Last Day Volunteering

Today was our last day at the PPA, and tonight we will have our final dinner together as a volunteer team. I am sad to see the time end, yet I have to admit, I am pretty much exhausted.
It has been a tremendous experience getting to know the children here, yet like all children, they require a lot of work and energy. I have become to realize that although the children here are extremely well taken care of by the the kind people of the PPA, all of the children are in desperate need of individual care and attention. Like all children, they long for someone to pick them up when they are crying, give them a hug, and sing to them. They all need someone to notice them when they play, laugh, cry, and exclaim with pride when they take their first steps. Although the incredible people at the PPA do a better job than anyone could ever expect at fulfilling all of these needs, there are just too many children for them to be able to do it perfectly. I feel honored to have been able to gain a glimpse at how they attempt to do it at all.


I am especially thankful for our spirited and energetic team leader, Mili, who we were fortunate to have with us during our entire stay here in Peru. Mili was beyond great- she made sure that we gained a real sense of what Peru is all about. She took us to a different restaurant every night for dinner- working long hours just to do so. She made the time here very special.

My Wonderful Group

Well, I have no posts for the past 2 days because I've been sick. I think I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me, but who knows. Could have been a random stomach flu. Anyway, the wonderful people in my group took great care of me. Any Jewish Grandma would be proud. My volunteer group is full of amazing people, each bringing their own remarkable view of the world and interesting personality into the mix. I feel privleged and honored to have met them all and am grateful that I had the opportunity to share the past few weeks with them.

Aquaducts and Pottery

We spent most of the day in Nasca. We toured the ancient aquaducts, which were pretty amazing.
The ancient people of Nasca were able to construct huge underground tunnels to successfully clean their water. They are still in use today.

We then went to a pottery studio, where we watched an artist make a piece by hand.
We saw the kiln that has been used for generations, as well as the handmade paint that is created by crushing different minerals and adding water.
The local artists don't use a potter's wheel, but rather a mold and then they form the smooth sides by hand using only a smooth cloth. It was very interesting to see him work step by step through the process.


On the drive back to Lima, we passed thousands of "shacks" that are people's homes in the desert. The homes are literally made out of nothing but mats sewn together. It was very sad and disturbing to again see the huge amount of poverty that exists throughout Peru. It was hard to imagine that people actually live this way, and makes me appreciate all the more what I have.

Nasca Lines

We arrived in Nasca in the late afternoon. We checked into our hotel and then went to a small airport to take a plane over the Nasca Lines. The Nasca Lines are huge lines in the sand that are believed to have been created by ancient people. The lines were not discovered until someone flew over them with a plane and saw them for the first time. It is impossible to see the figures, except from the air, so no one is sure how the ancient people created these huge figures in the sand.
The lines are in the shapes of such things as a monkey, dog, man, fertility symbol,and many others (there are about 20 I think). My pictures don't show the lines very well, as it was difficult to photograph them from our plane. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge and you may be able to see the man in the side of the mountain.

Yes, I was terrified to fly in such a small plane and the pilot kept turning the plane on it's side so we could get a better view of the Lines. I was really ready to get out of the plane after the 45 minute flight!!

Off to Nasca

We had a free weekend, so my new friend Diane and I decided to take a guided trip to Nasca. We left early Saturday morning (4am) and stopped in a city called Paracas on the way. From there, we went on a boat to the Balletas islands.

The boat trip was wonderful, and along the way we were joined by a group of dolphins who swam alongside our boat.
The islands are not inhabited by people, but are a wildlife sanctuary to many types of animals.
We saw thousands of sea lions, birds and, tiny penguins. The rock formations of the islands are amazing.
If you look closely in this picture, you can see the outline of an old woman's profile.

Playing, Feeding, and Diapers

This morning I was assigned to work with the youngest children at the PPA. They are kept in what are called "Boxes" but they aren't really boxes, just large play areas for each group. The smallest kids are in Box 1, and as they get older, they move to Box 2, then 3 and so on...


I was assigned to Boxes 1 and 2. At one point, I was left alone with 9 children, ages 10 months to 18 months for about 2 hours. They were so adorable, and I just kind of managed them by keeping them from crying and hitting and biting each other. After playtime, I was joined by several caregivers and we fed the children. It is amazing how much these kids eat! The philosophy appears to be that the children all have to eat what is provided. The 18 month olds do not feed themselves, they are spoon fed- first a mixture of rice, chicken, and some sort of sauce, then soup, then juice. It takes a while, but the children are required to eat everything. Luckily, I was assigned to the 2 best eaters for lunch. None of the children are overweight, and I think it is because the food is homemade and all healthy.

In the evening, a group of us decided that we wanted to try to attend synogogue. Out of the 9 of us in our group, 5 of us are Jewish. Our team leader was nice enough to find a synogogue for us to attend. This was easier said than done, because security is extremely tight for Jews here in Lima. The synogogue did not want to give out any information about their location, so our team leader had to fax over copies of our passports. When we arrived, the guard at the gate wouldn't let anyone in who wasn't Jewish. We were very upset about this, but our team leader explained that it was only for security reasons. The guard looked at the last names on our passports to determine who was Jewish. One woman who didn't have a Jewish last name said the "shema" for entry.

The service was nice and there were about 150 people there. Afterwards, we spoke with the rabbi and his wife. They were very kind and went outside to apologize to our friends who were not able to come inside. The rabbi told us that there are 2800 hundred Jews in Lima. They have 3 synogogues- 2 orthodox (sephardic and ashkenazic), and 1 conservative. The rabbi told us that there isn't a lot of anti-semitism in Peru, but that they are very fearful of Arab attacks.

Valentine's Day

This morning we went to the PPA and discovered that there was a special event planned for the morning. The couple from Belgium adopting a child was going to be leaving with the child, and a party was planned to celebrate. The couple has been visiting with the 10 month old child for the past week, bonding and getting to know him. The Sisters (nuns) rounded up all of the little kids, ages 10 months to 2 yrs, and there was music, cake, and sweets provided by the adoptive family. It was nice to see that the caregivers, who had taken care of this little boy for his entire life, had a chance to say goodbye and celebrate his future. It was a happy event and I feel fortunate to have observed this part of adoption process transpire in another country. Although the adoptive couple does not speak English, I could definitely see that the little boy has become bonded to them. Adoptions only happen at the PPA a few times a year, so it was very lucky (or meant to be) that I witnessed this event.

In the afternoon, there was a Valentine's Day Party for the children. All of the children were brought to a big "rec" room that was decorated with balloons and streamers.

There was music playing, snacks, candy, and juice for the kids. The Sisters asked us to please dance with the kids, and we honored that request! We danced and danced, even though it became really hot in the room with all of the kids. Everyone in my group got into it, and we all had a great time. At one point, a little girl came over and put her arms out for me to carry her around.
I held her for a while, and I just may be taking this one home in my suitcase, she is so cute!!


Here is a picture of some of the older girls and the "abuelitas" (grandmothers) in my group. The older girls were really excited to see the "abuelitas", as they have become very attached to them during our trip.



In the evening, we had the opportunity to go to a restaurant where there was a wonderful Peruvian buffet and a live dance performance.


The food was amazing (Peruvian food is absolutely delicious!) and the traditional dances performed were wonderful.

All in all this was a great day, but very exhausting. I think I am partied out for now!!