Week 1

I am currently writing this, while wearing cabin socks, long sleeves, a sweatshirt and underneath a blanket.  It is the dead of winter here, and essentially just always cold and damp; I have yet to see the sun.  That being said, the temperatures are already on the rise and soon the sun will shine everyday.

I arrived at Casa Hogar around 1:45 am on Tuesday morning, and didn’t sleep for a minute, thinking there was mass at 6:30 am, and not wanting to miss it.  I went to the chapel in the morning to find the priest who serves here to be praying.  He greeted me warmly and began to show me around Casa.  We went to the kitchen, met some of the girls, and he gave me some bread that the kids were making in la panaderia (the bakery; all bread is made from scratch every morning).  The day was a whirlwind; eggs and fresh bread for breakfast, followed by a hike up the sand dunes behind Casa, meeting a million different people, and realizing that my Spanish was nowhere near up to par.  The accents made it that much more difficult combined with no sleep for the past few days, and I had no idea what anyone was saying, any of the time.

The first week has been an adjustment.  Mass is at 6:30 in the morning, so there is no sleeping in, everything is in Spanish, and the streets are filled with children in school uniforms, stray dogs, vendors selling goods, and mototaxis, buses, and cars that stop for no one.  However, I have felt the love that these people here have to offer.  Despite not speaking their language very well, the kids have been incredibly patient and everyone greets me with a smile, hug, and kiss on the cheek.  I am slowly learning names, and I have begun helping the nurse.  She is one of the sweetest people I have had the pleasure of meeting, patient with my Spanish and always willing to teach me something new and let me help.  Tomorrow she is letting me come with to the hospital at 5am for an appointment!

I am very blessed to spend time with the priest, Father Hirsch, who knows so much about everything.  My fellow volunteer has been an incredible help in learning the language, communicating, and showing me around Casa.  Sarah, the volunteer coordinator left three days after I arrived, however she was endlessly helpful with getting me adjusted to life in Peru.  In other words, I couldn’t be in better hands right now.  Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers they mean the world to me.