I can't believe we are onlyl 16 days from departure! Where has August and September gone? Today I recieved a notification of a group Conference Call for next week with the CCS Program Manager and the other volunteers arriving on the same day. This is new... they did not do this when I went to Peru and I have say it's a great idea! I also recieved word of my placement...my job while I'm in Morocco. Drum roll please...... My placement is: Lala Maryem Center for Abandoned Children A little details about the site: This orphanage has over 250 orphans or abandoned children, of that approximatley 25 have physical/mental challenges. The orphanage was founded in 1914 by a French man and they only get about 2% of their funding from the goverment. What will I be ... read more

When I got up this morning (Sunday) I was really feeling badly... slight fever and can't breathe at all out of my nose. I decided I wanted to go home! I missed my family and I didn't think that much of Cuzco. I made a bunch of phone calls to arrange my flight back to Lima and then to arrange my flight back to the states. I made it to the Cuzco airport at 1:30 PM and hung around until my 3:15 PM flight to Lima. I landed in Lima at 4:30 PM and I had a ton of time to kill since my flight to Atlanta wasn't until 12:20 AM!! My flight to Atlanta took off on time and landed in Atlanta at 8:30 AM. I then had a 10:30 AM flight from Atlanta to ... read more

What an Emotional Day!!! I guess I didn't prepare myself for how tough this day would be. I spent the day at the Wawa Wasi and the kids knew it was my last day and they were so sweet. When my car came to get me they all gave me lots of hugs and kisses and said goodbye. My Wawa Wasi Mom gave me a big hug and she wrote me a note thanking me for coming. I will treasure it! Oh, she told me today that one of the sweetie boys who I've come to love so much does't have a father or a home. He lives on the streets with his mother. How horrible. Anyway, its hard to believe that even if I one day return to Ayacucho I will never see these children ... read more

Professor Riveria who was a friend of Guzman at the University came to speak to us today about the Shining Path (SP). 14 Years ago yesterday he was captured in a house with 4 women in Lima. That day stands as the fall of the Shining Path movement. 69,000 DEAD 15,000 STILL MISSING 2,500 COMMUNAL GRAVES REPORTED OF THE DEAD 45% WRE QUECHAN INNOCENT PEASANTS WHO WERE POOR AND LIVED IN THE HIGHLANDS AND 50% WERE FROM AYACUCHO This violence caused millions and millions of dollars in damage to the infastructure of Peru including the destruction of bridges, schools, and public institutions. When and Where did it Start? In the 1960´s in Latin America there were revoltutions in Cuba and Venezula... There were many communist groups with influcences of Mao, Russian, Chinese ideologies. In 1965 in ... read more

12:30 PM My toys at the Wawa Wasi were a big hit! Essentially they were dollar store, very cheap plastic trucks and a ball. My kids would have turned up their noses but these sweeties were constantly saying, Muchas Gracias Senorita Christina. Betty (Wawa Wasi Mom) really loved the framed photo I gave her of her and her Wawa Wasi kids. She gave me a big hug and was quite proud. They really don´t have many pictures of themselves as printing is more expensive here than in the States. Her daughter kept asking me how much it cost! I feigned ignorance... not hard right? haa-haa It was a great day at the Wawa Wasi. I was peed on and oh yeah, they like to keep their fingers up their noses and then give you what they ... read more