Alright, so I have been home for almost 2 weeks and it definitely doesn't feel like home anymore. What once was a home I looked forward to coming home too, eating dinner with my family, taking a long hot shower, choosing between hundreds of options for lunch, relaxing on my comfy bed and seeing my best friends is no longer what I want for my life. For most of you that know me or read my blog, it is probably hard for you to understand why I feel this way...I am going to try and explain something that I fully don't understand.
I have always known that I was meant to be helping people. Whether it was serving in a soup kitchen or tutoring children, I found my niche early on. In all honesty, I couldn't have been happier when I needed to look at other options than Fordham for this school year. Secretly, I knew once I purchased my plane ticket on June 21st that this year in Peru was going to be life changing. Boy, was I right.
From the day I said goodbye to my Mom and best friends, walked on that plane, cried reading the amazing letters from loved ones, put my foot down on South American concrete, took an 8 hour bus to Huancayo, experienced homesickness, taught 3 weeks of english, followed my heart and traveled back to Lima, arrived at the Hogar, met a saint, ate breakfast with 57 children, fell in love with a baby, never felt so much happiness in my entire life, became friends with incredible volunteers, took countless naps with children and became a godmother (twice)...I realized this is what I am meant to be doing. I wake up every morning knowing that my passion and love is right down the stairs.
I have experienced things in the last 4 months that most people won't be able to in a lifetime. I am incredibly grateful for everything I have seen, done and felt. Being back here in Ohio, doesn't compare to anything I have felt within the last 4 months. I guess you could say I am experiencing reverse culture shock, which I wasn't expecting to be this difficult. It is not only hard to relate to people in America but even my best friends. It's not that we aren't best friends anymore or that I don't love them...but we are now living completely different lives. I have been to the most poverty stricken areas of Peru and experienced a lifetime worth of love and passion when my friends are studying for finals and going to parties. Neither life is right or wrong...just different. After being back for less than 2 weeks, I know where my heart is...
Most people don't understand or agree with my decision to volunteer in Peru for a year...and now they're even more confused how Peru feels like home. Being a Mom for 57 children, eating the same thing everyday, sleeping in a room with 4 girls smaller than a dorm, waiting in a hospital for hours, helping with homework, learning a new language, having a baby fall asleep in my arms, running up and down the stairs at least 40 times a day, watching movies, going to the park, hand washing my laundry, going to mass with everyone and knowing that this is what God has called me to do...FEELS LIKE HOME :]
I came back to Ohio for 2 reasons. One, because I was homesick in Huancayo and bought my ticket to see my family and friends. And Two, to research, apply and visit colleges for the upcoming year. I made a commitment to return in May and go back to college in August. I can't be sure of what I will be doing next year or even tomorrow for that matter...but I know where my heart is. I know what God has called me to do and I am following his calling in Peru. Maybe in May I will feel as though my work is done, but right now my heart is on fire for these children and I want to serve God for the rest of my life. After coming back and telling former teachers, Mount Notre Dame students, friends and strangers about the last 4 months of my life...I get the same reactions. "Wow, you're amazing." "What about school? You need to get your degree." "Isn't it hard living in Peru?" "Are you making money while you're there? You can't just be volunteering?" It's hard to explain to people how I am feeling. To put it bluntly, I don't think what I am doing is amazing at all. I am simply doing what God has called me to do and living out my dreams of committing my life to service. I know that I need my college degree, but I can get my degree at any point in my life. Hundreds of thousands of people are attending college to receive their degrees and get a job. How many people feel called to leave the first world behind and commit their life to poverty stricken children in Peru? Whether I stay in Peru until May, two years from now or forever...this is my calling and I am stickin' to it.
So forever or just for now...my heart is in Peru.
And Home, well that's where my heart is ♥
Ps. Someone asked me what my favorite memory has been so far in Peru. I remember the day vividly. I was holding John Pierre as he was falling asleep in my arms and a boy named Ronald asked me for help with his homework. I sat and helped Ronald and then helped Maritza and Lourdes with their homework. An older boy, John, passed me and said, "Mami Cristina" (Mommy Christine). My heart melted. I knew on that day that these kids have changed me forever. Love :]
Monday, December 19, 2011
Monday, December 5, 2011
To the 5 of us...
I have blogged about almost everything since I left in August...moments, miracles, being homesick, best days of my life, funny stories, saints, my spirituality, love, happiness, the worst week ever and so much more! But one thing I have yet to talk about are the other amazing volunteers I have met while being at the Hogar. So, as I am preparing to return to the States on Thursday and leaving the other incredible people I have come close with...this post goes to them. Love you guys!
It just so happened the 5 of us arrived within a week of each other and all are leaving in December. Jake, Leah, Alexa, Amber and I were the most random group of people ever that had such a great time together. I never thought that after 3 months of volunteering at the Hogar with the 4 other long term volunteers, we would all be such good friends. It really made volunteering here so much more enjoyable with people that I could go dancing with, make brownies, go on late night snack runs, talk in English, laugh hysterically, be myself around and be introduced to 4 new perspectives on life.
The 5 of us have such distinct, different personalities that it made volunteering together comical. Jake was known as the awkward one, Leah the doctor Mom, Alexa the chill potty mouth, Amber the serious one and me the innocent happy one. What a funny combination of people :] Of course, there were other volunteers...but they only stayed for one or two weeks. After living with these crazy nut cases for 3 months, I have to say they are some of the coolest people I have ever met.
I learned lessons from these people that I would have never been introduced to if I was taking the normal college path. Leah, a fourth year medical student was definitely the Mom of the house. Typical Mom coms, comforting back rubs, consoling words, Mom outfits and not to mention that she went to MIT and now Dartmouth...makes her one of the nicest people I have ever met. She put up with so many of my antics when I had lice, listened and talked to me while sleep talking every night, was right by my side for my horrible week (just like my mom), shared all of her secrets rum afternoon, helped with the kids' math homework for hours and was the best partner ever watching Grey's Anatomy. Thank you Leah for making my 3 months here better than I could ever imagine :] And as I told her countless times while sleep talking..."Leah, you're just such a nice girl....."
Alexa just graduated from Georgetown and is the "chillest" person I think I have ever met. She makes decisions on good vibes and if things feel right. Definitely wish I had some of her chill personality! Alexa started to open up after being with us a month when we realized she is really willing to talk about any subject hahaha :] I give her so much credit for being the only one to do crafts with the kids because we knew they would just end badly...but she would always try anyways. Alexa is still unsure of what she wants to do after life at the Hogar but whatever she does do, she will be great at! :]
Amber was my roomie since the beginning and now knows all of my secrets because of my nightly sleep talking. Amber is finishing up her final year at USF meaning she is taking classes, writing her thesis and organizing a medical brigade to Ecuador. Although she approached every question and problem seriously, we never had a bad night chilling in the room together. Especially with all the funny roommates we had throughout the 3 months ;] Amber and I got along solely because we have polar opposite personalties. It was comical how much or lives, thoughts, feelings and views differ but that's exactly what made us funny roommates :] Good luck on the DAT Amber! You'll do great...and NYU will be lucky to have you in dentistry school.
Last but not least, Jake. Jake was the only guy out of the 5 of us...which probably was the reason he was always so awkward. Jake has an incredible way of edging movie quotes into any conversation which I never understood. The kids thought Jake and I were dating the entire three months which meant the whistling, kissy faces and trying to push us together while washing dishes never ended. Quite humorous :] Jake is one of the few guys I have ever met that is so open about his faith and relationship with God. Thank you for making my 3 months so incredible, not just by volunteering but by helping me find God within my life. "Now, don't go dyin' on me now..."
These 4 volunteers have not only made my time at the Hogar better, but I am honored to have gotten to know these crazy, random people. Even though we are parting ways...club storage will never die :]
So, I'll end with this. Out of the five of us...who is most likely to blog about the 5 of us and make it cheesy, inspirational and corny?
Love :]
Friday, November 25, 2011
BRITNEY SPEARS on thanksgiving...soooo amazing! :]
Thanksgiving came and went and as much as I missed the time with my family, fall weather and incredible food, I HAD AN AMAZING NIGHT! I spent Thanksgiving day with 56 amazing children and my night with none other than Britney Spears! Seriously, such a crazy day that I will never forget!
I woke up this morning with a pit in my stomach knowing this was the first holiday I have ever spent alone. Another volunteer, Leah, agreed that it didn't even feel like Thanksgiving is here and Christmas is right around the corner. Our days are filled with summer weather, amazing children, petty problems and medical issues that nothing else even crosses our minds. We lose track of days, weeks and months only thinking about whose turn it is to venture into Lima hospitals. In one way, I feel so disconnected from the real world. But then thinking about the bigger picture...this is the real world. Finding your passion, being grateful for each day, making memories, appreciating the innocence of a child and dedicating your life to service is real life to me. Maybe this year, I experienced more of a Thanksgiving than I actually ever have before? :]
Before I rant about Britney, let me give a few updates about life at the Hogar! The other volunteers (Jake and Leah) and I started english classes with the kids the other night! We have two groups of kids which are sooo eager to learn english! It's incredibly adorable :] The kids come off the bus from school, greet me with a kiss and ask "Hi, how are you?" I respond "Great" and they reply "I'm happy!" SO PRECIOUS :] They all sit down at the dinner table at night ready to learn and help each other with pronunciation and grammar. Definitely one of the highlights of being here at the Hogar!
One of my favorite little girls, Lisbeth, and I have had such a great time together this past week. She needed new shoes so I took her up to the donation room with Angela to find her a new pair. Seriously, this was one of the best nights of my life. The two girls went through about 30 pairs of adorable shoes before deciding on a pair of pink nike velcro shoes. The three of us then played on the roof with American coins, played house and scared each other because it was pitch black. The girls asked me if we could play up on the roof every night because we all had such a great time! I wouldn't trade that night for anything! Lisbeth and I also shared an apple a couple of days ago, which was the most disgusting amazing time ever hahaha :] She saw I was eating an apple and curled up next to me and asked if she could have some. Of course I gave her some which turned into a game of taking turns slobbering all over my delicious apple. This germ-a-phob no longer exists!!!!!!!
All right, the Britney Concert. OMG. SO FREAKING AMAZING :] :] Yes, to answer everyone's question...I was screaming, crying and having the time of my life. Seeing her Femme Fatale tour for the second time was even better than the first. I am so happy Leah went with me to experience Britney's greatness (and to make sure I wasn't robbed for a third time lol). The stadium was packed and what I thought was going to be an American event was just another sketchy Peruvian hangout. I almost lost it when she sang "Hit me baby one more time" and "Don't let me be the last to know"! We even had the advantage of being the tallest in a sea of 5 foot Peruvians. My thanksgiving rocked!! :] And even though it wasn't spent with family, food or fall weather...being in a unified stadium with Britney Spears, Leah and the essence of my childhood was incredible!
I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving and realized how much we all have to be thankful for! I can't believe it is almost December and will be coming home for Christmas break on the 8th. I am excited to come home and see my friends and family...but I literally just want to stay here forever. Thinking about leaving John Pierre (my baby), not passing out bread in the morning, not greeting the kids off the school bus at night, missing milestones, saying goodbye to the other amazing volunteers and just being away from such happiness makes my heart melt. I DON'T WANT TO COME HOME! :[
see ya soon america! i'll be dancing till the world ends...
-teaner :]
I woke up this morning with a pit in my stomach knowing this was the first holiday I have ever spent alone. Another volunteer, Leah, agreed that it didn't even feel like Thanksgiving is here and Christmas is right around the corner. Our days are filled with summer weather, amazing children, petty problems and medical issues that nothing else even crosses our minds. We lose track of days, weeks and months only thinking about whose turn it is to venture into Lima hospitals. In one way, I feel so disconnected from the real world. But then thinking about the bigger picture...this is the real world. Finding your passion, being grateful for each day, making memories, appreciating the innocence of a child and dedicating your life to service is real life to me. Maybe this year, I experienced more of a Thanksgiving than I actually ever have before? :]
Before I rant about Britney, let me give a few updates about life at the Hogar! The other volunteers (Jake and Leah) and I started english classes with the kids the other night! We have two groups of kids which are sooo eager to learn english! It's incredibly adorable :] The kids come off the bus from school, greet me with a kiss and ask "Hi, how are you?" I respond "Great" and they reply "I'm happy!" SO PRECIOUS :] They all sit down at the dinner table at night ready to learn and help each other with pronunciation and grammar. Definitely one of the highlights of being here at the Hogar!
One of my favorite little girls, Lisbeth, and I have had such a great time together this past week. She needed new shoes so I took her up to the donation room with Angela to find her a new pair. Seriously, this was one of the best nights of my life. The two girls went through about 30 pairs of adorable shoes before deciding on a pair of pink nike velcro shoes. The three of us then played on the roof with American coins, played house and scared each other because it was pitch black. The girls asked me if we could play up on the roof every night because we all had such a great time! I wouldn't trade that night for anything! Lisbeth and I also shared an apple a couple of days ago, which was the most disgusting amazing time ever hahaha :] She saw I was eating an apple and curled up next to me and asked if she could have some. Of course I gave her some which turned into a game of taking turns slobbering all over my delicious apple. This germ-a-phob no longer exists!!!!!!!
All right, the Britney Concert. OMG. SO FREAKING AMAZING :] :] Yes, to answer everyone's question...I was screaming, crying and having the time of my life. Seeing her Femme Fatale tour for the second time was even better than the first. I am so happy Leah went with me to experience Britney's greatness (and to make sure I wasn't robbed for a third time lol). The stadium was packed and what I thought was going to be an American event was just another sketchy Peruvian hangout. I almost lost it when she sang "Hit me baby one more time" and "Don't let me be the last to know"! We even had the advantage of being the tallest in a sea of 5 foot Peruvians. My thanksgiving rocked!! :] And even though it wasn't spent with family, food or fall weather...being in a unified stadium with Britney Spears, Leah and the essence of my childhood was incredible!
I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving and realized how much we all have to be thankful for! I can't believe it is almost December and will be coming home for Christmas break on the 8th. I am excited to come home and see my friends and family...but I literally just want to stay here forever. Thinking about leaving John Pierre (my baby), not passing out bread in the morning, not greeting the kids off the school bus at night, missing milestones, saying goodbye to the other amazing volunteers and just being away from such happiness makes my heart melt. I DON'T WANT TO COME HOME! :[
see ya soon america! i'll be dancing till the world ends...
-teaner :]
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Por Siempre :]
Oh Goodness! Where to start? Starting last Friday...I had such a horrible week here at the Hogar :[ It was just one of those weeks where everything that can go wrong, does. I'll try and start from the beginning...
Last Friday, I went in to to Lima with 2 children, a baby named Brenda and the staff member Graciella. If you haven't already read my post about Graciella and her antics, please read it. Anyways...Graciella ditched me for the fourth time on Friday with Brenda. Brenda is a baby who has congenital cataracts and Autism meaning she is very needy and uncooperative. I was holding Brenda in the Hospital and a woman came up to me asking me for money. I said that I didn't have any money and turned away. This went on for a few minutes until she finally grabbed my jacket in search of money and anything else valuable. She took 10 soles (the equivalent of 3 dollars) and very very important keys which I will explain in a minute. YES WHAT I AM SAYING IS TRUE. I WAS ROBBED AGAIN! hahahaha :] bad luck, I know! In this situation, the crazy woman could have taken anything from me and I wouldn't have cared because Brenda was the most important thing I was holding. After 2 months, I have learned that I live and die for any child at the Hogar and Brenda was no exception. I didn't yell, scream or fight back because Brenda was my first priority (which Graciella yelled at me later for because apparently "keys and money are way more important than a child").
The keys that were stolen are a whole other story. The Doctor returns to the United States twice a year to see his family and take Victor to Shriner's Hospital to get his prosthesis refitted. He left me in charge of the keys to the house...are you seeing why the keys getting stolen is a problem now? I returned to the Hogar not even realizing the keys were missing until later Friday night when I was supposed to lock up. I basically had a panic attack right there and then. I explained the problem to Rossana, the social worker who is in charge while the Doctor is gone, and she reassured me we would figure things out. After being yelled at by countless staff members for losing the keys...we are slowly but surely getting duplicates of keys and improvising. Oh Gosh...what a mess!
Secondly...my worst nightmare and greatest fear has happened. I HAVE LICE. omg. I can't even think about it without wanting to throw up! Lice in South America is extremely common and our children always seem to have it, so getting lice was kind of inevitable. BUT IT LITERALLY IS MY GREATEST FEAR EVER! eww. I woke up on Tuesday morning with an itchy head and knew it was finally the day. I asked another volunteer, Leah, to do a lice check on me (which has been a weekly ritual anyways because I am terrified of lice) and she found nits! So nasty! It turns out that Leah also had nits after I checked her...so we are now official nit picking buddies. I still can't believe I have lice. OMG.
Hahahahahahahaha :] :]
To add to such a great week, I finally got sick! I knew it was going to happen sometime and oh boy, this past wonderful Saturday was ruined. I became a Godmother on Saturday to a wonderful girl named Evelyn and it was such a great day. I met her family, danced, ate and remembered why I love being here so much. Later that afternoon I started to feel sick but was asked to run an errand with a few children to the next town over. I threw up multiple times with the children, but nothing beats throwing up on a rickity South American bus that weaves, speeds and flies over speed bumps! So embarrassing! Let's just end the story with...the day was ruined ;]
I don't even want to tell more details of this next incident, so one sentence will have to suffice. I was bit by a dog (I am fine...but gosh what a horrible week!!)
Even with such a horrible week, I have to remember how amazing my life really is! I am healthy, happy, have wonderful friends, a supportive family, a good head on my shoulders and have been given so many talents to share. It's days like these that make you appreciate a child's laughter, a running hug, goodnight kisses, heartfelt thank you's and smiles that will last a lifetime. It has gotten to the point where if I am having a bad day, I just want to go back home (Hogar home) and sit quietly with a child taking in all of the blessings I have been given. People have always said that some type of good always comes out of a bad situation and I can now say I agree. After being robbed with Brenda, Xiomarra saw I was upset and comforted me on the couch as I watched the other kids play after lunch. Johannes made sure to come up to my room and ask how I was feeling when he found out I was sick. It's incredible, simple moments like these that wouldn't have ever happened if I hadn't made it through my bad day. What incredible children and moments!
My Mom asked me on Skype the other night if I wanted to come home after having such a horrible week and my answer was NO! This is it. This is my home. This is my family. This is where I belong :] Honestly though, after being here for 2 months...I can't picture myself anywhere else. I have said in previous blog posts that I don't know how I am going to leave in May. But that's the truth. I want to stay here forever, or in spanish...por siempre :] Every morning I am dying to get downstairs to greet the kids, serve breakfast and kiss them goodbye for school. Today I didn't even want to shower because I would miss the amazing feeling I have when cleaning up from dinner. I just want to be here and feel this way forever!
POR SIEMPRE :]
-teaner (aka lice, dog bite, mugged, sick girl) hahahahahaha
Last Friday, I went in to to Lima with 2 children, a baby named Brenda and the staff member Graciella. If you haven't already read my post about Graciella and her antics, please read it. Anyways...Graciella ditched me for the fourth time on Friday with Brenda. Brenda is a baby who has congenital cataracts and Autism meaning she is very needy and uncooperative. I was holding Brenda in the Hospital and a woman came up to me asking me for money. I said that I didn't have any money and turned away. This went on for a few minutes until she finally grabbed my jacket in search of money and anything else valuable. She took 10 soles (the equivalent of 3 dollars) and very very important keys which I will explain in a minute. YES WHAT I AM SAYING IS TRUE. I WAS ROBBED AGAIN! hahahaha :] bad luck, I know! In this situation, the crazy woman could have taken anything from me and I wouldn't have cared because Brenda was the most important thing I was holding. After 2 months, I have learned that I live and die for any child at the Hogar and Brenda was no exception. I didn't yell, scream or fight back because Brenda was my first priority (which Graciella yelled at me later for because apparently "keys and money are way more important than a child").
The keys that were stolen are a whole other story. The Doctor returns to the United States twice a year to see his family and take Victor to Shriner's Hospital to get his prosthesis refitted. He left me in charge of the keys to the house...are you seeing why the keys getting stolen is a problem now? I returned to the Hogar not even realizing the keys were missing until later Friday night when I was supposed to lock up. I basically had a panic attack right there and then. I explained the problem to Rossana, the social worker who is in charge while the Doctor is gone, and she reassured me we would figure things out. After being yelled at by countless staff members for losing the keys...we are slowly but surely getting duplicates of keys and improvising. Oh Gosh...what a mess!
Secondly...my worst nightmare and greatest fear has happened. I HAVE LICE. omg. I can't even think about it without wanting to throw up! Lice in South America is extremely common and our children always seem to have it, so getting lice was kind of inevitable. BUT IT LITERALLY IS MY GREATEST FEAR EVER! eww. I woke up on Tuesday morning with an itchy head and knew it was finally the day. I asked another volunteer, Leah, to do a lice check on me (which has been a weekly ritual anyways because I am terrified of lice) and she found nits! So nasty! It turns out that Leah also had nits after I checked her...so we are now official nit picking buddies. I still can't believe I have lice. OMG.
Hahahahahahahaha :] :]
To add to such a great week, I finally got sick! I knew it was going to happen sometime and oh boy, this past wonderful Saturday was ruined. I became a Godmother on Saturday to a wonderful girl named Evelyn and it was such a great day. I met her family, danced, ate and remembered why I love being here so much. Later that afternoon I started to feel sick but was asked to run an errand with a few children to the next town over. I threw up multiple times with the children, but nothing beats throwing up on a rickity South American bus that weaves, speeds and flies over speed bumps! So embarrassing! Let's just end the story with...the day was ruined ;]
I don't even want to tell more details of this next incident, so one sentence will have to suffice. I was bit by a dog (I am fine...but gosh what a horrible week!!)
Even with such a horrible week, I have to remember how amazing my life really is! I am healthy, happy, have wonderful friends, a supportive family, a good head on my shoulders and have been given so many talents to share. It's days like these that make you appreciate a child's laughter, a running hug, goodnight kisses, heartfelt thank you's and smiles that will last a lifetime. It has gotten to the point where if I am having a bad day, I just want to go back home (Hogar home) and sit quietly with a child taking in all of the blessings I have been given. People have always said that some type of good always comes out of a bad situation and I can now say I agree. After being robbed with Brenda, Xiomarra saw I was upset and comforted me on the couch as I watched the other kids play after lunch. Johannes made sure to come up to my room and ask how I was feeling when he found out I was sick. It's incredible, simple moments like these that wouldn't have ever happened if I hadn't made it through my bad day. What incredible children and moments!
My Mom asked me on Skype the other night if I wanted to come home after having such a horrible week and my answer was NO! This is it. This is my home. This is my family. This is where I belong :] Honestly though, after being here for 2 months...I can't picture myself anywhere else. I have said in previous blog posts that I don't know how I am going to leave in May. But that's the truth. I want to stay here forever, or in spanish...por siempre :] Every morning I am dying to get downstairs to greet the kids, serve breakfast and kiss them goodbye for school. Today I didn't even want to shower because I would miss the amazing feeling I have when cleaning up from dinner. I just want to be here and feel this way forever!
POR SIEMPRE :]
-teaner (aka lice, dog bite, mugged, sick girl) hahahahahaha
Saturday, November 12, 2011
To My Mom :] Happy Birthday!!!
Alrighty Mom. First of all, Happy birthday! I am so bummed I can't be there to celebrate it with you...but hopefully this post will suffice! And Second, sorry for the delay of new posts! I am really busy! LOVE YOU AND I HOPE YOU HAVE THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!
Defining Moment: reading a tribute to my mom at Mother Daughter Senior Brunch. So here's another one!
Dear Mom,
I hope you know how much I love you, so we can get that out of the way first. I love you more than 10,000 bags of cheetos, crabcakes, senior year of high school, Mrs. Mill's chicken salad, my stuffed animal Sammy, the movie the sixth sense, the caribbean, Santa Barbara, the Britney Spears concert, Tom Petty songs, skydiving and anything in the entire world. What I am trying to say is that there is nothing in the entire world that comes close to how much I love you. Cool? Cool.
You taught me when I was very young to follow my dreams. Whether it was a test grade I worked for, a volleyball team I wanted to play on or following my passion...you have always been my biggest supporter. You showed your ability to support every thing I dreamed for this past year. I remember one day vividly. I had enough of Dad's antics and I called you crying on the floor of my dorm hall. You were driving home from an open house and talked to me for 2 straight hours never questioning my thoughts or feelings. You just listened. You have always been such an amazing listener and I now regret making fun of you for that stupid "uhuh" noise you make when someone is telling you a story. I miss that now. You told me that you couldn't make a decision for me and I needed to follow my heart. I told you about my "year in Peru" and you immediately wanted to know more. You were there when I verbally committed, called me minutes after I bought my ticket with Lizzy, every errand, our final dinner together, the airport sendoff and every minute after. You have always been there. Thank you for that.
Not only have you always been there for me, supporting every decision...you want to make sure I am happy. Obviously I inherited my obsession with happiness from you, but most people don't understand how amazing it was growing up with a Mom like you. Whatever obstacle our family encountered, you approached each one with the same attitude. "The universe takes care of us", is what you would constantly say. Now more than ever, I truly believe that the universe does indeed take care of me and all of humanity. What once was a mission trip to volunteer in Peru is now the greatest adventure of love I have ever experienced. I have felt it all here, especially intense happiness. Every problem I have ever had, you have gotten to the root of by asking, "Well, are you happy?" And this trip is just like every other moment. You constantly ask me on skype...are you happy? And of course, I answer with 1,000% YES!
After these last couple of months, I have realized you were right all along. You have always known that it's the smallest things in life that generate the most happiness, laughter really does improve any mood, it's okay to cry (especially during happy moments), to be grateful for how healthy I am, to follow my passion even if it means deviating from the norm, to follow my heart, to be full of life and never let anyone make decisions for me. You have always know that life is a gift and should be celebrated. So, I am not only volunteering, learning or experiencing...BUT CELEBRATING :]
I've had the time of my life
No I never felt this way before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
'Cause I've had the time of my life
And I've searched through every open door
'Til I found the truth
And I owe it all to you
No I never felt this way before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you
'Cause I've had the time of my life
And I've searched through every open door
'Til I found the truth
And I owe it all to you
No other lyrics could describe the way I feel about you and my adventure more perfectly than those. I am truly having the time of my life here. I have never ever felt so much love, happiness and passion. AND I OWE IT ALL TO YOU! Seriously Mom. Thank you so much for helping me open every door last year and allowing me to follow my passion.
I love you times 20 billion and thank you so much for everything! HAVE AN AMAZING BIRTHDAY!!! And I will see you soon :]
-Teaner :]
(and don't worry...I have a legitimate blog post in the works! So quit freaking out)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH :] LOVE YOU!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
IQUITOS. the jungle. the best 4 days of my life :]
In the jungle, the mighty jungle...
You're probably going to get sick of me saying this, but I legitimately had the best time of my life this past week in the Amazon jungle! I can't even describe how much fun I had and what an eye opening experience it was! :] This trip to Iquitos was filled with everything...amazing food, being on a boat all day, sunburn, eating fried alligator, playing with monkeys, getting robbed, meeting new people, seeing tons of wild animals, swimming in the Amazon river, napping on the beach, watching an Amazon rainstorm, meeting jungle children, finding my new favorite food, YES THIS TRIP WAS AMAZING!
Let me just start from the beginning! Well, I took the trek up North to the jungle town of Iquitos with 2 other volunteers, Leah and Amber. We arrived early Monday morning and the minute we stepped out of the airport, at least 15 moto-taxi drivers were harassing us to get in their moto. Stop trying to imagine what this was like because you will never be able to...it was the craziest thing ever!! We went straight to our hostel (which was supposed to be floating and beautiful, but the amazon river was really low) and had our first jungle drink! Cuma Cuma is the name of the fruit and the drink looks just like pink lemonade...but obviously tastes 1,000 times better. I would move to the jungle just for the amazing, exotic fruit you can find there!
We then headed to this place called Iquista Cocha, which is a white sand beach among the jungle and botanical gardens. We ate great food and took a long nap on the beach. Honestly, couldn't ask for a more perfect day! We saw many animals...parrots, monkeys, jaguars, crocodiles, turtles and anacondas! Of course, Christine Columbia fashion, I lied to all the locals and said my name was Sarah from Dallas Texas. That made for fun conversation.
My favorite part of the entire trip had to have been sitting on the edge of the boat, feet in the water, eating my new favorite fruit, listening to good music and just lovin' life! No joke, I sat on the front of the boat for at least 6 hours one day! I know that I am extremely cheesy, so hopefully saying this isn't a surprise to any of you. Sitting on the edge of the boat gliding down the Amazon River made me feel so alive. It was like the entire world was at peace and that I could overcome anything. And yes, just like high school graduation...I cried as we drifted down the river. Such an amazing moment!
We saw thousands of interesting items at the Belen Market (see pictures below for what I mean by interesting), saw more wild animals, went tubing on the Amazon River, saw pink dolphins and I got to play with monkeys! The monkeys were so fun...I don't even know how to describe the experience! One monkey who was laying in my lap just wouldn't leave no matter how many times I picked him up and put him back on the ground. But I definitely didn't expect having missing chucks of hair after saying goodbye to those wild monkeys :]
Hiring a sketchy man to take you down the river is a lot easier than you would think. There is something here called "Peruvian time" where Peruvians have no concept of time and live their life by what ever feels right. Crazy. We hired a man named Jonathon for the whole day to take us down the Amazon river and he gave us a lot of wonderful information. We stumbled upon a small town hidden among the palm trees that looked like it was out of a book. 50 steep white steps, led to a "pueblo" that was deep within the jungle. Monkeys ran wild, exotic fruit was abundant and we were the white people the children have only ever seen in books. This was definitely one of the best parts of my entire trip because we encountered the poverty stricken, simple living and indigenous peoples you dream about. It really made me think how I live my life compared to these children who swim all day, eat fruit as complete meals and live life to the fullest everyday.
Along with having a spiritual revelation, best experience ever and loving life...I want to just let everyone know that I found my new favorite food. It's a fruit called Mamei and it is literally the best thing I have ever tasted in my entire life. Bright red skin with juicy white center makes this delicacy sound like an apple, but the inside is nothing like an ordinary red delicious. Shut the front door kiddo...my life is complete after eating 14 Mamei's in less than 2 hours. But, the Mamei is actually what led me to getting robbed...
Our last day in Iquitos was supposed to be relaxing and filled with 2 last events, getting more Mamei at the Belen Market and feeding rehabilitated manatees (although we never did make it to the manatees because of the market "incident"). I obviously would never carry my bank card, phone and money in my purse in poverty stricken, South American, jungle territory...but it happened. The whole situation was just bad luck to put it nicely. The three of us thought that we were checking out of the hostel in the morning before our last 2 events and then heading straight to the airport. I had my purse gripped tightly across my body at the market the whole entire time with Leah about 20 feet ahead and Amber 10 feet ahead. A man came up behind me, put his hand across my mouth and touched my private parts to make me let go of my bag. The man scared me half to death because this wasn't just "I want to steal your bag" but "I want to kidnap you" so I used my leg to kick him with the sole of my shoe right in his shins. He removed his hand from my mouth and I screamed bloody murder for a good 30 seconds. He ripped my hand-woven bag from my body and ran away as fast as he could. Thank goodness for Amber and Leah being able to get me out of the situation as fast as they did, because I may have had a panic attack without them. My mom canceled my phone and bank card right away and I was laughing a terrifying moment off 45 minutes later. The girls wanted to kill me when I said on the way to the airport, "Well, hopefully he uses my money to buy food for his family. He probably really needed that money anyways." It always helps being an optimist and trying to find the best in people...even if that slimy man attempted to violate my chastity belt. WHAT A WEASEL. Hahahahahaha :]
All in all, the trip was the best trip of my entire life! I experienced so many new things with 2 new friends that put up with a great amount of inspirational sayings and life lessons. I did miss the kids so much though and probably thought about them every hour reminding myself how much they would love being here with us. Coming home from a vacation to volunteering with 57 of the greatest children I have ever met in my life was amazing. The nurses probably wanted to kill me because the night we returned I
ran in to the girls room (waking all of them up) to say hi and tell them about my trip! Once again, I think about how I am ever going to be able to leave in May....
IQUITOS 2011. AMAZING. CRAZY. NEW. FUN. ADVENTURE. COOL.
"Just livin' life."
-Teaner :]
You're probably going to get sick of me saying this, but I legitimately had the best time of my life this past week in the Amazon jungle! I can't even describe how much fun I had and what an eye opening experience it was! :] This trip to Iquitos was filled with everything...amazing food, being on a boat all day, sunburn, eating fried alligator, playing with monkeys, getting robbed, meeting new people, seeing tons of wild animals, swimming in the Amazon river, napping on the beach, watching an Amazon rainstorm, meeting jungle children, finding my new favorite food, YES THIS TRIP WAS AMAZING!
Let me just start from the beginning! Well, I took the trek up North to the jungle town of Iquitos with 2 other volunteers, Leah and Amber. We arrived early Monday morning and the minute we stepped out of the airport, at least 15 moto-taxi drivers were harassing us to get in their moto. Stop trying to imagine what this was like because you will never be able to...it was the craziest thing ever!! We went straight to our hostel (which was supposed to be floating and beautiful, but the amazon river was really low) and had our first jungle drink! Cuma Cuma is the name of the fruit and the drink looks just like pink lemonade...but obviously tastes 1,000 times better. I would move to the jungle just for the amazing, exotic fruit you can find there!
We then headed to this place called Iquista Cocha, which is a white sand beach among the jungle and botanical gardens. We ate great food and took a long nap on the beach. Honestly, couldn't ask for a more perfect day! We saw many animals...parrots, monkeys, jaguars, crocodiles, turtles and anacondas! Of course, Christine Columbia fashion, I lied to all the locals and said my name was Sarah from Dallas Texas. That made for fun conversation.
My favorite part of the entire trip had to have been sitting on the edge of the boat, feet in the water, eating my new favorite fruit, listening to good music and just lovin' life! No joke, I sat on the front of the boat for at least 6 hours one day! I know that I am extremely cheesy, so hopefully saying this isn't a surprise to any of you. Sitting on the edge of the boat gliding down the Amazon River made me feel so alive. It was like the entire world was at peace and that I could overcome anything. And yes, just like high school graduation...I cried as we drifted down the river. Such an amazing moment!
We saw thousands of interesting items at the Belen Market (see pictures below for what I mean by interesting), saw more wild animals, went tubing on the Amazon River, saw pink dolphins and I got to play with monkeys! The monkeys were so fun...I don't even know how to describe the experience! One monkey who was laying in my lap just wouldn't leave no matter how many times I picked him up and put him back on the ground. But I definitely didn't expect having missing chucks of hair after saying goodbye to those wild monkeys :]
Hiring a sketchy man to take you down the river is a lot easier than you would think. There is something here called "Peruvian time" where Peruvians have no concept of time and live their life by what ever feels right. Crazy. We hired a man named Jonathon for the whole day to take us down the Amazon river and he gave us a lot of wonderful information. We stumbled upon a small town hidden among the palm trees that looked like it was out of a book. 50 steep white steps, led to a "pueblo" that was deep within the jungle. Monkeys ran wild, exotic fruit was abundant and we were the white people the children have only ever seen in books. This was definitely one of the best parts of my entire trip because we encountered the poverty stricken, simple living and indigenous peoples you dream about. It really made me think how I live my life compared to these children who swim all day, eat fruit as complete meals and live life to the fullest everyday.
Along with having a spiritual revelation, best experience ever and loving life...I want to just let everyone know that I found my new favorite food. It's a fruit called Mamei and it is literally the best thing I have ever tasted in my entire life. Bright red skin with juicy white center makes this delicacy sound like an apple, but the inside is nothing like an ordinary red delicious. Shut the front door kiddo...my life is complete after eating 14 Mamei's in less than 2 hours. But, the Mamei is actually what led me to getting robbed...
Our last day in Iquitos was supposed to be relaxing and filled with 2 last events, getting more Mamei at the Belen Market and feeding rehabilitated manatees (although we never did make it to the manatees because of the market "incident"). I obviously would never carry my bank card, phone and money in my purse in poverty stricken, South American, jungle territory...but it happened. The whole situation was just bad luck to put it nicely. The three of us thought that we were checking out of the hostel in the morning before our last 2 events and then heading straight to the airport. I had my purse gripped tightly across my body at the market the whole entire time with Leah about 20 feet ahead and Amber 10 feet ahead. A man came up behind me, put his hand across my mouth and touched my private parts to make me let go of my bag. The man scared me half to death because this wasn't just "I want to steal your bag" but "I want to kidnap you" so I used my leg to kick him with the sole of my shoe right in his shins. He removed his hand from my mouth and I screamed bloody murder for a good 30 seconds. He ripped my hand-woven bag from my body and ran away as fast as he could. Thank goodness for Amber and Leah being able to get me out of the situation as fast as they did, because I may have had a panic attack without them. My mom canceled my phone and bank card right away and I was laughing a terrifying moment off 45 minutes later. The girls wanted to kill me when I said on the way to the airport, "Well, hopefully he uses my money to buy food for his family. He probably really needed that money anyways." It always helps being an optimist and trying to find the best in people...even if that slimy man attempted to violate my chastity belt. WHAT A WEASEL. Hahahahahaha :]
All in all, the trip was the best trip of my entire life! I experienced so many new things with 2 new friends that put up with a great amount of inspirational sayings and life lessons. I did miss the kids so much though and probably thought about them every hour reminding myself how much they would love being here with us. Coming home from a vacation to volunteering with 57 of the greatest children I have ever met in my life was amazing. The nurses probably wanted to kill me because the night we returned I
ran in to the girls room (waking all of them up) to say hi and tell them about my trip! Once again, I think about how I am ever going to be able to leave in May....
IQUITOS 2011. AMAZING. CRAZY. NEW. FUN. ADVENTURE. COOL.
"Just livin' life."
-Teaner :]
Thursday, October 20, 2011
First day off + Amazing food + Beach = ONE GREAT DAY!
Alright, alright. I apologize. I haven't posted in a while...and I really am sorry! I have just been so busy and haven't had a good amount of time to sit down and write! This post might be long, but there are pictures at the bottom...SO START READING! :]
Let me start with my great day yesterday! At the Hogar, each volunteer is allowed one day off a week and I took my first day off in a month yesterday. It was hard getting me out the door (I really felt bad leaving the children!) but it was a wonderful day :] Two other volunteers, Amber and Alexa, and I took the trek into Lima to be tourists for the day. We first stopped by this hotel for having a famous "catedral pisco sour" (a huge glass of pisco sour) and we put a plan together for our day. Obviously, I wasn't much help with my indecisiveness or my lack of direction. We then stopped by the Plaza de Armas and saw the changing of the guard. Ohh....it only gets better from here.
I have been dying to see the Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of St. Francis) so we went to the Church and got the official tour (in spanish...duh) and got to see the catacombs! I wanted to steal one of the bones in the catacombs sooooooo bad, but would feel guilty if I did...so no bone souvenirs. I really wish I would have stolen that dumb bone though...
Amazing Food...of course food porn pictures are at the bottom! We went to this restaurant that was recommended to us in the center of Lima called L'eau Vive. It is a well kept secret french restaurant run entirely by nuns! We walked in to the restaurant unsure of what to expect, but yes we were greeted by nuns who barely spoke any spanish or english...just french! I had the most amazing steak with fries (the best steak I have ever had), onion soup and profiteroles for dessert. SO AMAZING. Half way through I said I was having a love affair with my food and the other girls agreed. By the end of the meal, I was so full and we didn't even eat dinner later that night because we were so stuffed!
We then took a bus to Miraflores (the beach section of Lima) and I got to see the beach! If you know me, I have an obsession for the beach and I almost started crying when I heard the waves crash, the smell of salt and the sound of the water. I bought 4 pairs of traditional "peru pants", pajama like pants that are to die for comfy, and basically had the best day ever. Of course...more things happened, but those are just the highlights! :] LOVIN' LIFE. Although, I did fell like a 40 year old school teacher that only knows how to talk about her students during conversation. I was constantly thinking about the kids, wondering what they were doing and what I was missing. I even made a slightly true joke that I wanted to go home early to see the kids before they went to bed. hahahaha :] Leaving these children in May is going to be ridiculously hard!
On another note, one of the babies who was seen here for treatment for a few weeks, passed away yesterday. Her name was Evelyn and she was only 3 months old. Evelyn was brought in by her family to the Hogar because she was in congestive heart failure. She was born with her heart on the right side of her body instead of her left and was being taken in to the hospitals in Lima for numerous tests. Her mother, a traditional Peruvian of the mountains who barely spoke any Spanish only Quechua, thought that Evelyn wasn't being treated well here at the Hogar. The mother thought she had developed a cough while being here because she wasn't being bundled properly (Peruvians wrap their children in 4,000 layers), although the cough was due to her heart failure. The Doctor warned the family that if she went home, especially back to the altitude of the mountains, she would most certainly die. But they took her back anyway. Evelyn passed away yesterday. Please keep her family in your prayers and be thankful for everyday you are given.
Love,
Let me start with my great day yesterday! At the Hogar, each volunteer is allowed one day off a week and I took my first day off in a month yesterday. It was hard getting me out the door (I really felt bad leaving the children!) but it was a wonderful day :] Two other volunteers, Amber and Alexa, and I took the trek into Lima to be tourists for the day. We first stopped by this hotel for having a famous "catedral pisco sour" (a huge glass of pisco sour) and we put a plan together for our day. Obviously, I wasn't much help with my indecisiveness or my lack of direction. We then stopped by the Plaza de Armas and saw the changing of the guard. Ohh....it only gets better from here.
I have been dying to see the Iglesia de San Francisco (Church of St. Francis) so we went to the Church and got the official tour (in spanish...duh) and got to see the catacombs! I wanted to steal one of the bones in the catacombs sooooooo bad, but would feel guilty if I did...so no bone souvenirs. I really wish I would have stolen that dumb bone though...
Amazing Food...of course food porn pictures are at the bottom! We went to this restaurant that was recommended to us in the center of Lima called L'eau Vive. It is a well kept secret french restaurant run entirely by nuns! We walked in to the restaurant unsure of what to expect, but yes we were greeted by nuns who barely spoke any spanish or english...just french! I had the most amazing steak with fries (the best steak I have ever had), onion soup and profiteroles for dessert. SO AMAZING. Half way through I said I was having a love affair with my food and the other girls agreed. By the end of the meal, I was so full and we didn't even eat dinner later that night because we were so stuffed!
We then took a bus to Miraflores (the beach section of Lima) and I got to see the beach! If you know me, I have an obsession for the beach and I almost started crying when I heard the waves crash, the smell of salt and the sound of the water. I bought 4 pairs of traditional "peru pants", pajama like pants that are to die for comfy, and basically had the best day ever. Of course...more things happened, but those are just the highlights! :] LOVIN' LIFE. Although, I did fell like a 40 year old school teacher that only knows how to talk about her students during conversation. I was constantly thinking about the kids, wondering what they were doing and what I was missing. I even made a slightly true joke that I wanted to go home early to see the kids before they went to bed. hahahaha :] Leaving these children in May is going to be ridiculously hard!
On another note, one of the babies who was seen here for treatment for a few weeks, passed away yesterday. Her name was Evelyn and she was only 3 months old. Evelyn was brought in by her family to the Hogar because she was in congestive heart failure. She was born with her heart on the right side of her body instead of her left and was being taken in to the hospitals in Lima for numerous tests. Her mother, a traditional Peruvian of the mountains who barely spoke any Spanish only Quechua, thought that Evelyn wasn't being treated well here at the Hogar. The mother thought she had developed a cough while being here because she wasn't being bundled properly (Peruvians wrap their children in 4,000 layers), although the cough was due to her heart failure. The Doctor warned the family that if she went home, especially back to the altitude of the mountains, she would most certainly die. But they took her back anyway. Evelyn passed away yesterday. Please keep her family in your prayers and be thankful for everyday you are given.
Little Baby Evelyn...always in my heart <3
On a more positive note! I am going to the Amazon jungle and river on Monday with 2 other volunteers, Leah and Amber! We will be staying in Iquitos, Peru for 4 days. Iquitos is the largest city in the Amazon rainforest and is located on the Amazon river. We will be staying on a water hostel that looks picture perfect for all 4 nights but hope to float down the river one night. I am very very very excited for the jungle and will definitely take lots of pictures and post them here when we return! We hope to go zip lining, sleep on hammocks, eat mangoes, listen to music, sleep, eat, drink and have an amazing time!
I don't even know how to explain how much I love it here. I spoke a while ago of defining moments. We all have defining moments, moments out of the ordinary that light a fire inside of you. But, it's what you choose to do with the defining moment that sets the ordinary apart from the extraordinary. I decided in April that I wasn't going to let someone live my life for me. I bought a plane ticket for 9 months with my best friend on June 21st. I hopped on a plane on August 29th to Peru. I followed my heart here to the Hogar on September 20th. I made a commitment to myself at a very young age that I would change the world. All defining moments that I listened, learned and took action from. I have never had that single "eureka"moment people talk about. But I have learned to recognize a defining moment and live within it. After being here at the Hogar with these amazing children, solely existing isn't an option. I want to commit my life to service and be the best person I can be everyday. I have and always will be a true liver and lover of life, embracing every defining moment!
Love,
Teaner :]
OUR LIVES A SERIES OF DEFINING MOMENTS, STRUNG TOGETHER BY PASSING TIME. SURRENDER FULLY TO THIS MOMENT, BECAUSE IT IS NOT THE MOMENT ITSELF THAT DEFINES US, BUT HOW WE CHOOSE TO LIVE IN IT.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)