It`s working!

Hola!

I finally get to update! Sorry for the delay. Apparently, the computers at the Peyton Center hate me. My blog won’t upload correctly, but thankfully Emily could steal wi-fi on her laptop from the neighbors =)

Well, the good news is that I am safe and sound, and the Peyton Center is probably the safest place that I could possibly be in Peru. I was separated from the group on the plane, so instead of doing work like I had planned, I watched movies. I watched My Sister’s Keeper and bawled my eyes out, but I also watched No Strings Attatched with Ashton Kutcher. After that, I watched What Not to Wear! It was wonder.

So, we loaded up the bus and drove to the Peyton Center from the airport. At the airport, the city looks like a nice first world city. The airport itself is actually beautiful and clean. But….then we got a block away from there. It was like a whole different world….a third world country. The conditions that people live in are shocking. If they have windows, it is a miracle. The buildings are crumbling around them and they hang their clothes in the part of the building that is in ruins. The devastation that is so acceptable is appalling. I really can´t even put it into words.

We got to the Peyton Center and it is like it doesn’t belong. It´s gated in and the buildings are nice! However, the bathroom and living situations are…less than ideal. They have plumbing, but it´s not like back home. So, we can´t flush toilet paper down the toilet….and we have to remember to bring it into the bathroom with us (and between all of us, we have 4 rolls….). I have a feeling, that this is going to be a hard thing to remember to do. Also, the hot water is broken. So, I took the fastest, most FRIGID shower of my entire life this morning. I don´t know how people do this every day of their lives, or forego showers all together. As for the living situation, there´s 7 girls with bunk beds in one room. This could get interesting real fast. Oh, and they have 2 dogs here! Princesa and Brandy. They are adorable…but have fleas. And the best part is that we were informed of that AFTER they were let on our beds. What can you do now?

We started speaking Spanish yesterday morning at breakfast. I felt so overwhelmed because everyone else here can speak Spanish so well, and I can barely form a correct phrase as of right now. It’s frustrating, but being immersed in the language constantly is a ton of help. I am picking up words and phrases that I forgot, or that I never knew before. The conjugations are another story for right now.

Yesterday we got a tour of all the places we will be doing service at. First, we went to Fe y Alegria Numero 25, which is the local school. After that, we went to Yucana Husay, which is a place for special needs kids to get assistance, especially for PT and OT. Finally, we saw the clinic where the poor can get medical attention that they can afford. We came back, had dinner, and hung out in our room for the night as we got the day off. We made quick friends with the group from St. Edward’s. They’re one of our sister colleges (I think) from Texas, and they only overlapped us for one day.  I wish they could have stayed longer because they were a lot of fun!

Today, I went to Fe y Alegria with Isabel, Monika, Devon, and Christina. Isabel and I went into a first grade class, and it was unbelievably amazing. The kids are probably the most friendly things I will ever come across in my entire life. We walked in and got greeted by the entire class, and kids ran up to us and gave us hugs. It was adorable. Since they were in the middle of a lesson, Isabel and I just observed from the back for a little bit and then once they had exercises to do, we helped the kids. We were adding and counting, and it went quite well. They use these little boxes that have two compartments and put the correct number of rice-like pieces into each compartment to make the number that they want. We made friends with the kids fast, and they showed Isabel and I how to play with trompas, which resemble dredels.  Isabel and I were practicing tonight, but failed miserably. Instead of showing the kids how good we are tomorrow, we are going to make them teach us =) We felt like celebrities…the kids were asking us for autographs!  They were hanging all over us. Everywhere we walked, especially during recess, there were about 20-30 kids flocking around each of us at all times. I never wanted to leave.

We came back and had another wonderful dinner that the cook at the Peyton Center, Isabel, prepared for us. I have loved every dish she has made so far, even though I have only identified potatoes. The Peruvian food is definitely something that I am going to miss, I can see it already. I also know that I am going to gain a TON of weight. I better start going for runs =P

After dinner, we had a dance class. It started out real slow, as we were just watching clips of native dances. We all looked around at each other with the same thought – that we weren’t going to dance and just sit there and watch movies the whole time. However, the movie ended and we got up on the stage! The instructors, Maria and Javier, were absolutely amazing. They took us through everything step by step and really helped us individually. We did about six dances, and I loved it! Carissa and I really got the hang of it, and it was noted. It felt good to be recognized! I loved the dance class, I want to experience more things like that than sit in class daily.

Already, this experience has opened my eyes to many things. I know there is plenty more to come and I hope to make the best of it. I know that I can do so, it’s just a matter of bringing everything together and applying it! Since I have to be up for breakfast in 8 hours, it’s time for bed, considering I am always exhausted! Goodnight, and I hope to be able to update soon!

¡Adios para ahora!

Chelsea

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