We'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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Two weeks till travellinggggggggg!
Moffy xxx
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