starbucks=success!

We´ll get to starbucks later, because Im only capable of retelling in chronological order. Also, ignore the poor gramar and spelling errors : a) because this is a Spanish keyboard b) because there is only Spanish spell check. So weve had two days of actual volunteering, the first at pachacutec...the school we visited on wednesday. A really poor area, the church runs the school but they have the bare minimum when it comes to resources. I was selected a s a physed teacher! So Thursday was an imporvised class because they were between units... clearly we played soccer. And I was clearly patronized by 10 year old peruvian boys. I had to play to make the teams even; they definitely looked at me, discussed, laughed, and pointed to the net. During breaks between classes I proved that I was somewhat competent and was allowed to play! but holy do those kids have energy. That was a workout and a half, nevermind the fact that 3 boys were skipping class and stealing the ball, so i had to keep chasing them around. AND THEN they made up a story that I made a deal with them and owed them 40cents, good thing they were beyond adorable. Pachacutec is super long bus ride (about an hour and 15) but definitely worth it, seeing how happy the kids are to see you. ALL the little girls pull on your arm so you can bend down and kiss each others cheeks and say buenos dias como estas... it erases all memories of being sardined for an hour in the farthest thing from a 4 wheel drive escalade.

Friday we went to a special needs orphanage, many of us were really hesitant never having worked with special needs children before. It is much closer maybe only 15 minutes away by bus. I worked with toddlers, but other volunteers worked with older kids at preteen age, with the physio, or in the orphanage classrooms. It was a long day from 830 to 130 with no break. Its very physically and emotionally draining to work with children to begin with, but after Friday I have a new found respect for those who work with the special needs. None of my toddlers spoke, or really understood if you spoke to them (even in Spanish), sadly I think some were deaf in addition to their other syndromes. Some were clearly much more debilitated than others and were confined to wheelchairs, where some were able to be the energizer bunny toy destructing kids were used to. I think the biggest help for the nurses was in feeding time. Feeding 10 kids is a huge challenge, so me and Monica (one of the girls from Victoria), helped feed the kids at snack and lunch. We also helped with baths and putting them down for nap time. It was way more exhausting than I could have imagined, but the nurses were very grateful for our help w hich was nice. And every bite of food or slight smile was a huge sense of relief and success. It was a huge eye opener into special needs care in general, not just peru. It was actually areally nice orphanage, they had very high s ecurity, a good amount of s taff, and everyone that needed a wheelchair had one. They also had tons of toys where I was. Some looked like north american donations--so if you are someone that donates, it really does make a huge difference! And to ease the stress of our first day the brazil netherlands game was on while we were there. Basically the final half consisted of e very nurse and doctor and myself sitting with a kid on each leg staring at the television... one doctor held the antenna with his hand the entire time to get the best reception haha.

Also, might I add...I know it sounds ridiculous, but I kind of miss work. Or at least the Pint family, and being the loser I am, all I could think was I hope as many people in Edmonton are watching these games as they are in Peru. Its so huge here (obviously), when we went to another district yesterday we found an avenue of restaurants. It was teh last 10 of the spain paraguay game and everyone was in a cluster outside every restaurant pushing and shoving to see the game. So girls, I hope it caught on at home and you all made sweet money at 7am.

On friday night we ventured to pizza hut... a 5 soles cab ride away (3 soles = 1 USD). A little taste of home was definitely nice. The food here has been fantastic, but sometimes a little grease and non-rice carb is needed. Yesterday we went to Miraflores... Were pretty sure it`s its own city but its close enough to be Lima. Unfortunately the weather wasnt fantastic, but there were still people surfing what looke like hella sweet waves if i was a stereotypical californian. There were like 8 side by side soccer 'courts' on the beach, all the fields so to speak seem to be concrete here, I assume its more cost effecient as far as upkeep goes. Miraflores is defineitly how the tourists see Lima. Tons of shops, malls, museums, and street vendors, and the staple 7 side by side made in china souvenir stores in the center of the main plaza. Where you see tourist, you see Starbucks. That company doesnt lose a dime in any dollar exchange, my grande americano was the same price as it is in canada to thepenny. but it was probably the best most comforting thing ive ever tasted. We ate dinner at a little restaurant called Haiti, just had some simple sandwiches. Miraflores is slightly more expensive then San Miguel (where we are living) but still way cheaper than north america. The gloomy weather took a lot out of us so we ended up coming home pretty early. Later we had a cake and birthday celebration for volunteers from another homestay, which was really nice!

Today I think were going to the inca markets today, which ill write about later this week, maybe before i head off to machu picchu on thursday. I promise the posts will be longer once time passes, as the volunteering itself will require a lot less explanation.

As for now, thats my life story, im going to go learn spanish and cure my cold (which I DEFINITELY caught from one of the twelve children who cough/sneezed snot/drool into my face on friday)