15 Weeks In

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Hola! It´s my last week in Arequipa!! Not really sure how I feel, I think I´m ready to leave everything except my kids!! It´s just starting to hit me that I won´t see them again, and the guy I´m leaving them with will only have one week in school with me there, so hopefully they will be ok! I will definitely miss pabel the most, who is in first grade, and possibly one of the naughtiest kids in school, as well as the smallest. He also has the cheekiest smile ever. He usually has a big strop most days when he doesn´t want to do any work, and sits there mumbling away about it which is very hard not to laugh at! last week he was so cross that he emptied his rucksack and put it on his head and just sat there for half and hour (photos to follow)! Every day he makes a run for it as his doesnt want to stay for the homework session we run in the afternoon and then has a bit of a meltdown when we dont let him leave which lasts at least half the session, then he will suddenly decide he want to work and get it all done with a big grin. Elvis can now count to ten and almost recognise all the numbers to write them down, and i can also call him elvis without even thinking about what a cool name it is! The 3 girls in grade one are doing really well at learning to read, which they couldnt do at all when i got here, which i guess is the advantage of being on the project for a longer time, i really have seen them get better.
Wow i´ve done lots of stuff since I last wrote this! i went to chile for 4.5 hours a couple of weeks ago as i needed a new visa which was a fun trip. You just go to the bus station on the peruvian side and pay some random guy to drive you across the border, which seemed slightly dodgy but was actually really easy. Wonderwall is my driving across the border song now, and a bit of dido too! Chile was really nice, very hot, and you could clearly see it was a wealthier country, although the cake wasn´t as good!
Our project manager left last weekend, and we had a big party in her honour, the WHOLE SCHOOL was packed into one combi (slightly bigger than a minibus) and we drove to the centre of the area they live,where there was a huge lawn. as soon as we got there the kids just went crazy as they never have a big stretch of grass to play on, only rubble and concrete, it was so funny to watch them all doing handstands and cartwheels. then they all got dressed up in traditional costumes and did a big show and we all had chicken and pototoes for lunch.
5 of us are leaving this weekend, so only 3 people who are on the project at the moment will be there afterwards which is weird, and makes leaving easier as it wouldnt be the same. I´m also so so excited to see lou and zoe!!
Anyway dont know when I´ll get chance to write this again, but i will try!
Leah xx

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