgkxmKDFSzs5Pl4TDMPwUG9r8b9ik23mHiMfdglTY07Go3kG7bByRI5gPA8hLpjSFhrw/s320/xmas.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vols on Christmas day with Hermano Hugo</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Big love to you all, Moffy xxx</div>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-25005744194669004752011-12-09T09:50:00.000-08:002011-12-19T08:34:24.983-08:00Festivities and the likeWe're quickly becoming the DVD lady's favourite customer! Every time we go to the market we seem to pop by to see which new DVDs she has and almost always buy one, but for 60p a DVD it'd really be rude not to. I think I'm up to 29 so far! <br />
<br />
All the pabellons have been putting up their christmas decorations! Went shopping with Eli and Anita to buy stuff for Nino Jesus in the centre again, and have been busy at work making it look all festive. At 5ft 6 I'm by far the tallest person in Nino Jesus and so nominated to glue the decorations to the roof. I can't remember why, but we couldn't use the ladder to glue them on to the roof soo I was stood on a pile of tables, chairs and stools taller than me with glue gun in hand! Unfortunately I wasn't blessed with the natural ability to use a glue gun so I've got a million chuffin burns all over my hand. Oopsie. But Nino Jesus looks all pretty! There's tinsel around all the columns, baubles and santas and reindeers hanging from the ceiling and lights around the front. Anita was talking about putting 'un arbol en el techo' and I thought that must be some kind of idiom, but no, I literally stuck tinsel to the roof in the shape of christmas trees. We didn't really know how to do it so I made some of them like triangley trees so they kind of just look like arrows pointing to the ways out but the boys didn't seem to notice so it doesn't matter too much. Last night we nipped to the market to get some more lights and put them after most of the boys were in bed. We got Alejandro and the Pillacas out to give us a hand and they were all scared of going outside at first because it was dark and they thought vampires were going to get them! <br />
<br />
The Doctor and the Nurse came into Nino Jesus the other day as well to see if there was anything that stood out as unhygeinic that could have caused the Hepetitus A to spread - new boys are still getting it, I think there's been about 8 so far. The Doctor got all up himself saying he could easily see how it was spread and stuff. He said the boys have to wash their hands then their face not both at the same time and they can't share towels for bathtime anymore - each boy needs an assigned towl and face towel. To be honest he was just plucking at straws, it was ridiculous. The boys go to school everyday and mix with other kids and go on Salida every other weekend, it could be a million things. Anyway, Anita stood her ground and defended Nino Jesus, which she has every right to it's always immaculate. He ended up leaving a little with his head hung a little lower. Damn right, I'd like to see him come here and run things better the prick. <br />
<br />
Everyone in Lima seems to want to throw parties for the boys seen as it's almost Christmas time so just about every day there's been something on for the boys. The two groups of volunteer students from miraflores had their last session helping the boys with their homework the other day and one of them dressed up as Papa Noel giving out drinks and toys and things for the boys, which of course they loved. They've also had activities with KFC and McDonalds which I thought was a little strange but just went with it. There was another one as well where one of the richer schools came to share a packed lunch with them and brought presents. It's so strange, the richer Peruvian people get here, the whiter they seem to get. There were even some blonde kids! <br />
<br />
The other day the boys had a meeting with the psychologist in the comedor - which is really just like observed playing and they make it fun for them. They were talking about where babies come from and had to colour in either the woman with the big belly or the stalk with a bundle in it's beak. Then she was asking who helps the mummy have the baby, so they were saying things like her friends, the daddy, the doctor, the hospital etc and Jhover stood up and shouted LAS ELEPHANTES! Sometimes I wonder about that boy.<br />
<br />
At the weekend all the volunteers went for lunch with the winners of Noche De Talentos to a chifa buffet. When we were driving there on the bus Hugo stood up and had a little chat with the boys. I didn't realise what he was saying at first, but he had to explain how a buffet worked because none of them had been to one before. They were amazed that once you'd finished you could just go and get another plate of food and it cost the same. I think 18 was the record number of plates of food eaten by one of the boys. Don't know if it was the buffet or not but later on that day me and Evie were both really ill. I ended throwing up in the sink which clogged it up, not the prettiest of sights, and had to go to Nino Jesus to borrow the only plunger in Ciudad. I was tired and ill so my spanish wasn't at it's best, all I managed to say was 'me and Evie are ill and need the plunger please. It's really bad' Elisa gave me a funny look and went off quickly to find the plunger for us. <br />
<br />
This monday was just crazy. Anita popped by Sunday night to ask Evie if she could work in Nino Jesus for a couple hours in the morning because her and Elisa needed to go and get the blood test to check they didn't have Hepetitus A before they had the jab. They stayed to help with morning cleaning, and left just before breakfast leaving me and Evie with 24 little munchkins to attempt to ferry off to the comedor, eat in silence, wash up and then get them back to the pabellon to watch a film till they got back. They all insisted we watch Barbie school of princesses and wanted me to teach them how to plait my hair, but just managed to pull out about half of it. It was really stressful becuase the boys do have respect for us, but nothing like with the hermanas so a lot of them were misbehaving. The youngest ones especially are at that age where they just want to play and be naughty. It's just hard because there's so many of them and they're expected to behave so well! My hermanas got back and we got them changed and things ready to go on the paseo to KFC. Anita asked who had been naughty and things and gave them a good ol telling off, then said she had to go out and the boys who were naughty couldn't go on the paseo so could I stay and look after them. That wasn't too bad because there was only 6 of them, except it was all the naughty ones so trying to get them to do anything peacefully wasn't on the cards. To make things worse, there was a group of around 20 visiters come to see Nino Jesus and the boys were pretty much running riot round them. One of the boys, Christopher, I can't even describe how naughty and uncooperative he can be with words, it's something you have to see for yourself. He kept running and hiding under the sinks and scaring the visitors. I tried to make it look like we were playing a game though and I think we just about got away with it, with the help of the fact that the boys are so cute too. Just after lunchtime Elisa and Anita came back and I took 20 minutes off to nip back for a shower and try and regain some kind of sanity. After a couple of hours of work as normal, Hugo called us to the office to say that their blood results came back negitive and they had to go and get the jab now. We called Evie back into Nino Jesus just before bathtime when the boys really get into their own element. I don't think this morning could have began to prepare her for what was to come. When Anita came back, she said her face was white as a sheet and to tell her she was sorry. It was really cute though, I asked the Pillaca twins, Christian and Henry, some of the older boys, to give me a hand with the younger ones and they were so good. In Nino Jesus because there's such an age gap there's definately a feeling that the older boys are like older brothers and are happy to help with looking after them. It was definately a stressful day and I've only just stopped hating Cesar for spitting all during dinner time. She was saying it's the first time a volunteers ever been left with Nino Jesus, and hopefully the last. <br />
<br />
Yesterday was the day of the virgin or some shit like that so there was an hour and a half long mass after morning cleaning. On and on about how Mary's dream was to have a baby so God granted her wish. Me and Evie were just sat at the back giggling. I feel bad and stuff because it's such an important and big part of their life, but my eyes have well and truely not been opened to religion this year. We just try and find the funny side. <br />
<br />
Two weeks till travellinggggggggg!<br />
<br />
Moffy xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-18035998334129718902011-12-01T10:14:00.000-08:002012-05-17T08:02:14.657-07:00This could be a long one...Admittedly it got to the point where there was so much to write about I'd been avoiding a blog, then there was more to write! But, after having a nice long lie in, until 6.30am, I'm feeling refreshed and up to the challenge. Could be a long one though <br />
<br />
So..starting from the week after Lozza left. That week all the boys were off school - normally they go from 8 - 1 - so our working week was a bit longer because we weren't having official breaks. Except that on Monday we went to go and pick up a package in Lindsay after morning cleaning which is about an hour or two each way depending on traffic, so we ended up missing lunch at Ciudad. We popped into a little street cafe on the way home and both had Cerviche. So the next day at morning cleaning I was feeling a bit strange, but that day Nino Jesus went on a Paseo to a park about a mile down the road so we went on our way. A combi drove past Ciudad when we were setting off, which turned out to be empty. Anita pulled out the poor and helpless kids card and we ended up paying 5 soles for us all to get there - that's 30 of us all together. It got to about lunch time though and I felt fucking awful, so ended up going back to the apartment to die. I was pretty gutted because most of the time the boys are just stuck at Ciudad and going outside even Nino Jesus is a big adventure for them and they were really excited! For the best though because I had food poisoning. About 12 hours later Evie came back from work with the same symptoms as me and we died in the apartment together for a few days. I felt really awful though, I think that was my lowest point I've had so far. It's just like I wasn't even holding down water for a while, and you don't have normal home comforts here like you do at home. Especially being ill with a lot of time just sitting around and not doing much, I ended up thinking a lot about my Dad's death in March, so that was a really hard couple of days for me. It was all okay in the end though, and after I recovered I felt much stronger and generally a lot better about things! That weekend the American volunteers went on a religious retreat and left their keys to their apartment so we could use their cooking stuff. We were still recovering and didn't have much energy so just ended up just staying in with Laura and Christoff and had Pizza, Sangria and a good ol game of monopoly - in spanish!<br />
<br />
It was really nice to be back at work the next week though, I'd really missed my little boys! In my break as well Hugo called me into his office because he had a package from Mum and a letter from PT. It's amazing how much a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk and a handful of Roses can bring! It's been really nice getting letters from PT as well! They're just kind of like an update of things at home and some stories from other volunteers that are abroad now. There was the top five songs in the charts, some of the news headlines, some bits about 'life on Coll' which all sound a bit silly, but it's quite nice to hear about boring home stuff. It's also a reminder that nothings really going to have changed at home, it's easy to start thinking everyone's going to change and it'll all be different when you get back. <br />
<br />
The next Sunday was Anniversario! Fifty something years since Ciudad was started by Padre Illuminati so we put on a gret big show and a dance and invited lots of people. Most of the Pabellons did dances, Son Risa and San Antonio did traditional peruvian dances i.e. lots of stomping and hitting the floor with sticks. It was good though, they were all very cute! Nino Jesus did a dance too with Tanya, and at the end Emmerson did a little freestyle solo and it was just the best and cutest thing ever. Then at the end we had our volunteers act! We did kind of a copy of that famous Glee song, then Ryan, Michael and Christoff did an absoloutely priceless rendition of the single girls dance and finally an 'interpretive dance' to the Titanic song. At the end Anderson came hurtling into the middle of the stage shouting 'Hermana Hannah muy bien Hermana Hannah' and grabbed onto my legs. He's such a sweet little boy, I don't know how I'm going to say bye to him at all.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpORsMvflzd-wNEXvGKIQ6_AfYyPqHudX_Ssl0E0h1mKwMYov_rZs4U7ALVettoPlgRtMWms7ACpNkznP6cYOcaYMYce7FXfYjNvV4lzEaKkEqqhJHce1jvREQrc9HmS3Jjc_xn6rQzqA/s1600/345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpORsMvflzd-wNEXvGKIQ6_AfYyPqHudX_Ssl0E0h1mKwMYov_rZs4U7ALVettoPlgRtMWms7ACpNkznP6cYOcaYMYce7FXfYjNvV4lzEaKkEqqhJHce1jvREQrc9HmS3Jjc_xn6rQzqA/s320/345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tania with the boys at Anniversario</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Fastforward to Halloween! Was making the boys halloween costumes a week or so before and they were all themed - electrical applicances. Of all things. I spent hours making a mobile phone, fridge and microwave out of boxes and paints. The fridge was class though it had a door and shelves and I stuck pictures of chicken and stuff on it. Anyway, after a lof of fucking about we found out we had a long weekend off because Monday and Tuesday were bank holidays so Lodge came up to Lima and we went and spent our time in Pariwana! I had a bit of a dodgey tummy first couple days but thankfully was better for halloween night. Met some crackin people and dressed up as dead people. Evie provided much of the entertainment that night, and two Ecuadorian girls that were staying in our dorm were kind enough to help clean up after her.<br />
<br />
Me and Evie have both been thinking a lot about the project we're at, because it's a lot different to how we originally thought it would be. It's not nessecarily been a bad thing that it's been different, we just had to make the adjustment. First of all, it isn't an orphanage, it's a care home for boys. To stay here the boys have to be brought by a family member or God parent. One of the aims here is to work with the families to give the boys a better life. While we're caring for the boys, Ciudad trys to improve the family situation i.e. talking through issues with parents, helping find work, rehoming etc. Once a fortnight the boys go on Salida to see their families for a night and then the weekend inbetween, the families can come and visit the boys here. Sometimes it can be really sad seeing the boys saying goodbye to their families - they'll run away and hide because they don't want to come back. Not because it's horrid or anything, they just want to live at home with their parents.<br />
<br />
Secondly, it is very religious. It's religious to the point that you can't escape it. We pray in the morning, afternoon, evening, before meals, after meals. They're told to say Gracias Jesus to everything instead of thanking the person. They pray at school, their school books all have religious context. The pabellons are decorated with religious posters and have religious messages on the walls. We go to Alabanza for half an hour Mon - Thur for half an hour then on Sunday for an hour. The hermanas and other volunteers also go to Laudes every morning for an hour - I went for about the first month then sacked it off! Alabanza I don't mind because it's just really a sing and a dance with the boys and it's a bit daft so it's okay. I can now recite the 'Our Father' prayer in spanish but don't know the enlgish one! To be honest the religion doesn't normally even bother me most of the time, it's just a bit much and sometimes I feel like I want a break from it all - especially when we're reminded how deep their faith is and how much it governs their life. They're so completely sure that God exists that sometimes it makes me wonder if I'm the one that's got it all wrong. I don't know what I would do without Evie sometimes just to keep me sane! It's catholic conservatism at its worst.<br />
<br />
A few little stories from November... After lunch the other day we asked Hermana Jacky for an extra box of helados for the boys as well and put the music on really loud. They were all just dancing outside in the sunshine eating icecreams and laughing and it was really nice. Then after that we did races with the boys up to the front door and back which was really cute too! Just a nice and normal day but it was really lovely.<br />
<br />
About a week later we went on a couple of mini paseos with the boys as well! First we went to the rocky bit of land accross the road to make houses out of rocks. Anita put the boys into groups of two and gave them half an hour to make their best houses they could. Then we walked round and they explained what was where - almost all of them put little rocks in for the hermanas as well - and the best three got biscuits. Then we did a grand tour of Ciudad, through the pig and chicken farm, and then to the big veg patch bit and we were telling the boys what all the veg were. They couldn't believe how different carrots looked when they're in the ground and kept asking where the orange bit was! Even though it was only in ciudad it was really nice to get out of Nino Jesus with the boys! Sometimes it can be frustrating how structured and routiney it is here. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBOnmm19qY24mZsYoIqP0Act3HVD4Vt47_Y5Yu0xi7OudvKSsvTqWdw8lpHVRNCiPhMrE1bjgZFR9n_vvRrEZpK5CtbY5eZ545HGIyFF6URv4Msb41h3hragRkUwINHqzuMJOs1pXENs/s1600/100_6223.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBOnmm19qY24mZsYoIqP0Act3HVD4Vt47_Y5Yu0xi7OudvKSsvTqWdw8lpHVRNCiPhMrE1bjgZFR9n_vvRrEZpK5CtbY5eZ545HGIyFF6URv4Msb41h3hragRkUwINHqzuMJOs1pXENs/s320/100_6223.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Paseo around Ciudad</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Working with my little boys isn't all fun and games and sometimes involves some very loud tantrums. Some of my favourites have been Christofer's twenty minute tantrum over there being no toilet paper. He was literally kicking and screaming as if it was the end of the world even after we got him some toilet paper. To make it even funnier he was still standing with his trousers down. Also Emerson's tantrum because he drew his two's too small. <br />
<br />
On the 12th of November we had Noche De Talentos! Which is an anual event set up by the American Cap Corp volunteers. We spent the day time helping them a bit, but they mostly had it covered so there wasn't much to do. We got to make lanterns out of milk tins, rags and lamp oil though which was fun! Then in the evening me and Evie were in charge of making sure the next three acts were backstage ready to go on, which meant we were just running around and looking for them and trying to keep them waiting. The older boys especially were sometimes hard to find because they kept running off to practice! Some of the acts were actually really good. Most of the boys who sang, not so much, but there was a skit called El Padre y Sus Hijos which was really funny, some good dances and a good drama act as well, which I was in! It was all about how the devil will try and tempt you into drinking, having sex, taking drugs etc but you should ignore him. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirb_u3cUD62T5DM9u0kcJYP3Y4io704zJzkp8efv1pO1nOUGzmceA_yKij_VqUCRdpZdONheKRlZCEjbCyWM3d2mcopK3MQbEtwoOq5KyNdg6u2Zv53DOK71ga1i5YD709KNOtl_JJY-M/s1600/100_6251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirb_u3cUD62T5DM9u0kcJYP3Y4io704zJzkp8efv1pO1nOUGzmceA_yKij_VqUCRdpZdONheKRlZCEjbCyWM3d2mcopK3MQbEtwoOq5KyNdg6u2Zv53DOK71ga1i5YD709KNOtl_JJY-M/s320/100_6251.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anita with the boys at Noche De Talentos</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As part of Ciudad's attempts to raise money every year they make and sell about 30,000 Christmas panetone. Soo as we've started the run up to Christmas, panetone season has also begun. We worked straight through three of our breaks a couple of weeks ago helping with the packaging because we had an order of 8,000 to send out! <br />
<br />
One of the biggest things that happened in November though was Hepetitus A! Luckily I've had the vaccination for it, but it's a disease that affects the liver and can keep you ill for weeks or months. It started out with Tania, Cesar and Antonio having it, who have mostly recovered now, but Diego, Johan and Jorge are out now too. Tanias been off work now for around three weeks, which had meant I've been doing double the cleaning and am in charge of making sure the four year olds finish their homework. I'm getting used to it now though so it's going to be weird when she gets back, but I suppose that's good because she's leaving after christmas and I'll have to do that work then anyway. Although on the plus side because the boys may or may not be contagious and need to rest up, we haven't gone to Alabanza for the past three weeks either!<br />
<br />
Travelling is coming up so soon now as well I can't wait! We're starting on Christmas day so it's been a countdown to travelling instead of Christmas this year! We're going North up the coast of Peru to meet all the girls at Mancora for new year then up to Ecuador to change over our visas and things. Although we've left it a bit late booking buses so fingers crossed we manage to get everywhere we'd hoped!<br />
<br />
Haven't even finished writing up to date yet! Apologies for it being so long!<br />
<br />
Lots of love to you all,<br />
Moffy xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-46565037888714871552011-10-13T14:37:00.000-07:002011-10-13T14:40:58.890-07:00My boys are Gs, just sayinFound this gem of Nino Jesus' act from last years Noche De Talentos. This years' is coming up soon but not sure what's planned yet!<br />
<br />
http://www.youtube.com/cdlnperu#p/u/13/Ys7538YxdKcHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-63769444161289289922011-10-07T07:33:00.000-07:002011-12-19T08:04:45.394-08:00Teteras y anticuchosThe flat's starting to look like a place where people actually live, not just a box! We've been hunting for furniture and stuff to fill it up a bit, we've managed to collect a small thing with drawers, i dont even know what the name for it is, a little dining table and a kettle, which has opened up an array of culinary delights ... noodles, boiled eggs, cups of tea, that kind of thing.<br />
<br />
A couple weeks ago we met up with Evie's friend Charlotte who was travelling in Peru. We were both working but at different times, I didn't finish till half two and Evie was meeting her at one so I got my first bus on my own! We just met in Barranco and walked down to the beach then went for a couple drinks. Me an Evie walked back to the other girls' hostel with them because we saw our bus drive past and we asked the lady at reception which side of the road to catch the bus back to San Juan from. She told us to get a taxi because it wasn't a safe area but we said it was fine, we get that bus a lot because we live and work there. She couldn't believe it, literally she was stunned. Two young gringa girls living in San Juan.<br />
<br />
We had our talk with Hugo and the rest of the volunteers a couple of weeks ago! He seems pretty flexible about us having time off, and as a rough guide we're planning to take three weeks at Christmas, a week in March to see Mum then four weeks at the end. To be honest as long as we don't take the piss, I think he'll be fine with anything. He said we shouldn't be working weekends either so now we only work monday to friday and then getting the boys ready for mass and tea on sundays, which is a lot better! The volunteers might be getting a washing machine as well, which would definately be an improvement on hand washing.<br />
<br />
Last weekend we organised having a volunteers BBQ, there´s 9 of us in total at the moment but that´ll change as some come and go, although all of them are long term volunteers and here for one to one and a half years. Two German volunteers, five american volunteers then me and Ebay. We used the grill outside for the first time and had fajitas. Then later on me, Evie, Laura and Christoff went to use the voucher for tea we won at the Te De La Experanza. It just said grill and sangria so we didn´t really know what to expect, but it was so posh and the food was amazing. Everything was so expensive its a good job it was free, it was14 soles for a side portion of chips. We had so much food it was enough to feed all four of us ... two beef steaks, a pork steak, chicken breast, kidneys, black pudding sausage, pork sausage, beef sausage and two beef heart skewers. I wasnt sure how the beef heart skewers were giong to be, but they were honestly the nicest thing I´ve ever eaten! I love anticuchos!<br />
<br />
Adios, <br />
Moffy xxx<br />
<br />
P.S. plez dont write Ciudad de los Ninos on letters etc because then they take longer to get here!Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-35095798384775431052011-09-23T10:19:00.001-07:002012-03-06T06:27:03.811-08:00Just some day to day stuffJust wanted to put some pics on of around Ciudad! Getting into the routine of things a bit better - we've got to know one of the ladies at the market and she gives us free fruit now when we goo! The hermanas took me to the market yesterday to have my haircut as well, which was cool and we had some chaufa while we waited for it to open up. I cracked into my rocoto olive oil I bought at the market where Ciudad were selling their stuff as well. The boys got their school reports the other day - they all work really hard at school so generally get really good marks! They had to have a really formal collection of them though with the director which was kind of weird. It was nice to congratulate them, but they were expecting 3 - 6 year old boys to sit in silence for almost an hour while they waited for them all to be called up. They got a toy car each though and a bike, but I don't know how 26 boys are expected to play with one bike. <br />
<br />
Yesterday we had our first hermanas meeting at Niño Jesus - just me, Ana Maria, Elisa and Tania - to go over what was going well and stuff. They're so sweet, saying we're a family and a team - starting to feel like I'm part of a community which is nice. Also, felt our first earthquake this morning! Not a big one, but I definately felt movement!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUd_9NEF5HrxdpYv3SRFxlLnJvGDWnOLOZhrAfifkUypxhfvuedchY-TMYNn8LyzALxFCcb2QihffpjsQbsrNt_FuHfmZhGJL93cu3tIvJkJRVwV9_Svtibnfp98CvBEHTTgQhhdOELo/s1600/P1040788.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUd_9NEF5HrxdpYv3SRFxlLnJvGDWnOLOZhrAfifkUypxhfvuedchY-TMYNn8LyzALxFCcb2QihffpjsQbsrNt_FuHfmZhGJL93cu3tIvJkJRVwV9_Svtibnfp98CvBEHTTgQhhdOELo/s320/P1040788.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMIxcuh2o-4HeKi9zLDG12kAb-n5p_2WjBUiMNm8d3ERH5KCzA7dV06oTfyDYx5v4ey3pXfNZX-ppK53Fq9T51R58NH1FddmeRBdn5FvqE9LjVYOYR8LsJff0or3MJfpKVGQ6-CoARco/s1600/P1040798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMIxcuh2o-4HeKi9zLDG12kAb-n5p_2WjBUiMNm8d3ERH5KCzA7dV06oTfyDYx5v4ey3pXfNZX-ppK53Fq9T51R58NH1FddmeRBdn5FvqE9LjVYOYR8LsJff0or3MJfpKVGQ6-CoARco/s320/P1040798.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just ouside the door to our apartment and you can see part of the farm </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfO6m6sYaV0YuV8n5LvnQ6K66-HMJktjlfq7qVuxR7Ot2XwT31HUTgDFnQBk1f05iUu1ffNPYj1B89iARI0VKU0uSQZcseTepTkBo16-qQaI7_XKQmQ4z46bE4HeudoC5u7FBWU-5W2g/s1600/P1040844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKfO6m6sYaV0YuV8n5LvnQ6K66-HMJktjlfq7qVuxR7Ot2XwT31HUTgDFnQBk1f05iUu1ffNPYj1B89iARI0VKU0uSQZcseTepTkBo16-qQaI7_XKQmQ4z46bE4HeudoC5u7FBWU-5W2g/s320/P1040844.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Some of the boys playing in the trees on the olympics day</div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm81Xbo-W7wWnxWK2RqtBXboMV90v_pwuoczPt5WkgdeKtUcPn14lSSIaP8raqoSfzHNP36AOOHhoyrBXm5_-umKHSf2KzfUkgXY68YgCBiD4RRwNiPi1fd0lTwl9PicQ4QfTXW-XxUmM/s1600/P1040895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm81Xbo-W7wWnxWK2RqtBXboMV90v_pwuoczPt5WkgdeKtUcPn14lSSIaP8raqoSfzHNP36AOOHhoyrBXm5_-umKHSf2KzfUkgXY68YgCBiD4RRwNiPi1fd0lTwl9PicQ4QfTXW-XxUmM/s320/P1040895.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Nino Jesus boys walking back from lunch </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sHvhrrYqK_WcQrYcAr-JMw8kbzvNMsKSLfeLejRs_iw1M_Og_3wHM3wnvfLCaNSzKIL_Yc_F_RLRWdjP7j-N3z6RpdVdQI-I3AeIjKB0PXhldukbbbbd6GJs2aygpsX7rLln5pS-YLo/s1600/P1040867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sHvhrrYqK_WcQrYcAr-JMw8kbzvNMsKSLfeLejRs_iw1M_Og_3wHM3wnvfLCaNSzKIL_Yc_F_RLRWdjP7j-N3z6RpdVdQI-I3AeIjKB0PXhldukbbbbd6GJs2aygpsX7rLln5pS-YLo/s320/P1040867.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Niño Jesus' pabellon </div><br />
Chau, Moffy xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-57609227987246034032011-09-23T07:57:00.000-07:002011-12-19T07:56:16.536-08:00Time's a flying!I know we're only just over three weeks in but time's going by so fast! On the 10th & 11th Cuidad had their Olympics, which is like sports day in England, except here it was a much bigger event. So the week leading up to that weekend I worked 90 long hours preparing for it! I made a massive flag with writing on, and went to into central Lima during two of our breaks to pick up things for the blue team - blue wigs, vuvuzuelas, blue face paint, two smurf outfits, blue hula hoops, ID cards for the kids, just about anything and everything we saw that was blue we bought. Then on the day I dressed up as the girl smurf, Daisy, and am still getting people asking if my name is hermana pitufina! The blue team ended up winning though, wooo! Although I have to say the highlight of the whole weekend was definately Evie's sunburn - she had go faster stripes in green facepaint and now has them tattoed on her face. Hehehe.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoSyCwIykBDTEFegHNn5ATvKApAs1U1t59_d8rcqpko35p6OxLONWbTY80PFsdiLS1WmdDrYgMZ3pEASuMSLz3K8xFsek95TYJEkoMyPW18z_4R2xX0ASp7FyGH2v_l0jM94N9kEoseQ/s1600/299191_286803018001965_100000168062804_1416004_755121394_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeoSyCwIykBDTEFegHNn5ATvKApAs1U1t59_d8rcqpko35p6OxLONWbTY80PFsdiLS1WmdDrYgMZ3pEASuMSLz3K8xFsek95TYJEkoMyPW18z_4R2xX0ASp7FyGH2v_l0jM94N9kEoseQ/s320/299191_286803018001965_100000168062804_1416004_755121394_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Us smurfs</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNS11sjxUO1h_8ALzQp9A8SQ5WXnO997CQVETJtj29A3Fa55UPpK8eFP3wsLY2B-RE7qUC_dl5tKgDjLd-FdoOzWviEPS3uJLOuOm0TFoZdQSA_N8sFLstZqqa1SRoPOfxmuD9iS0PbA/s1600/297585_286802891335311_100000168062804_1416000_1507245104_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxNS11sjxUO1h_8ALzQp9A8SQ5WXnO997CQVETJtj29A3Fa55UPpK8eFP3wsLY2B-RE7qUC_dl5tKgDjLd-FdoOzWviEPS3uJLOuOm0TFoZdQSA_N8sFLstZqqa1SRoPOfxmuD9iS0PbA/s320/297585_286802891335311_100000168062804_1416000_1507245104_n.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Blue team woo and the flag I made </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnc57kcCJqDXVwFFc7xC0ZCvQd33a55pBdstvNaBFiXPQ8X-4zsxWwSphV1oRuWJygm4CL-PZNJTl-XuGOsuT8fUgV-MA3rdok7QwPM0uFYpr3j87mqoNtgBhxyv1blUR36qfDUfFxCsA/s1600/308561_287447271270873_100000168062804_1420002_1474919248_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnc57kcCJqDXVwFFc7xC0ZCvQd33a55pBdstvNaBFiXPQ8X-4zsxWwSphV1oRuWJygm4CL-PZNJTl-XuGOsuT8fUgV-MA3rdok7QwPM0uFYpr3j87mqoNtgBhxyv1blUR36qfDUfFxCsA/s320/308561_287447271270873_100000168062804_1420002_1474919248_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Blue team</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span id="goog_1807311297"></span><span id="goog_1807311298"></span><br />
Then on the Monday after the Olympics was the XI Te De La Esperanza which is Ciudad's big fundraising dinner they do every year. It was in San Isidro at The Westin Hotel, literally the poshest builing I've ever seen, and the tallest building in Peru at 32 floors. Hermano Hugo said they were hoping to raise around $25,000 which doesn't even cover a months costs at Ciudad! So many of the women there were so scary looking though, me and Evie were playing spot the bad facial surgery until we realised it'd probably be better to play spot the women without bad surgery. They're so blunt here as well - there was a big raffle at the Te (me and evie won tea at a restaurant in chorillos!) and one of the prizes was a bikini. They called out the number for the winner to come up and as soon as she did she just laughed and said 'but she's fat, when is she going to wear this!?' There were a few bands there as well who are apparently famous here, San Jose did a dance and so did Nino Jesus, so cute! Hermano Hugo took us for lunch as well to a Chifa - Peruvian, Chinese food - which was nice, and for a maccys after! We didn't really do that much, we put lots of leaflets on the tables and helped usher people in, but the day started as normal at 5.40am and we didn't get back till 11.00pm so me an Evie felt pretty delirious after that.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMYQZx90P3sEPkp57PRuMJPpaH56PwCepfDxKy3xin87zxztWFAvE3JeJyq1aShSWQWVx6KzRhyphenhyphenT1UfY0YB70KZEqZV-RnllZVVfMXVct0dr92fWVTR2T4OAGgYEkiePA3jfBApad4DQ/s1600/295920_290757480939852_100000168062804_1433760_1485813653_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMYQZx90P3sEPkp57PRuMJPpaH56PwCepfDxKy3xin87zxztWFAvE3JeJyq1aShSWQWVx6KzRhyphenhyphenT1UfY0YB70KZEqZV-RnllZVVfMXVct0dr92fWVTR2T4OAGgYEkiePA3jfBApad4DQ/s320/295920_290757480939852_100000168062804_1433760_1485813653_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> San Jose boys doing their dance at Te De La Experanza</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj196EpaaDa2LuhppKz4OQfFkMGgPfTUWF0d-Ow73jY7vB45WkIwGUMdDSQ9aOkgfI3AgVqmkrgoX2iFTJdxC-9E91gmF0OFXeNNPhz8PCWcy9FO9RZ5cnHpFtHCFibE_ffXCZoIct_iK0/s1600/307243_290769544271979_100000168062804_1433880_1945842383_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj196EpaaDa2LuhppKz4OQfFkMGgPfTUWF0d-Ow73jY7vB45WkIwGUMdDSQ9aOkgfI3AgVqmkrgoX2iFTJdxC-9E91gmF0OFXeNNPhz8PCWcy9FO9RZ5cnHpFtHCFibE_ffXCZoIct_iK0/s320/307243_290769544271979_100000168062804_1433880_1945842383_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Nino Jesus boys doing their dance at Te De La Experanza</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Probably the biggest thing that's happened though was our trip down south! I found out last Thursday that we were going to have a longer weekend than usual - the boys leaving for their salida at 3.00 Friday instead of Saturday. Me and Evie had spoken a bit about travelling down to Huacachina so as soon as I found out I went and okayed it with Hugo and emailed Samina to say we were going! Thankfully Evie wanted to go as well. So we spent a couple hours Thursday plannaing and after work we Friday we hopped on a bus to Pisco. We stayed at a hostel we'd booked over night then Saturday morning got another bus to Ica then a taxi to Huacachina. I was a bit worried it wouldn't live up to memory, but it was so much prettier than I remembered! Once we got there we had a quick look around, had a go on the pedelos and then went on our sand dune tour and sandboarding. We got back to the hostel just in time for a shower then happy hour and we had tea and some drinks with the people we met on the sand dune tour, and an american couple we met along the way. Our latest night by far yet, got in at half one - unfortunately I can't sleep in anymore so woke up at half six. After breakfast we headed over to Bodega El Catador, which was a pisco vineyard in Ica. We had a free tour and pisco tasting, then had some lunch and headed back. It was a lovely weekend!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3Gqem_ADyYt7KoWLOeUdxWl7FUyI_AyFhgNiBeo3FA_XZ7ghmlUzCREfCxLCVnFb1xtxJOgh-76wvBTIaMRAGy7hD-vNT0pLpZ-AatsyJOYelDA0LWXMLPq5qBq3RvVnxjtuAp5tX-k/s1600/P1050003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia3Gqem_ADyYt7KoWLOeUdxWl7FUyI_AyFhgNiBeo3FA_XZ7ghmlUzCREfCxLCVnFb1xtxJOgh-76wvBTIaMRAGy7hD-vNT0pLpZ-AatsyJOYelDA0LWXMLPq5qBq3RvVnxjtuAp5tX-k/s320/P1050003.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hucachina </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXr-KiZjrmYaGVEh2i_f507m7ZU3mvwJwGfLvbCEVP0LsJ66N4AgXpGDDjt9Qx2bC7pEULecdsV-J5USXkshEGhHiJS1FdMgap_iacVdjUuWNIb8Q2hmnt55F2OZN8N7WpPkU8LPt7ps0/s1600/P1050006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXr-KiZjrmYaGVEh2i_f507m7ZU3mvwJwGfLvbCEVP0LsJ66N4AgXpGDDjt9Qx2bC7pEULecdsV-J5USXkshEGhHiJS1FdMgap_iacVdjUuWNIb8Q2hmnt55F2OZN8N7WpPkU8LPt7ps0/s320/P1050006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sand dunes and buggy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fm4dHSKY9YjLYcvqgLVn9R58SdTlo0z8Tq6fZftNsXvOym2qbzrjNoXgKC9CZO_QxmbB26UsfJXLsUCd15jA0RXROtSNNoCo3iUu7__lFwVz564e3KitE6zTXpV1Adi8iH5b7g1xi20/s1600/P1050023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5fm4dHSKY9YjLYcvqgLVn9R58SdTlo0z8Tq6fZftNsXvOym2qbzrjNoXgKC9CZO_QxmbB26UsfJXLsUCd15jA0RXROtSNNoCo3iUu7__lFwVz564e3KitE6zTXpV1Adi8iH5b7g1xi20/s320/P1050023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sunset at Huacachina</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDD-3aQxEoujNg8XXNXmWvHRDfWI2jJG4P-gm9P5T5rEWX_JB3JGkqcc6UTc4s5DfsakmTCUvKbL_vaVz2CXyBdkg_mBkWuWiJwn-rpgnRV_vlp9RADvK37NrUlpDWUW-X8V1kqS-xNM/s1600/100_5735.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXDD-3aQxEoujNg8XXNXmWvHRDfWI2jJG4P-gm9P5T5rEWX_JB3JGkqcc6UTc4s5DfsakmTCUvKbL_vaVz2CXyBdkg_mBkWuWiJwn-rpgnRV_vlp9RADvK37NrUlpDWUW-X8V1kqS-xNM/s320/100_5735.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Huacachina</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU5cb5vDxAaHpvuL5RoDr_o41CEHXAYvocravRdt3IGoq97AieXZgELTjmmsOo8yMIuO1NON27SQXihQ4VO8zGIXFVayF213r0fJhT3CmwkjKC4wihT4HL0yWzNDVXcx_wkn8RXVoOac/s1600/100_5824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU5cb5vDxAaHpvuL5RoDr_o41CEHXAYvocravRdt3IGoq97AieXZgELTjmmsOo8yMIuO1NON27SQXihQ4VO8zGIXFVayF213r0fJhT3CmwkjKC4wihT4HL0yWzNDVXcx_wkn8RXVoOac/s320/100_5824.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Bodega El Catador</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjS25Cjl1D9fPDX8LpuFG6NjFAB9GDKi77x8WrucWaodSau2Z4rVs26N7mHgH7EjgFBhIqAWRR9sF9Z-FIyjoO_8QVtz7j73EtitLAM-vGUTo6O52qEiMUSL5lxhpqTF4cg-eGRNnGBE/s1600/100_5830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsjS25Cjl1D9fPDX8LpuFG6NjFAB9GDKi77x8WrucWaodSau2Z4rVs26N7mHgH7EjgFBhIqAWRR9sF9Z-FIyjoO_8QVtz7j73EtitLAM-vGUTo6O52qEiMUSL5lxhpqTF4cg-eGRNnGBE/s320/100_5830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Bodega El Catador</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c8U4xFCd99ZFkBZYvBmmbWM8DMmTQYp1jWB2iosSBTnWE9i2Zbhi2MsZeFSbUf6ddzmwifK25rEqKeWw-BJWHt82uZCBSwW5BRVhlSfm5QBWAyvlflNJDfIt-S51r5xWI2JducI1qBw/s1600/100_5833.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8c8U4xFCd99ZFkBZYvBmmbWM8DMmTQYp1jWB2iosSBTnWE9i2Zbhi2MsZeFSbUf6ddzmwifK25rEqKeWw-BJWHt82uZCBSwW5BRVhlSfm5QBWAyvlflNJDfIt-S51r5xWI2JducI1qBw/s320/100_5833.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lots of pisco at Bodega El Catador</div><span id="goog_2117133076"></span><span id="goog_2117133077"></span><br />
<br />
The German volunteer that's staying with us arrived here about a week ago as well - she's called Laura and when she's finished her language course she's going to be working with Evie in Sonrisa as well as living with us so they'll be spending a lot of time together. Nothing much else going on - work is same as usual. I bought a broom the other day though, and now we have a kettle! We have a date for our meeting with Hugo about time off finally - next Monday we should find out when we can travel and it should be the same for next years volunteers as well. <br />
<br />
Love to you all, Moffy xxxxxxxxxxxxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-8872054356742503532011-09-03T15:27:00.001-07:002012-03-06T06:25:25.774-08:00First Week!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcmSuU4L5iuh6b5HcWV1t2V-LD7VAN4PNJyDhsAYDRTZAmWbC60ruWsnqtTjWTo6eHZkEANehxd7shJ4mdhen3dX9h8NBvwcmAfkuCLYGgCG8sjzJ61iRJ0HQ5YGukw9rnRlA0OdIW_k/s1600/P1040768.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcmSuU4L5iuh6b5HcWV1t2V-LD7VAN4PNJyDhsAYDRTZAmWbC60ruWsnqtTjWTo6eHZkEANehxd7shJ4mdhen3dX9h8NBvwcmAfkuCLYGgCG8sjzJ61iRJ0HQ5YGukw9rnRlA0OdIW_k/s320/P1040768.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">All the Peru girls at the airport </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ9g2nG6pXcSbIP0S2wCxJzxn5ZQ7zVpVroLzM-B14aB9vB0lmAh-0s7xGWVTYQKRNPY8jRG4RqeBV8UqnQBtKsJ3k9YRw0zYxsyJ_UZd9_ZUH6jcedJpcHeK0b4-0V9PVZQzeS_L-f8/s1600/P1040775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnZ9g2nG6pXcSbIP0S2wCxJzxn5ZQ7zVpVroLzM-B14aB9vB0lmAh-0s7xGWVTYQKRNPY8jRG4RqeBV8UqnQBtKsJ3k9YRw0zYxsyJ_UZd9_ZUH6jcedJpcHeK0b4-0V9PVZQzeS_L-f8/s320/P1040775.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Me and Ebay</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>So much to say, so little time! Bit of a kerfuffle at Miami airport on the way to Lima with immigration. I still have my American residence card from when I lived in America, and sent them an e-mail to check I didn´t need to apply for a waiver to pass through the US, which they said I didn´t. But when I got to the airport in London, they said I might run into some trouble at Miami so the head immigration guy put a note on the system to ok me going through as long as I surrendered my American residency card, which was fine by me. When I got to Miami, they took my passport off me and put it in a blue file and asked me to que up and wait to be seen by the lady. After I waited, answered some questions with her, she sent me into the immigration room. After another long wait followed by being taken into an interrogation room and questioned again for ages, I only had 40 minutes to catch the connecting flight to Lima, and Miami airport is fucking big. So I ran about 3 miles, got held up at security and ran from there on bare foot, arriving with 10 minutes left till departure. All the girls were waiting for me, it was very sweet, they'd said they decided to wait 5 more minutes before they boarded. I literally can´t believe my luck. Anyway, apart from bit of drama, that the journey was fine and all the girls ended up at a hostel in Lima. The next day we spent the morning at the British Embassy doing some last bits of paperwork, then to Claro to get Peruvian sim cards and credit, but I still haven´t figured out how to make mine work! All the girls went out for lunch then back to the hostel for happy hour! It was really nice to spend some time with all the Peru girls, because we'll probably not see them again until Christmas/New Year time.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHZym7vNhizLz-ikC5aV6k8GWWx5yGtpW2M8oiler0A3ZYmKD1eGiMOo0_qDEmk9rfHEpkerCMJ8a2Aic6ST4g6svNJqT-7S2mP9i2y7NUvM8_pb4-8_go58bt1wVW20K7J2lzPx9O4g/s1600/100_5442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHZym7vNhizLz-ikC5aV6k8GWWx5yGtpW2M8oiler0A3ZYmKD1eGiMOo0_qDEmk9rfHEpkerCMJ8a2Aic6ST4g6svNJqT-7S2mP9i2y7NUvM8_pb4-8_go58bt1wVW20K7J2lzPx9O4g/s320/100_5442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Lima - taken from the top floor of British Embassy </div><br />
We left for our projects on Sunday morning around 6.00am, which was a bit scary. As soon as we got there we just dropped off our bags, had breakfast with the boys and then had a grand tour from Hermano Hugo. Ciudad is massive, it´s more like a city than an orphanage. There´s roughly 300 boys there at the moment, who are split up into houses depending on their age. I´m working with Niño Jesus, which is boys aged 3-6 and Evies working at Sonrisa, which is boys aged 7-9. They´re so cute, I love them all already, but they´re obsessed with my watch and keep fiddling with the buttons so I´ll never know what time it is again. On site at the orphanage though there´s a church, a farm with pigs and chickens, a bakery, a cobblers, a babers, a carpenters, an amplitheatre, a tuck shop, a school with 1,000 pupils, housing for all the boys and a big dining hall. Me and Evie are staying in an apartment, which is quite nice, a lot better than I expected. We have a living room that doesn´t look lived in at the moment, but I´m sure it will after time, then a bathroom and a bedroom. There´s three bunkbeds in it, but at the moment it´s just me and Ebay staying there. Apparently there´s a German girl coming soon who´s going to live with us for most of the year. <br />
<br />
Our monday to friday routine starts at 5.40am when I go to Niño Jesus for cleaning before breakfast, then breakfast, finish off cleaning, take the boys to school, then to morning mass. We get from around 8 - 1.15 for free time, then lunch, cleaning, folding washing, homework, showertime, naptime, dinner, mass then finish work around 8/9ish after they're all tucked in and have finished their homework. Saturdays we have free and then we´re back to work on Sunday at 5.00pm to get the boys ready for mass. Genearlly for breakfast we have two or three breadrolls and sweet coffee, or a runny porridgey type thing. Then for lunch it´s a sweet fruit drink, a soup and pasta, rice, beans or lentils usually with meat for main, and the same thing for tea minus the soup. The hermanas are really nice at Ninos Jesus! Anita is really keen to learn English so we´ve decided to do some lessons. A couple of boys have got something like chicken pox at the moment though, we haven´t figured out exactly what it is yet, so they´re pretty exhausted at the moment, but so lovely.<br />
<br />
Tanya, one of the American volunteers that´s working at Niño Jesus has taken us under her wing and shown us how to do things properly and taken us to the market kinda thing. I think it was the third day we were here when we walked up to the local market. I thought we were staying in Miraflores but it turns out San Juan de Miraflores is a completely different area, and is one of the most dangerous in Lima, Lonely Planet advises travellers to avoid it! Feeling like a bit of an idiot! But to be honest, I´ve not seen anything dodgey at all and all the people have been really lovely so far. Touch wood. Everything´s pretty cheap, and DVDs are only 2.50 soles each! We got our first mototaxi back as well which was pretty exciting. We caught the bus up to the supermarket and bought some bits and peices - some bread, loo roll, that kind of thing. Then today, me and Evie caught the bus to Barranco for lunch. We´ve just had our first plate of Cerviche, which was yum yum, then later we´re going to a bar round the corner for some cervezas y pisco sours to celebrate our birthday! <br />
<br />
Had a bit of a run in with Hermano Hugo on one of the first days here. He´d been on my facebook and seen I´m 'in a civil partnership' with Sammy and said it was inappropriate and could I please remove it - he said if I kept if on, it may give Ciudad a bad reputation and people would start to talk if they saw it. He didn't even stop to ask me if I really was in a relationship with her, just immediately that I had to take it off. I was pretty upset and shocked by that, because I´m just not used to that kind of unacceptance towards gay people. There's a fine line between a difference in culture and just being homophobic. I told him he´d offended me, but that I understood, which in retrospect was probably a bit bold as he´s the director, I´d only just started, and I should respect the cultural differences, but I couldn´t just say nothing. So not too sure what I´m going to do about that yet!<br />
<br />
I´ve not really got this whole being abroad and successfully contacting home thing down yet, but will try and sort that out. Was planning on sending letters to keep in contact with people but it's 7 soles just for a light letter or post card and the postal service is really unreliable here! If you do want to send anything here, my address is:<br />
<br />
Hannah Moffatt <br />
Ciudad de los Ninos<br />
Av. Pedro Miotta 180<br />
San Juan de Miraflores<br />
Lima<br />
Peru<br />
<br />
Bottoms up to anyone who´s read up to here in my ramblings! Lots and lots of love, Moffy xxxxxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-42520548692460131292011-07-17T09:02:00.000-07:002011-12-10T05:50:54.482-08:00Training week and Ciudad de los Ninos, LimaGot back off our training week a couple of days ago, which was ace! Met all the Peru girls, and a few others, and they're all lovely! It was just rammed with lessons on spotting abuse, running a club, bereavement, child to child, politics, sex, drugs and alcohol, what to do if there's a natural disaster etc. We had some time to chill out a bit in the evenings and get to know the rest of the volunteers as well- Evie, Shannon, Kirsty, Harriet, Rosanna, Alex, Aneesha, Emily, Louise, Frances and Wendy are the Peru girls and Alex, Jack and Helen are going to Bolivia. Also, got our dates for leaving - we fly out on the 26th of August, which is about 40 days away now!<br />
<br />
Our new project is called Ciudad de los Ninos and is in San Juan de Miraflores, Lima. It's an all boys orphanage and is broken up into houses based on the kids' age i.e. 3-6 year olds, and we'll each be assigned to a house. We'll work 6 days a week starting at 6am to get the boys up, fed and to school and ends around 8/9pm, but we should get some breaks inbetween. It's run by Capuchin monks and nuns and the kids are all very religious, which will be interesting. We'll get paid around 200 soles a month for our work a month and live in an apartment (with a shower and flushing toilet!). We get two months holiday from December - mid Feb while the boys are off school when we can travel, which I'm really looking forward to! I'm feeling a lot better about the new project now we've got more information about it and actually can't wait to go! Just got some (a lot of) last minute things to sort out now before we go away! <br />
<br />
Adios amigos,<br />
Moffy xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-33361685906132499312011-07-07T05:13:00.000-07:002011-07-07T05:20:52.700-07:00Original project's fallen through<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Unfortunately, I got a phone call last night saying that the Arequipa project has fallen through. Apparently the orphanage is prioritising spending money on construction rather than funding overseas volunteers. I'm pretty gutted because I was really looking forward to the Arequipa project but on the bright side, Project Trust have managed find us another project in Peru! It’s in Lima this time, the country’s capital, and it’s much more central so travelling will be made easier. The orphanage holds 300 kids, and they’re all boys! It was only a brief phone call so I didn’t get much information, but I also found out its run by monks and they go to church twice a day, which will be new as I'm not even slightly religious. It's all a bit confusing at the moment because it's a new project and only started in March '11 so PT don't know too much about it and the current volunteers haven't heard anything about construction so we'll just have to see what happens. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to get some more detailed information this weekend at our training. I’m still really excited about going to Peru; it’s just something slightly different to be excited about. Really excited about training as well and meeting the other volunteers going to Peru!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Moffy xxx</span>Hannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-33558323418477221342011-05-14T11:20:00.000-07:002011-08-24T01:47:20.937-07:00Fundacion por los ninos de Peru, ArequipaGot my project details for Peru today in the post!! I'll be working at an orphanage in Arequipa which holds around 60 cihldren, each split up into 'family units' of about 8. I'll have my own apartment on the orphanage to share with my partner. Also, I'll be in the same city as Lauren, who's travelling with a company called GVI and doing a 9 month teaching course!! What are the chances that we'd be put in the same city!? I'm so excited!! Also, when I went to Peru in '09 Arequipa was by far my favourite city, it's just so beautiful!<br />
<br />
(The rest might be a bit boring, it's just the information wich was written on my placement letter)<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Background</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Arequipa is the second largest town in Peru. It has a quiet colonial feel, as you wander round, never losing sight of El Misti, an awesome snow-capped volcano that towers above. Life in the town revolves around the central plaza, a large square surrounded by the cathedral and grand balconied buildings. There are lots of cafes and restaurants around here where you find tourists and locals alike taking time out to sit and watch the world go by. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Your project is located about 15 minutes by bus from the town centre. You will be working in a children's home for around 60 orphans and abandoned children. The home is split up into 8 different 'family units' with about 8 kids in each. Each group of children lives and eats in a small house with a 'house mother' to look after them. Your main role in the children's home will be helping with the day to day running of the centre, looking after the cihldren, and their general welfare. You will also be involved in organising activities for the children such as arts, crafts and music. An important role is encouraging the children to read and do their homework. As they will be studying English at school you will also be expected to help out with informal lessons and support. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Accommodation</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">You will live in a small self-contained apartment within the orphanage. The apartment comprises of a lounge area, kitchen, a bathroom and two bedrooms. The orphanage will provide all your food. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black;">Life in Peru</span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Arequipa is a very lively town. It is located in the desert coastal belt about 15 hours south of the capital, Lima. From Areqipa it is easy to head up into the amazing Andes mountains or explore some of the wonder of the costal belt, such as the incredible Nazca lines and the town of Pisco, famous for producing the much loved Peruvian drink Pisco. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">Beyond the Andes in the Amazon jungle with spectacular bird and animal life including the jaguar, caiman and anaconda. </span><br />
<span style="color: #666666;">The majority of Peruvians are Catholic, but you will still see evidence of people observing ancient Inca traditions and festivals, the most spectacular being Into Raymi in Cuzco, a celebration and worship of the sun. The two national languages are Spanish and Quechua, which is spoken in the Andes by about 45% of the population. Many people live a very basic subsistence lifestyle, farming corn and potatoes and herding llamas on the antiplano, or harvestinv Brazil nuts and growing papayas and yams in the jungle. This contrasts sharply with the proliferation of internet cafes and cashpoints in most main towns. The troubles with the Sendero Luminoso guerrrilas ended with the imprisonment of their leader in 1992, making Peru a safe and infinitely fascinating place to spend a year. </span><br />
<br />
Moffy :) xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8308694195767159487.post-60098369783263812782010-12-27T06:59:00.000-08:002011-02-21T11:28:41.975-08:00New Blog :)Never done a blog before so I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to write! Hopefully, it'll keep people up to date with what I'm doing, mostly while I'm away really, but a few bits and bats before. I've started writing for grants, but it's early days and I haven't heard anything yet. I'm planning to do one big fundraising event, but I can't decide what yet! Running into the sea in winter or skydiving are possibilities, but not too sure yet.<br />
<br />
Also, if anyone wants to donate, you can do it online at <a href="http://www.virginmoneygiving.com/hannahmoffatt">www.virginmoneygiving.com/hannahmoffatt</a> and there's a bit more information about Project Trust on their website if you want to have a look. <a href="http://www.projecttrust.org.uk/">http://www.projecttrust.org.uk/</a><br />
<br />
Moffy :) xxxHannahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14214193090487163068noreply@blogger.com1