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 :)