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 :]

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.

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.

Shoes, Sugar, Ice Cream, Wrestling and Thank You's :]

Things are still wonderfully amazing here at the Hogar in Peru! I am working on a long blog post right now, but someone (AKA MY MOM) has been bothering me to post an update! So here's a few things I have begun to realize as a long term volunteer...

1. No more complaining.
-The other day, the Doctor noticed that one of the girls with Spina Bifida had shoes that were too small for her. Another volunteer took Flor up to the donation room to find her a new pair of shoes that fit. She picked out a cute pair of pink new balances and went back downstairs in time for lunch. Another little boy, Luis Sanchez, saw that Flor got new shoes from upstairs. You think you know how this story is going to end, right? Well, instead of most other boys who would be jealous and complain that someone else got new shoes...Sanchez came up to me after lunch. He said, "I really like Flor's new shoes. I am so happy she got a new pair, she deserves them. I was wondering if there would be any shoes for me upstairs because I haven't had new ones in a while and when I walk my feet get wet." Before I almost started to cry, I looked down at Luis' shoes. His shoes were beat up, ripped, torn and had huge holes in them. I feel horrible for not noticing sooner, but new shoes is something I definitely take for granted. I didn't even think that some of these children don't have comfortable, new shoes to walk in. I took Luis up to the donation room and told him to pick out any shoes he wanted and of course he picked out the shoes with the roller skates on the bottom. Not only has this boy not complained for I don't know how long, but he told me that if other kids needed shoes too...he wanted them to have them first. Lesson learned :] I have so much to be thankful for from my good health to small things like good shoes.

"You never truly know someone until you have walked a mile in his shoes."

2. When volunteering at an organization or a charity, never ever bring sweets!
-Here at the Hogar we have schools, children and other people visit all the time. Of course the children from the schools are going to bring some type of food for the children of the Hogar to eat and it always ends up being cookies, chips and coke. HORRIBLE IDEA. I completely understand they want to bring sweets to make everyone happy and have it be a celebration, but the aftermath of a child eating 40 cookies in the corner is terrifying. Feeding the children sweets may seem like a great idea, but once they leave in an hour...the volunteers are the ones who have to deal with the intense sugar comas. Yesterday, a little boy named Samir ate enough chips and cookies for all 57 children and of course threw up everything he ate an hour later. Samir has epilepsy and the extreme sugar and vomiting not only affects our sanity but his seizures as well. So, moral of the story...bring fruit and vegetables when visiting an organization with children. Go Pipkin's! hahaha :]

3. Learning the difference between disciplinarian and "the sneaker of ice cream" is hard!
-Being a long term volunteer comes with a lot more responsibility than being the volunteer who only stays a week. I know every child's routine, eating habits and diseases. I am not just a volunteer, I am now apart of these children's lives! We all know that I am such a push over...I would give every child 25 scoops of secret ice cream after dinner if I could! Haha :] And since I am here for so long, I have to be able to "say no" and learn to be more stern. It's the coolest feeling in the world being invited into 57 children's lives which includes the good and the bad. Just in the past few weeks I have witnessed Changai losing his first tooth, Tomi's temper tantrums, my intense love affair with my favorite baby John Pierre, teaching Franco to ride a bike, hospital visits, late night ice cream runs, heartfelt hugs, countless falls, unity at Mass, walking in on everyone taking a shower (awkward), meeting wonderful volunteers and having coffee with a saint. I am beyond grateful to be here with all of these children not just for a short week, but until next May! I am so blessed :] And I may be better at breaking up fights now, but serving secret ice cream to my favorite kids may never stop. Oh well!

As my Mom has always said..."Life is uncertain. Eat Dessert first."

4. The kids show no mercy...
-Watching Victor and Franco wrestle each other on the patio seems like such an unfair fight. Victor only has one leg while Franco has all four limbs. Who do you think won? Victor put up a good fight, but obviously Franco won. Franco doesn't care that Victor only has 1 leg, he wrestles him just like any other boy and that's why the kids all get along so well. The kids try and trip children with missing limbs, hide crutches and make jokes...it sounds mean but it is such a life lesson to be learned. The children don't treat each other differently because they have a disability, deformity or disease. You learn within the first few days what is considered helpful and what is overbearing. There is no need to help David move from his wheelchair up the stairs, but taking his backpack up to his bed is very helpful. The kids always ask us for help when they really need it and aren't afraid to ask the other children as well. No matter the problem on the outside, the children are all the same on the inside. Every one of them has hopes, dreams and fears regardless of their outward appearance.

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

5. Always thank the cooks :]
-At the Hogar, there are 2 cooks called Mamitas who have cooked every single day for the last 20 years. The cooks can be quite protective of their kitchen and as a long term volunteer, I have learned already to always thank the cooks. The Mamitas basically know everything about everyone and aren't afraid to let you know when you have done something wrong. Because my Spanish is better than any other current volunteer, I take the blame for most accidents and incidents in the kitchen. Of course, it kind of sucks always being blamed for taking the wrong towels, spilling food (actually that's usually always me) and putting something back in the wrong place...but whatever. After meals or during the day I always remember to say thank you and have a conversation with them. It not only let's them know how much I appreciate them, but it also lessens the blow when I break something in the kitchen ;] A simple thank you and smile really does go a long way, especially when I will see them everyday for the next 9 months. And I don't want someone spitting in my food hahahaha :]

"Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see."

The things that I have learned in Peru so far, are lessons I will remember for the rest of my life. I am so grateful to be here and as my friend Megan told me tonight, "you are having the time of your life and you will never ever forget these moments." So true. I am cherishing every moment here no matter how big or small, whether about broken shoes, wrestling matches, thank you's, ice cream or sugar comas.
Life is amazing and I am happy as can be :]

SMILE :]
-Teaner!

Celebrations...Feast days, final days and fiestas! :]

Oh Goodness! So much has happened in the last week, it's crazy!

I don't even know where to begin...but I guess I will start with the biggest event, the feast day of St. Francis de Assisi. This is the saint the Hogar is named after, so of course we would need to celebrate and Peruvians definitely know how! The celebration started last night on October 3rd, when all 55 kids, 26 staff, 7 volunteers, the Doctor, 21 band members and countless neighbors had a procession through the streets of Chaclacayo. IT WAS AMAZING :] If you were to ask another volunteer how the procession was, they would probably say good. But I am super corny and inspirational....and I thought it was one of the best nights of my life! We have a huge statue of St. Francis that is carried through the streets and we stop at significant places throughout the town. We stopped at our church, the children's schools and a few neighbors houses and sang, ate and prayed the rosary at each stop. The procession is followed by dancing back at the Home with desserts. So much fun....but that wasn't even the best part. Today we had mass at the Home followed by a traditional Peruvian lunch. The lunch was sooooo good! And of course, after lunch was singing, dancing and drinking! Apparently it's tradition to toast at a celebration with a Pisco Sour (traditional Peruvian drink) and woaaahhhh! it was strong hahahaha :] SUCH FUN DAYS!!! :] So glad I got to experience the feast day with all of the children and the Home. It will be a day I will never forget.

What next....well one of my favorite girls Andrea left the Home today. I am sad and happy for her at the same time! Andrea is a 4 year old with Apert's syndrome. Apert's is characterized by having webbed hands and feet, fused cranial sutures, retruded midface and mental retardation. Apert's is extremely rare and Andrea has been at the home since she was 24 days old. After countless surgeries, therapies and hospital visits...Andrea's mom picked her up today to go back home to Cuzco. Her face today was filled with excitement, probably because she thought the fiesta was for her, but I am going to miss her so much! If this is how I feel after one child leaves that I have only known for 2 weeks, I am going to be a disaster next May! :[

I finally got my chance to take a child in to Lima for treatment this week...what an experience! I went with a nurse (who needs to be fired), Luis Sanchez, Xiomarra, and a 20 lb. baby named Kitmarra. I had to carry Kitmarra for 6 hours and my arms literally are about to fall off. Here's the story of what happened (try and follow as best as you can). The bus ride in to Lima takes about 2 hours. No we aren't that far away...we just sat in traffic breathing enough exhaust to kill someone for an hour. The children's hospital we went to, is nuts. There is no system...it's basically a free for all. If your child needs non-emergent care you wait in a big line of pushy moms to be seen by some sketchy doctor. Totally normal, right?? Hahahaha :] The baby I carried in, has a tumor the size of a melon covering half of her face. The nurse, Graciella, is supposed to stay with me the whole time...but she is a food hoarder and finds every piece of food in the hospital to get her hands on. So, I was left with a crying baby with MAJOR DIARRHEA, no bottle, in the hot sun, with 2 other young children. It could have been a lot worse...nahh actually it was pretty bad. I have to say, the people of Lima may beat the nosiness of Cincinnati people. Every Mom, Dad, old lady, nurse, doctor and homeless man had to ask me 1. if the baby was mine 2. how old she was 3. where I am from 4. what the big melon was on her face 5. that there was poop dripping from my hands...THE LIST GOES ON FOREVER. hahahahaha :] all I can do now is laugh...but it was such a ridiculous day!

Finding the little moments in such chaos is something that I have always tried do and this situation is no different. On the way home, Luis Sanchez fell asleep on my knee while Xiomarra braided my hair and I held the stinky baby. Luis woke up and looked at me in the eyes and said the most heartfelt thank you I have ever received. Even though the day was kind of a disaster, I realized that I am now apart of these children's lives. Whether it is cleaning up pee, checking for lice, picking up half eaten chicken bones, getting farted on or having poop drip down my hands in public...I am making a difference. Hearing that one thank you makes everything worth it. These kids are so grateful for every helpful gesture and I need to be able to shake off the "gross stuff" to see the beauty. LOVE THESE KIDS MORE AND MORE EVERYDAY :]

Last weekend I had a really fun night too (I told you, so much has happened!!) All of the volunteers went out for dinner and drinks! Such a fun night! We even got to meet up with people from the PeaceCorps who are currently serving in Lima and got to talk to them! It was cool talking to people currently serving to hear their take on their service (if you didn't know...I want to be in the PeaceCorps hahaha). Later that night, we sat on the roof and listened to music under the stars. Gosh, when I write this...I feel like my life is a movie. This really was like the perfect, most fun night ever. One of my favorite things ever is good conversations with great, like-minded people. Talking to other volunteers that also want to commit their life to service is so refreshing. I feel like God lead me to the perfect place because only after 2 weeks, I have met the most amazing volunteers, children and people of Peru.
Saying I love life, is an understatement! :]

Here are some pictures of this week's events! :]

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

Just a little bit of dancing in traditional costumes :]

Ohh Lizbeth! She is the messiest, dirtiest, nastiest child in the world.

The Doctor and Jefferson :] 

They have a bunch of fireworks and objects they blow up for the feast day!

Andrea :] Missin' you already

Andrea's adorable fused toes!

More fireworks and some bull they blow up Hahaha :]

LOVE :]

-Teaner