Advertisement
Published: October 28th 2005
Nice kids, but gorgeous kitten!!
Vicki reliably informed me that the kitten was a boy - had all the bits in the right places!!Hola mes amigos - latest update for you all. Before I blurb, just want to say thanks for all your comments and e-mails. I´m averaging 6 e-mails per day. It´s nice to think that out of sight doesn´t mean out of mind!! Comments are good fun. My favourite (so far) is the one from Andrew re my driving - probably true too!!
Thursday 27 October
After updating the blog, Vicki and I went for a wander into town. I wanted to check the availability of Halloween decorations (planning a party at Wawa Wasi on Monday for them). There was plenty in the shops and markets, so will stock up at the weekend.
En route to town, we spotted two local girls with the tiniest kitten - well you know what a sap I am - I was smitten!! Photos attached. Had problems getting the youngest wee girl to smile. She only smiled when I showed her the snap on my camera!! Kitten was tiny - probably too young to be away from its mother, but it´s eyes were open. To quote my Gran - they were holding it "like a pun ´o´ mince"!!
Came back to a
No smiles at all!!!
She wouldn´t smile for the camera!! freezing cold shower - my predictions yesterday were correct!! It´s allegedly very good for the skin, but haven´t noticed any obvious difference yet!! Did spot some interesting looking bites on my arms and legs. Definitely not mosquitoes (there are none in Ayacucho). The only thing I can think of is flea bites. Must have come from the kids (I´ve been keeping well away from strange men and animals like my mum told me to!), but what do you do - you can´t just stop all physical contact with them - especially when they take flying leaps at you and launch themselves into your lap!! What´s a few flea bites anyway??!! I´ve also noticed that I´m losing weight, and have absolutely no idea why! I´m eating like a horse, and not exercising as much as I do at home!! My trousers are definitely getting looser aroud the waist and the bum!! Interesting!!
Came back from town to Spanish lessons. Was learning the subjunctive tense - aaaaarrrrrrgh!! Do you have any idea how many irregular verbs there are in the Spanish language??!!
My roommate Keira leaves on Saturday morning (only one more night to go in the top bunk- yeeeeessssss!!),
Blue hands Ernesto!!
Ernesto was helping me with hopscotch squares - this was the result. I then got a ´knee hug´ from him and ended up with blue handprints on my navy trousers!! so we were having a bit of a bon voyage night out in town for her last night. We metup with a girl called Sue, who was a volunteer with CCS and loved Ayacucho so much that she has now moved out here. She works as a teacher (English) at the University and has rented a flat in town. I spent quite a while chatting to her. Kind of envious that she is so certain about what she wants (she´s staying for a year initially and will see how she feels after that), as that´s the conundrum I´m facing at the moment!! Must admit that the possibility of packing it all in to do something like this on a more permanent basis has crossed my mind, although not seriously at the moment as I´d need to sort out all my commitments at home first. I´d also need to face the wrath of my Mum, and save up lots more money too (sorry audit team - I will be back!!). Andrew has also booked tickets for him and I to see Katie Melua in February 2006, and I know he´d kill me if I stand him up!!
We ate at homebase and then went to a very nice bar. I decided to have a night off from the Pisco Sour and had a Cristal beer instead (only a small one this time though!!). There were nine of us out in total which was nice. The others headed back to base after the one beer, but Keira wanted to go on the hunt for ice cream. Notion appealed to me too, but after a quick scout round the plaza, we gave up (shops all closed) and headed home. Slept like a log again which was great!!
Friday 28 October
Wawa Wasi this morning. Karina was back today. Giovani and Elias were late, but appeared in time for breakfast. I finally made the breakthrough with Karina. She´s two and a half, and absolutely loves to play ´pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake´. For those of you too old to remember, it´s the hand calpping game (pat-a-cake, pat-a-cake baker´s man, bake me a cake as fast as you can??). She also loves ´round and round the garden runs the teddy bear´ (the game that ends up with you tickling the kid?). At one point I had the kids all crowded around me playing these two games. Karina was shoving her way in past the boys to make sure she got her turn. I was thrilled!!!
Came up with another good one for them today - hopscotch!! The floor of the WW is cement, so I was able to draw hopscotch using chalk. The kids loved it - helped them with their balance and coordination and also to learn their numbers. Ernesto was the best - probably due to him being the eldest. He was helping me draw the squares. Photo attached of him with bright blue hands (as opposed to a blue nose, mum!!).
We also finished our tree frieze today (after three days and flooding from hailstones!!), it is very bright and colourful. An artistic description would be ´autumnal´ if you´ve ever seen red, yellow blue and green autumnal leaves. Julia was thrilled with it and insisted on nailling it on the exterior wall in the yard which separates her from her neighbour. I was handed a hammer and massive nails and requested to oblige. Good job I´m reasonably practical - one of the skills you develop as a girl living on her own!! Tried to get a photo of the finished masterpiece, but camera batteries were flat. Will snap it on Monday if it´s still intact!!
Have discovered that another two of the youngsters are leaving the house this week. We will be left fairly thin on the ground until the new guys arrive. None of the next group are staying any more than a month. I reckon if you want to do this kind of work, you have to be prepared to stay for a while. It takes a while to get to know the kids you´re working with. I feel that my relationship with them is only starting to build up now. It also takes time to learn Spanish. I´m still struggling. I can communicate reasonably well with the kids, but am totally lost when the adults speak too quickly.
We are going out for dinner and a Pisco Sour to mark Manuela (one of our group) leaving tomorrow. Manuela now lives in the States, but is Swiss born. She is in her 60´s and an inspiration to us all. She has been working at a Wawa Wasi, and has had her kids doing yoga!! She is a lovely person, despite being the opposite of me as she is an early bedder and very early riser!! She has taken everything in her stride, including more wet trousers at Wawa Wasi than I´ve had! We will miss her a lot!! The plan for tonight is a pizza at Ninos and then maybe a Pisco Sour in the bar we went to last night.
Have no definite plans at the moment for the weekend. Going on a trip to the coast next weekend to see the Nazca lines. Understand I also get the opportunity to sand board (on sand dunes) which will be great fun. Hope that my snowboarding lessons will help there. Reckon it has to be a similar technique!! This is another Pancho organised trip. At the moment, Vicki, myself and another two of the girls have signed up for it.
Planning a longish lie tomorrow, then a move to claim my new low down bunk!! After that maybe some reading and then shopping and preparation for the Halloween party at Wawa Wasi on Monday.
Have also received details of the Methodist Church in Ayacucho, so plan to check that out on Sunday. Think that will be about as close to my own Church as I can find here.
There is no WW on Tuesday of next week as it is a national holiday here to celebrate All Saints Day. Understand that there will be some festivities at the plaza Monday night to celebrate Halloween, so will need to check that out.
Just thinking that I´ve now completed my third week here. That´s me a third of the way through my voluntary work before I go travelling. It´s going so quickly. Sometimes I feel a bit down as I feel I´m not really achieving much here. That´s when your comments and e-mails are really appreciated. I just have to learn to accept that no one individual can save the world!! Would be nice though, wouldn´t it??
Anyway - hope you enjoy the above blurb. Take care of yourselves!!
Lesley x
Advertisement
Tot: 0.072s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 6; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0465s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb
Paul G
non-member comment
sandboarding
Falling on sand hurts considerably more than falling on snow. Even then I'll bet it wont hurt half as much as falling on the dry slope at bellahouston. Remember to protect your arms and legs because the sand will probably contain rocks and who know what else. Let us know how you get on (no fibbing now).