Annnd the beat goes on.

Time has flown by since my last update! These last couple weeks have been pretty chaotic at the Hogar. Last Monday was a huge fiesta: the first day of Spring, the Day of Love, the Feast of St. Michael, and most importantly, Students’ Day. We had a huge celebration at the Hogar, which included lots of entertainment courtesy of the staff and volunteers. It was a ton of fun, and we had spent a lot of time practicing surprise dances for the girls. For one of the acts, each of us was given a famous Latin singer who we had to impersonate while lip-syncing and dancing to one of their songs. I was a pop singer named Fanny Lu who has some of the lamest (yet entertaining) dance moves I’ve ever seen! Another dance we performed was from High School Musical, which the girls absolutely love. We all had such a great evening. They really know how to have huge parties here, and seem to pull them out of nowhere!

The Jugue has been good lately – exhausting, but good. It’s hard to describe exactly how those three hours go every morning, but they are a lot of work. Between Jenna and I, ten kids doesn’t seem like too many, but I think that since the degree of attention they demand is so high, it really feels like twenty kids. Everything works out in the end, though. Even though they act up more than a lot of kids (e.g, the other day Aide punched Nora and gave her a bloody nose!), they can be also be the sweetest little things in the world. We have a lot of fun doing things like dressing up as princesses (including Pepito, the only boy, who demands to be included), making mud pies outside, singing, dancing, and coloring. One of my favorite activities is going to get milk from a dairy farm. Don Pancho (groundskeeper/handyman) drives all of the Jugue kids, babies included, twenty minutes into the country, and then we stay and see the cows while Don Pancho gets the milk. The drive out is so nice for the kids - it's the only time they get out besides walking to Mass on sundays. Here are some pictures of a "Leche" excursion: me with the kids at the farm, and Don Pancho helping to load the kids into the truck.    

I've been meaning to write about one of my favorite things at the Hogar: their farm out back. There is a vegetable garden, fruit trees, pigs, turtles, chickens, ducks, roosters, geese, and turkeys. Soon it will be mango season, and the mango trees are very plentiful here. I can't wait! I love going out to the garden and pulling up carrots when I feel the need for a healthy snack. When we run out of eggs, it's always an adventure to go find chicken eggs from the coop without getting attacked by the turkey. I don't know why they have turtles on the farm, but I do know that turtle eggs are a delicacy here. Sometimes the turtles escape and make their way into the playground while I'm with the Jugue kids out there. I must admit I was quite frightened the first time I saw a turtle charging us out of nowhere. They are really huge, about two feet in length, and they move fast! I don't think they kids are actually scared of the turtles, but they enjoyed screaming with me anyway. Here are some photos of the farm animals: baby ducks, the rooster that wakes me up at all hours of the night, and the pigs which we apparently eat on New Years (I just learned this today).

        

This week has been really busy because Beth and Erica are leaving on Monday! There will be big party for them this weekend, and all week we have been preparing parting gifts for them with the girls. The volunteers are going to sing "Leaving on a Jet Plane" at the party, which I think will be amusing given its romantic lyrics. I'm just relieved we don't have to learn another dance this week! I'm going to miss Beth and Erica terribly. They have helped Jenna and I so, so much to get adjusted here. Life is really going to change once they leave. It's a necessary change, though. Jenna and I will hopefully be filled with a new kind of energy, knowing that we are truly on our own for good. Please pray for us! And pray for Beth and Erica as they adjust to life back in the U.S. and discover where God is calling them next. 

My computer is dying now, so I will say farewell. I won't wait three weeks to update again, I promise!

Tres Semanas!

21 days... what a whirlwind! I'm so happy to report that a routine has been established this past week, as I have taken up nearly all of my responsibilities from Beth and Ericka. I now have more of a sense that I live here and that this is my life. While I'm still learning a lot everyday, I know the basics of life at the Hogar and in Montero. I'm very pleased with the way things are going!

I really like waking up bright and early. I try to be up at 6:30 am, and by 6:50 the shrill breakfast bell (el timbre) rings. The volunteers lead the girls in a prayer and then we let them into the comedor (cafeteria) and eat with them. This process is over by 7:10 at the latest. One morning my alarm clock didn't go off, so I woke up to the breakfast bell. Oh boy! I only had time to throw on shoes and a jacket over my pj's and run to the comedor. Still unable to see clearly, I stood in front of the girls as they lined up for breakfast. They started laughing at me, telling me something about a "bruja." At this point, remembering Spanish vocab. was not within my mental capacity, but I finally remembered that "bruja" means witch. So, I had fun sitting through breakfast as the girls continued to let me know exactly how awful I looked. One girl at my table even told me I needed a broom to fly around on! I love their blunt comments and unabashed sense of humor. Just my style; the more laughter the better!

At 8:30 Jenna and I enter the Jugueteria. This is one of my favorite moments of the day! I open the door and twenty little kids run at me, screaming "Liz!" (it sounds like Lisa without the "a"). One of my first tasks with them is teeth-brushing. Sarah instigated this habit just this year, and it's clear that most of these kids have lived their two to four years of life without ever having seen a toothbrush. For some of them, every tooth is rotten beyond hope, but developing the habit of brushing is crucial. Beyond instilling good hygiene, the five minutes I spend with each kid gives them my undivided attention, and they feel truly cared for. It's not a surprise that they all love having their teeth brushed!  These kids just don't receive undivided care, and I really cherish having just a few minutes of one-on-one with them. 

Besides the hour it takes to brush everyone's teeth, the kids play outside on their playground with us, and we also do some sort of activity or craft inside. Right now we are teaching them a Spanish song with its English counterpart for an upcoming fiesta on the 21st (Student's Day). The English song is "Are You Sleeping," and while they have the Spanish version down, the English is a bit more tricky. They absolutely love trying, but can't seem to get some important sounds down. "Sleeping" comes out as "bleemping" without fail, no matter how much I work with them. I try hard not to crack up as we practice, but they are too darn hilarious! 

We eat lunch with all of the girls at 1pm. Lunch is considered the biggest meal of the day (this is clear when breakfast and dinner can consist of merely a piece of bread). On Wednesdays the volunteers eat lunch at the convent down the street where the nuns live who run the orphanage. We love going there! This past Wednesday, there was a priest visiting named Padre Abdo, who came from Lebanon to serve in Bolivia 11 years ago. He was highly gregarious (my family: imagine a Lebonese Johnny Cuomo), never stopped grinning, and had an amazing laugh. I loved his company! After we ate, he got his guitar and played for a long time, singing in both Spanish and Arabic. It was beautiful, and made me miss the music at home! 

This week, there began a new development among the my community of volunteers. Jenna and I wanted to accelerate our Spanish comprehension and speaking abilities, so we decided to ban English everyday until after dinner. I was so worried to begin come Monday morning! I felt that if I weren't able to express myself at all, all day, I would probably just explode and die. Well, the first day was such a wonderful surprise; I not only knew more than I thought, but I learned a ton more! Hearing the other volunteers speak slowly, I was able to comprehend and imitate their Spanish much more than with the Hogar girls. I also began carrying around a pocket Spanish dictionary and notebook to write down verbs and phrases that I learned. After just one week, I am feeling more hopeful than ever that I will conquer this language! I still dread waking up and knowing that I will have to struggle to say anything, but the pain is completely worth it at the end of the day. 

I will end this entry end with one last story that makes me laugh just thinking about it! So, sometimes the volunteers go to evening mass during the week. We walk about 20 minutes to Mercedes, the big church in downtown Montero. Padre Carlos is from Guatemala and he is absolutely phenomenal and very high-spirited. I love hearing his homilies, even though I can't understand them. His holiness and desire for the good ring so clearly in his voice! Anyway, after each mass, he descends the altar half-way, and invites the congregation up for a blessing with holy water. The altar boys bring him a pail of holy water and an actual whisk broom and as people flock up, he begins drenching them with water. Holy water is flying everywhere! I swear Padre Carlos is actually laughing up there because he is literally soaking everyone and everything! It's the funniest thing to see! Once when I went up I was hit with a ton of holy water in my face, and I continued to experience the downpour as I walked away. I don't think it's meant to be irreverent in the least; the whole congregation (which is HUGE) comes up to be blessed, and are very pious about the whole ordeal. I guess it's just the Bolivian way, and I love it! 

Also, I just remembered one of my favorite jokes:

How do you make water holy? You boil the hell out of it! 

One last thing: I want to give my address to everyone. If you want to send me a letter, I would love it so very much. They take about two weeks to arrive. I will add one specific request. If you do send a letter, please add in some comics from the paper. I miss them so much! If there are none that you find funny, send me the "Love Is.." of the day. It would probably come on a day when I'm in the depths of despair, and completely save me! 

Elizabeth Lowery

Hogar Sagrado Corazon

Casilla #4

Montero, Santa Cruz

Bolivia

 

I commend you for making it to the end of this one :) 

Still loving it!

I’ve made it through my first ten days! I’m really getting into the lifestyle here, remembering more of the girls’ names, and delighting in both their company and that of my fellow volunteers. Not surprisingly, I’ve had a lot of exciting “firsts” these last few days:

I rode my first few motos, the fastest and cheapest way to travel around town. At home, I’ve ridden on the back of Ben’s motorcycle, so I knew it was going to be fun and was looking forward to riding. Generally, you sit side-saddle on the back of the seat, which feels much less secure since there’s not much to hold onto. The roads are dirt and there aren’t any traffic laws, so it was quite a thrilling and perilous experience. I loved it! Tonight, I rode for the first time in the dark, which was super enjoyable with the cool evening air blowing in my face. I do wonder if there are very many accidents, because drivers are so crazy. I’m not worried at all, but I will make sure to invoke my guardian angel whenever I venture out on a moto.

A few days ago I ate liver for the first time. It was served at lunch and initially I though it just looked like weird, dark chunks of beef. I’m really open to trying new foods and I’m not too picky, but one bite of that cow liver was all I needed to lose my appetite completely. I only found out what it was later, but I could have guessed I was eating an organ that filters out toxins from the body! I will say that liver is very good for you, with huge amounts of iron. I’m tempted to eat it again for that reason, but we’ll see about that. Besides my liver experience, I have liked most of the food here. I’ll expand upon that later.

Thursday, the 27^th, was my birthday! It was one awesome day. I was told that Erica and I would celebrate our birthdays together on the 28^th, which is Erica’s birthday. Little did I know, that was a lie. At five thirty AM, I awoke to my door being opened and the lights turned on. Suddenly my room was filled with little girls singing to me, their arms full of balloons and flowers. I was immediately melting after a few seconds of blinking and confusion! They had all just woken up, and so their song sounded kind of like a dirge, but I thought it was perfect. Carmen, who planned it all with them, filmed the whole thing, with me squealing hysterically in my nightgown with squinty, sleepy eyes and lines all over my face. I was so surprised and of course fell in love with those girls even more! Carmen said they had been so excited to surprise me they could hardly sleep. What a perfect start to my birthday! Later in the day, the nuns who run the orphanage had a surprise party for me and Erica. After dinner all the volunteers went to Benediction and Mass in downtown Montero. Padre Carlos offered the Mass for the missionaries and especially for me! Afterwards I came back to the Hogar with Carmen (the other girls had returned before us), and when I walked into our kitchen there was another surprise party! I was so shocked. They had decked out the whole place, gotten me a light-up crown, an ice cream cake, presents, and more. I am still blown away by these amazingly sweet girls. It was my first surprise party ever, and I’d always, always wanted one! Needless to say, my birthday was incredible.

It sounds like I’m having fun all of the time here, but keep in mind that this is still my relaxed transition-phase. Because I haven’t taken over the Jugue or Library duties yet, I’m really not experiencing routine “work” as it will be the rest of the year. Day by day, however, I’ve begun to understand what the overall SLM role is here. We are here to live with the girls, to talk with them, play with them, just to be with them and become a normal part of their lives. The girls already have their lives at the Hogar established, so they aren’t relying on me to do anything for them. It’s up to me to develop relationships with them, to engage them in conversations, and to show them that I want to be their friend. It’s not too hard to do so, since the girls are so eager to spend time with the volunteers. This is where learning Spanish becomes such a huge priority for me, because the more I learn, the more I can develop personal relationships with the girls. I like the set-up here, in which I will have scheduled duties in the Jugue and Library, but only for a few hours a day. The rest of the day is free and I can choose to spend it however I like. The girls are just hanging out everywhere, outside and inside, all the time, and it takes little effort to spend time with them. It’s a wonderful way to freely give what I can to the girls without pressure and planning. Besides being with the girls (who are anywhere from 5 to 18), one of my favorite free-time occasions is the “invasion” of the toddlers. When the staff brings them out to play in the courtyard, they make a beeline for our kitchen. They literally charge us (even though some can only waddle), laughing maniacally, and within seconds are everywhere, climbing on us and getting into everything. We herd them outside to play with them, and it’s so wonderful to be able to give them individual attention, because they need it so much! Sadly, some of the 2 and 3 year olds who have suffered a lot of abuse have a hard time playing normally. They stand off, staring blankly or crying quietly. It’s these ones who I especially love to play with, because getting a smile or a laugh out of them feels like a little piece of heaven. It’s so hard to see kids suffering the way these ones do, but being here for them makes it somewhat more bearable.

Wow, and I thought my last entry was long! I’ll give it a rest for now, but I know I’ve forgotten a ton of stories I meant to tell. Hope everyone back home is well, and please pray for me!