The past week has been crazy busy!
Last Monday, I was assigned the task of redecorating the music room here. I was so excited about a fun project. So a few of us went to a place similar to Home Depot and bought some paint which I got to pick out. Monday - Thursday were spent cleaning, sanding, painting, painting, and painting. Girls here usually don't do this kind of manual labor, so I got some interesting looks at first. At this point the painting is mostly finished, although we're going to do a small music-themed mural on one wall. One of the older guys here is an amazing artist, so I've already solicited his help. :)
Another thing I did last week with the other 2 gringas, Emily and Audrey, was pass out new clothes to the little boys. I've never seen little boys so excited about clothes, but considering what they have, it makes sense here. A lot of their stuff was old, ripped, or didn't fit properly. The littlest boys found some high heels and they were running around in them. As much as they wanted to keep them, we put our foot down (pun intended) and said, "No, para un mujer!" or something like that...
Friday-Sunday, ten of us went on a bus trip to a town called Chivay. It was amazing. We rode through the mountains, winding and weaving, up and down through the Andes. We went to
Colca Canyon, which is TWICE as deep as the Grand Canyon. There, huge birds called Condors fly around looking for dead stuff to eat (yum!). And when I say huge birds, I'm talking about birds with a larger wing span than any other bird. They are truly magnificent. So after the Canyon and a nice long nap, we saw some traditional Peruvian dancing and music. The ladies in Chivay wear like 6 skirts at a time and really heavy socks, sparkly hats, and blankets. It's really cold there right now.
After making it home safe from Chivay, I was able to go to the evening service at the church here. I was feeling particularly discouraged because I was tired and sick, and I couldn't understand the message. It's been hard not being able to really communicate with the older kids, and especially hard not understanding the messages in church. So when the group of us who went to Chivay were asked to come up and talk about our trip, I cried a little. In front of the whole church. It was embarrassing, but I think God used it to open up a few doors, because I had a translator who told the kids why it was hard for me. And I think the older ones get that I really do want to talk to them...and I'm working on getting better at it.
On a more encouraging front, some of the interns including myself took the 8 little boys to see Shrek Monday night. It was amazing. They were so excited because they rarely get to see movies in the theaters, and we also got them ice cream and pop corn! Watching Shrek in Spanish was hilarious, and actually pretty easy to follow.
I've had a pretty rough cold for the past 5 days so I'm going to the doctor today. Apparently it's about 11 soles for the visit and medicine...I think I can handle that. I'll let you know when I'm feeling better.