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Published: November 15th 2005
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The height box
The kids basically stood in this and the moving panel was slid down onto the top of their head to measure their height. Hola amigos!!
Back to Wawa Wasi today. Went with 6 empty pringles cans, 2 empty vitamins bottles and a packet of macaroni!!
We had a full compliment again today, and still have the chute. Julia and I spent the first hour covering the pringles tubs in the soft foamy fabric that I used for our sea frieze. We cut out enough to cover the tubs and stuck them on with Pritt stick. The plan was to paint them using the paints I´d bought a few weeks ago, and fill the tubs with the macaroni, so they have shakers. I plan to see if I can get them to keep rhythm to some of the kiddies tapes Julia has for them at WW.
We had the milk (leche) early this morning, as Julia was keen to vamos. I expected that we were headed to visit another WW. We left Julia´s house and started on what was a very long walk with eight kids under 4yrs old in the scorching sun. Our walk was made even more complicated by the fact that they are digging massive trenches for sewerage systems in the area (approximately 8 feet deep) and we had
Weighing machine
Kids were basically rigged up in a seat, which was hung onto the scales by a big hook. Looked pretty scary to me!! to find a way of getting the kids across these on two separate occasions. It was pretty hairy at times. I will try to take a photo tomorrow so you can understand what I mean.
We walked for a good 10 mins and finally arrived at another WW. We knocked on the door and I was amazed to see lots of kids (approx 12) running around with no clothes on at all. I was then asked to help our kids get undressed. What was actually happening was that all the children were being weighed and their height taken. The other kids that were there were from WWs in the surrounding area. Most of them were very young and there was an incredible amount of screaming and crying!! I was very proud of ours - the only one to cry was baby Rufina who is only around a year old. They were great!!
The whole process took over an hour and all their heights and weights were recorded and written in ink pen - height on one arm and weight on the other!!
The weighing machine was pretty scary - the kids were basically sitting in a support which was hung on the weighing machine. A set of scales would have been so much simpler. The height machine was a wooden box with a sliding piece of wood on a scale. Have attached photos for you to see.
When we arrived back at WW we painted the shakers. The kids really enjoyed it. They were still wet when I left, but will hopefully get some photos of them with them later in the week. Tried to explain to Julia today that this is my last week. Not sure she fully understood.
Headed back to base for lunch, and there was (surprise surprise.....!!) no hot water, so another lukewarm shower followed.
Was a gorgeous afternoon, so decided to wander into town and let my hair dry. Almost finishedmy Christmas shopping, and have done the majority of it at the local markets. Not quite like the Govan market, and they definitely don´t have a tea room there like they have in our Church. Instead you can buy freshly (I assume they´re fresh) plucked chickens with everything still intact except the head, or maybe some guinea pig (cwee). I really need to pluck up the courage to go along to the meat section of the market and take some photos. Those of you who (like I was for a long time) are borderline veggies will definitely be converted!!
Storm appeared to be whipping up, so headed back to base to relax and read. Had a lovely surprise when Vicki chapped my room door to tell me I had mail!! First letter I´ve had here - I normally don´t even bother to check my mail dooket!! It was a lovely, uplifiting and very encouraging letter from Betty in Church.
Betty - special message for you (mum - please print and pass on). Thank you so much for taking the time to write. I really appreciated the letter as it was really encouraging!! Hope that it won´t be too long until your back is better and you get to go and visit your niece in England. Think you must have been trying to keep up with aunt Jean Dobson!! Thankfully it sounds like your fall wasn´t quite so bad!! Please give my love to aunt Jean too. I´m looking forward to catching up with you both when I come home in January. I´ll have lots of news and stories to share with you when I get back. Thanks too for the lovely ending to your letter - it was really encouraging. Same to you, aunt Jean and all my other friends. I would have written you a letter, but I understand it is snail mail out here, and I would probably be back before the letter. Hope that mum passes this on to you fairly quickly (BIG hint mum!!).
After dinner the gang headed into the gringo plaza where I had pisco sour and another hot chocolate with Baileys. Delicious!! Yes mum - probably more tipples out here for medicinal purposes than I have at home, but then I don´t share my space at home with a rowdy crowd of American teens!! Excuse is that it helps me sleep :-) !!!
Karen - got your e-mail via the blog and also the one via e-Bay. Can´t figure out how to reply via e-Bay though?? The e-Bay gift suggestion was ideal, but not really prepared to chance it from here as I´m not guaranteed secure connectivity!! Don´t want to risk my card details!! Thanks for looking after my Clio and my bills when mum is off to America. Only bill that will probably come in is my renewal for Bella ski club. Would be much appreciated if you could post off a cheque. The renewal is due in Dec/Jan and should come to Fiona at the flat. Glad to hear that Armistice service went well. If Billy and Paul are jealous re Nazca, just wait until they see the photos I´ll take of Macchu Pichu and Lake Titicaca!! Mum tells me she paid Paul for the ski trip. Assume we´re all booked??
Anyway - enough blurb for now. Take care all. Almost half way through my three months and will be back before you know it. There´s a huge chance that I may be accompanied by a handful of Peruvian kids needing good homes and the monkey´s from the zoo, so be prepared!!
Lesley x
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Mum
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Sounds like your 10 minute walk wa an army assault course. Give all your weans a cuddle from me before you leave the W.W. enjoyuingall your blog and will pass the message on to Betty Taylor