I am so blessed beyond measure. I am so blessed to live in a place that has such a need for God, but yet God gives me strength to live through it. I am sitting here in Las Grandes (the biggest girls house) with Lenny cuddled up next to me watching VeggieTales. Lenny and his 8 siblings were found in the dumpster, and Lenny has to sleep in the big girls house with his sister because he sometimes ends up trying to randomly escape. He is 8 years old, and one of the cutest kids you will ever see.
I don't even know what to write about anymore because I feel like I can no longer compare this life with reality, because it is reality. But nevertheless, here is what has been going on. Lauren and I moved into a new room in the volunteer house, and this has been wonderful. I've gotta admit that I really didn't want to move into this room, because it's literally the size of a closet, but this week I really have been grateful for this room because of all the new volunteers that have been in and out. They have all been really nice, but it's just not fun having 6 to 8 people in your room (which we had before in the bigger room). Some of our stuff was getting taken too, because I think they thought it was "the communities," and now that we have our own room, that has been cut out.
Spanish is getting better and better. There is one problem though. Most of the other volunteers that I live with are from Spain, and there is a pretty big difference between Peruvian Spanish and Spain Spanish. I get asked the simplest questions by them, and I can not understand. I am embarrased to say that I've lived here for 5 1/2 months and still can't understand them when they're asking to borrow my computer or some other really simple question...but then I can go have a 15 minute conversation with a kid in Peruvian Spanish....who knows what it actually sounds like, but who cares. Hahaha.
So discipline in the classroom has been better for sure. Jenn and my other friends from Biblestudy are such angles for making the discipline charts for me, and they have done amazing things. I still have the occasional kid that wants to cause a racquet, but knowing that Peru is statistically ranked as having some serious problems in the education system makes me feel more normal for having problems with disciple. On top of the normal "first year teacher" problems. There is one thing that I really don't like though...its really hard to tell the princpal what happened in class when you really don't even know all the words to explain what the kid was doing...and so when you go to the office with the kid, you have to try to explain what happen and try to learn new Spanish at the same time! hahaha. Its definitely an experience...and a humbling one too.
Well, a couple weeks ago, Lauren and I took two girls from the community to a Christian concert where Kari Jobe was performing, and we actually got to hang out with her and talk to her for a few minutes before the show. thanks to our Peruvian pata Mark. How cool is that!
Also, we've been able to finally connect with some other missionaries in Lima, and this has been wonderful. So so encouraging, and it's so nice to have a some Christian community. And of course I am so very thankful to Lauren. We have become like sisters throughout this time.
Okay...now for some events around the community. Encuentro. Basically a huge talent show where houses and got up and performed dances, skits, whatever. So, somehow we ended up having two of those in a period of about 3 weeks or something. It was fun to see the kids doing something that wasn't school related. The volunteers got to dress up as clowns and bring in pizza that we helped make for the kids. That was fun. I've got one thing to say...you ain't seen nobody dance until you're seen a 5 year old Peruvian little boy dance. They got the MOVES!! April, this next pic is for you. I look creepy, but Martha looks beautiful. :)
Quinceneras. Yep, it's sweet 15. And here, we celebrate it with both the guys and the girls. Unfortunately, I had already planned to go to Cusco during the same time as the Quinceneras, and somehow I became the Godmother of 3 kids literally overnight. Well, turned out to be only 2 kids, but they didn't tell me until the day before....also happened to be the day before I was leaving for Cusco. But it all actually turned out to be good. Lauren served as their step-God mother, so she was able to hang out with them in addition to the other 4 godchildren she had...hahahah Lauren you're so gonna have six biological kids....:) But yeah I was super sad to miss that, but the kids said they had a good time and I brought them back something from Cusco, which they liked, so it all worked out.
It was a little hard coming back and getting into the swing of things....like it always is when you come back from vacation. Now, I just have the feeling that there aren't enough hours in the day. There are so many people coming up to me asking me to do things, or things that I have said that I will do and I forget, or realize that by the time I have free time, it's too late.
Not to change the subject, but I think there is a ritual going on outside my window....they've got a rythm going, there's light from a central location (but I don't think it's exactly a bonfire) and there are squaking noises and I think dancing...who knows...but normally this happens Friday night, not Monday night. Our room now backs up to the outside of the community, so we can see what goes on in two places at once!! Sweet! Okay. Some pics of Cusco.
Machu Picchu
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