DAY 9

Happy St. Valentine’s Day

Today started out nice and quiet with only the five adults in the house, but before I could get to my breakfast some of the youth were returning from their family experience. Each accompanied by all the members of the household where they were staying. There was a lot of excitement and emotions as they said good-bye to their families. The walls were buzzing with Spanish and English flowing freely as if all wanted to speak at the same time. In the midst of all this chatter scholarship children were arriving to be attended to, eventually we got Pedro to take the youth to the Ocean until lunch, there they can share their experiences with one another. Pauline

After the quiet start to the day, things only got busier and louder (and yes, it is just another HOT day in Chincha).  I was off with driver Pedro and translator Charo to visit two families who were looking for help for scholarships. Jordan had returned early from his family and came with  us.  The first visit, the single mother was managing to take care of her 21 yr. old son, who has been diagnosed with a tumor in his throat, her 19 yr. old daughter, who helps her sell fried foods on the street close by the convent here, and her 13 yr. old son who is starting high school and wants to be a doctor!  I am amazed at how some families do so well (in comparison to others) with just so little!! We need to deliver a single bed here for the son as his is not ‘sleepable’.

At the next visit we met the two boys that would need a scholarship.  They are both on dialysis and awaiting a kidney transplant.  The father and mother have a little store and the father left his work and has committed himself to looking after his sons and gives them their treatment at home!!  They are getting help to pay for the medical supplies via Padre Santiago and his contacts in Spain.

One thing that amazes me on these visits is that you never really know what the living conditions are as you approach the house.  The house may look quite respectable as you approach, but as you enter, you may find a mess with flies everywhere.  Others look very ‘unspecial’ but as you enter the house and move through it, it extends room after room and then comes out in a nice airy courtyard – far away from the busy street.  It’s a surprise every time!!

Today is Valentine’s Day and the table is set for lunch, awaiting everyone to come back from the beach.  There are treat bags at each place setting and decorations everywhere, with a special tablecloth.  This evening we have been promised some entertainment by the families and it should be a wonderful way to end our last full day here (all too soon!).  Yvonne

On the evening of February 12, all of the youth got to go to different families to sleep there for two nights. What an experience!  Though I have to admit, when I was packing for the overnight stays I was a bit scared.  I increasingly became insecure about my stomach hurting, what gifts to give to different family members, how I cannot speak Spanish, and if the family would accept me.  I got so worked up, I had to postpone from going to my family for 2 hours.  However when I finally walked in the door of the Garcia’s I was welcomed with smiles and open arms.  The Garcia family had a whole presentation waiting for me where the two uncles preformed funny skits involving puppets and music. I even had the opportunity to play my ukulele for their family.  When I got to give my gifts to them, they were all very thankful and happy and especially loved the printed copy of the drawing of Mary and baby Jesus I did for them.  The grandma even kissed it!  Later, I got to play the Spanish equivalent of ‘Sorry’ with some family members and got to see their competitive side.  Over the last 2-3 days I’ve learned that we’re sometimes scared of new experiences, not because of anything significant that we cannot handle, but because of our own personal anxieties, bad experiences, and false expectations.  And it doesn’t help if you’re a little sick either.  Angela

Staying at the family I was assigned to was quite an experience for me. I was welcomed with delighted faces and many hugs as I entered their home. One of the family members, Daniel, was the same age as me and was able to communicate and understand a bit of English. And so we really got to know each other very well as we toured around the city. I was even able to go to the school where he studies and meet all the teachers there. But meeting the other family members was a joy especially when I gave each of them presents like it was Christmas. I was overjoyed to see the smiles in each of their faces. However, the experience did astonish me on how the lifestyle is so different between a Canadian one and a Peruvian one. It made me think on how we as Canadians have so many things and probably never use most of it, while here in Peru you would use everything that you would get your hands on. Never again I will spend money on things I probably don’t need. Again the experience has changed me a lot.  Michael

Staying with my host family the past 2 days was incredible. I was a little worried about having to stay with people I didn’t know whatsoever. On top of that the language barrier worried me because I can’t speak Spanish fluently yet. Luckily they spoke slowly and they even tried speaking English which was a big help. The family I stayed with was so happy, they welcomed me with open arms and that was instantly a relief. The first night I had a translator with me so communicating wasn’t too hard. The next morning I was on my own. I learned a few new words by listening to them speak and they were such a big help. In order for me to understand what was going on they spoke slowly and used a LOT of hand gestures; it was much appreciated. All the families requested to spend the entire day with each of the youth they were assigned. I thought it was so awesome that they wanted to spend so much time with us. Angela, Sydney, Marissa, Michael and I all went with a few members of our family to Ica. We took a bus to get there and we visited a winery. We got to see the different processes that the Peruvians use to make wine. The main one explained was a wine called Pisco. The process was long and seemed like it would be hard work. At the end of the tour we got to try 5 samples of the different wines. The last one we tried was 43% alcohol and was so nasty. I got over the taste and drank a bunch of water. The rest of the day was so much fun too. We got home and we learned more Spanish words, it was so much fun. It was an amazing experience to spend time with the family, they treated me like a family member and it was amazing. So glad I came on this trip.  Sabrynna

Today, I met with the single mom and child again at the convent regarding some concerns to assist plus discussion with Jim and Ali Keogh.  Sr. Pauline helped translate the concerns.  I also went with Celinda, my scholarship child to see her high school of 2000 girls.  We met her English teacher, and had a tour with her Vice-Principal throughout the school.  The Peru government had rebuilt it after the earthquake.  We went shopping later.  This afternoon we are delivering beds, wheelchairs, stove, propane, clothes, etc that were needed for the families we visited earlier. Grace

I spent the last two nights with the Choques Cespedes family. There are six in the family and I had an awesome time, I wish I could have stayed longer. It was a little challenging because I do not know Spanish and they do not know any English, but we still managed to communicate and I am glad I smile lots because they at least knew I was happy staying with them. Yesterday we went somewhere called Ica, with a few different families and Marissa, Sabrynna, Angela and Michael. We got to ride on a boat and taste some wine they make here in Peru. Today we handed out beds, buckets and a table to families who needed them. It is nice to receive so many smiles from all the people we are helping. I am very happy that I decided to be part of this trip even though it was more or less a last minute decision. I never thought that something like a toothbrush would make somebody so happy, but here it really does.  Sydney  

Tuesdayat 5 pm we headed out to our Peruvian families home. We stayed there till 11 am today. I had a really good time. Most of the family knew a little English so it was easy to communicate, and when they didn’t understand or know how to say what they wanted in English they used Google translate. On Wednesday we played some games ( it was confusing at first but we got it after a bit), then went out to visit the house of someone who has become a saint. They also brought us to see her tomb and the church. We went back to their house and watched movies. They set the language to English and had Spanish sub titles so that we could understand them. We also went to the Ash Wednesday mass with the family at 7 pm then went on a little tour and to the store to buy some food. Their two cousins also came on Thursday and were spending the week with them. The youngest was 3 and was full of energy and really funny. One time he was singing and dancing to gangnan style and laughing, it was so cute and funny. The family also had pet hamsters that were really tiny. The family was really nice and welcoming, at first I was really nervous about going and spending the two nights and one day with them but they were really nice to us and made us a lot more comfortable. They also bought us a gift which was really kind of them to do.  Kristin & Kayla

This is the last you will hear from the youth now unless before we leave for Lima tomorrow someone decides to jot a note. In Lima we will no have the use of internet to send any messages. Pauline