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 :]