Advertisement
Published: June 15th 2007
Just wanted to drop a line to say THANK YOU to everyone who has been writing messages and comments on mine here little blog. It really really helps. GRACIAS.
I had been having a pretty rough week, but I just returned from having one of the best mornings with the kids. Usually, another volunteer (Lindsay) and I go to this orphanage called Francisca Meyer in the mornings to play with the kids and to teach and help with homework etc. But (!) today is ¨el dia de padre¨(Father´s Day) which is a huge deal in Peru; and thus we followed one of the little girls to the school instead to watch the celebrations. It was absolutely crazy! There were all these adorable little children running around in the outside plaza (some of which I knew from my after-school program), and then all their parents were lined up around the outside. Anyways, the way they celebrate is by dressing up the kids in traditional costumes and then they all come out and do these hiliarious little dances. I just can´t express how cute it was...and I of course didn´t bring my camera that day.
Right. So watching the dancing and everything was really great, but the whole experience was way intense. Why? Because I have blonde hair. Everyone, kids and parents alike, went absolutely nuts. I literally was swarmed by crowds and crowds of people...oh, and then the funny part was that these mothers kept grabbing me by the hand and sticking their children next to me and would then have the school photographer take a picture. (Those poor little kids looked so confused...). It was so bizarre! All these little children were coming up and kissing my cheek and basically just staring at me for, you know, long periods of time.
It´s strange because I attract attention around the city some because I´m white, but I hadn´t experienced anything like this. Pretty awkward, but at the same time they were all so sweet...
Ok. To vent a little....
I had a terrible yesterday. I mean, a really terrible yesterday. I hadn´t mentioned it previously because I just try to avoid the subject, but the couple that runs this organization are terrible. I mean, I try to give people credit and be understanding...but they´re just simply not good people. AND, to make matters worse, they have both decided (especially the woman, Patty) that it´s in their best interest to hate me...and so they do. They loathe me. No joke. I´m not sure what it is that made them single out me; none of us (us volunteers) can figure it out. Anyways, they run the organization but they don´t actually work at the orphanages or schools...actually I´ve never seen them there once...nor do they pay any attention to us. We´re not really sure what Patty does actually-she´s supposed to be working with us...but she never shows up. She has two children, but their servants (yes, they´re making a lot of money off of us) always take care of them. Ok. So anyways, every past and present volunteer has really disliked her and a couple have recently left due to the lack of organization in the program. BUT, yesterday...wow. It definitely reached a new level. Like I mentioned before, there has been absolutely no running water all week which subsequently means that none of the volunteers in my residence; including myself; had showered for 5 days. We play out in the hot mountain sun with the kids, walk around the dusty roads...and we were filthy. Not to mention the toilet that couldn´t flush....it was a bad situation and we were all reaching a breaking point (especially since our neighbors had water as well as volunteers in other residences...and of course Patty and Juan Jose). So, we decided that our water tank may be broken and we needed to call Patty-and so I did. I barely start my sentence of ¨Patty, we think we may have a problem with our water tank...¨when the woman completely let loose on me. I´ve never called the woman before in my life, but all the sudden she was shouting about how I was the only one who had a problem; that I was wasting her time; the other volunteers don´t have a problem-it´s just you Paige and I´m not going to listen to this etc. etc. Anyways, having not slept the night before (up with aches and chills), I took it pretty hard and of course didn´t understand what she was talking about at all. I went up and (oh shame) cried to my fellow volunteers (whom I love) and they were all, of course, irate. Well, to make a long story short Patty and Juan Jose finally decided to come over and talk to us, except it was less about water and mainly a Paige beat-up session. I have never had a conversation with Juan Jose in my life-I´ve just met him at the bus station mainly-and he started telling me that I was a huge complainer (apparently making one phone call about water...?) and that I didn´t have a good personality. I knew not to take it personally...I knew that...but it really really hurt. I´ve never had a confrontation with anybody in my life! I´ve made so many good friends here, and I´ve been nothing but myself and shy and polite to them. Right, so the volunteers were angelic...Lindsay was so upset that she went and talked to them for a long time about how no one understands why they are treating me so terribly and that Patty shouldn´t have a grudge against me for any reason.
Anyways-rough day. I tried to tell myself that everything was fine-I love the kids, I love the volunteers, I love our little Peruvian couple who takes us on trips and has us over for dinner-but it really hurt. Everyone was so sweet as usual though and bought me a cake (cute, huh?) and my favorite chocolate bar. They just felt so terrible because the one other time that I´ve talked with Patty she was really snappy with me then too.
I wish I could offer an explanation.....but we actually we do have a hunch though. Patty and Juan Jose are a bit money hungry (or a lot money hungry), and the first day of my arrival I decided to stay in the residence instead of their parents´house because it would save a couple hundred dollars. (This is a choice they provide). So maybe that...?
Or maybe it´s the blonde hair. I have no idea.
Ok. I hope you can understand my need to vent...I know it´s negative and I should just appreciate all the great friends and kids I have here but being a bit shy and sensitive of a person it just REALLY hurt. But I´m ok now! What do their strange opinions matter anyways? I can always just watch a bunch of little kids dressed up as bulls bounce around a schoolyard and feel very grateful and happy.
And so that´s all.
Happy Father´s Day!
Thanks for reading. Much much love.
Oh, and p.s. We had water this morning! The tank was broken afterall...
Advertisement
Tot: 0.073s; Tpl: 0.01s; cc: 10; qc: 48; dbt: 0.0413s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Karen Skovgard
non-member comment
Yeah for Water
Paige, I'm so glad that you finally got water! Sounds like you are dealing with some rather difficult people. I hope you are able to dwell on the positive things like you are trying - sounds like there are plenty of those. We are really enjoying your Blogs. Keep the chin up - we're thinking about you! Love, Aunt Karen