I’ve completed my first week in Lima, Peru! On one hand it’s hard to believe I’m 1/4 of the way through my trip and on the other- being on a plane on my way down here a week ago seems like a very long time ago! I get asked if I’m having a good time/enjoying the trip, etc and I have to think about my answer because there are many frustrations here yet I never feel truly frustrated. I’ll try to explain! Things are very unorganized here and we are often picked up at a different time than specified (for our walk/bus to the orphanages) or we are picked up for the wrong destination and trying to communicate this to someone with no english is muy difícil (very difficult), it’s very hard to eat what I consider a healthy diet (therefore I feel less than fabulous), the children are often very badly behaved and that can be challenging, it’s not safe to venture out alone and we cannot bring phones or cameras (I sometimes put my iphone in my money belt under my clothes so I can sneak the odd photo), plus the conditions we see are very sad. However, underneath all that I have a sense of peace, happiness, contentedness, and purpose like never before. This trip has been very thought-provoking and what I find very interesting is how some children are so badly behaved - for instance yesterday when I was busy with one child another boy (around 8 yrs old) wanted my attention. When I said “uno momento” he grabbed my arm and bit me! I warned another volunteer that he is a biter (as many of them are) and within less than five minutes he broke right through the skin on her arm and leaving his teeth marks and a deep purple bruise. On the flip side we see these other children who are so incredibly sweet and smart. I really enjoyed flying a kite with this other 8 year old boy who helped me learn a little spanish and eagerly learned the english terms for the words he taught me in spanish. I then watched him go help a worker roll some yarn without being asked. It’s understandable that many are so misbehaved when there are so few workers to many children. They only have time to do the necessary tasks- there is no time to spend on each child, imparting values and good behavior. What makes the sweet children the way they are despite experiencing the same institutional surroundings and situation? I don’t have an answer but human behavior is truly fascinating! What helps while experiencing some of the more frustrating moments here is that I’ve got a roommate with a sense of humour that could make the most stoic individual laugh as you can see from our photos! There’s nothing like a little wacky humour and laughter to make any situation or condition not only bearable but enjoyable! As I look back on all those situations we’ve laughed at I realize that I’ve experienced so much in one week’s time! I was pondering yesterday whether when I get home if I will feel like I have more than I need (and perhaps feel somewhat guilty) or if I will just relish the heat coming out of my faucets and enjoy the kick-ass water pressure! Maybe a little of both! I think I will appreciate those small luxuries we take for granted (nice public restrooms), yet realize that some of the more frivolous things I thought I needed are really not so important after all. One question in my mind, that I will take home with me is, “how can I make the world a better place, how can I make an impact.... a real difference in people’s lives who really need it?”. How will I do this from home? How can I make this a daily purpose that I can truly execute?
Posted on: Sat, 21 Sep 2013 13:25:09 +0000
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