sábado, 27 de febrero de 2010

Nuestra Perrita!

We got our long awaited puppy! La perrita is super cute; very active and has a loud bark for such a small thing. Magda and I were talking about what to call her and I mentioned that my dog’s name was Chibi, which meant “Little One” in Japanese. So there it was- she is officially Chibi. It makes me miss my own doggy a bit- she looks similar, with jet black fur and brown feet. Though small, she holds her own and has a tremendous bark even though she is such a little thing. Chibi is small because of malnutrition and I can feel her bones when I hold her. Yet, she ate so much today. We gave her a bath and she is all clean now. Magda even got her a playmate, Peacha (nicknamed because she does Peachy, or pees, a lot). I came to hear that word a lot at the Hogar; “Necesito hacer un peachy. Peachy!” Both dogs are adorable; and now that it’s only Magda and I in the house it’ll be good to have guard dogs. We are hoping to get another new puppy in about a month to be a companion for Chibi. I’m already starting to fall in love with her. As I am writing this I can hear her on the rooftop, barking.




Sister Magda holding Peacha. Peacha can't get enough of Magda and follows her everywhere!



Awww, how cute is Chibi?







































































miércoles, 24 de febrero de 2010


Yadina and Violeta in the picture to the left. Right before we were getting ready to head back to the house in Chaclacayo, Yadina's sandal started to fall apart. Haha! She really handled it with grace though, and we managed to get back to the house fine, though a bit frazzled.
Both of these girls do so much around the house to help, especially with the younger kids. At times they have a quiet presence but their work ethic, maturity and spirits shine through.
Kristina and I took two of the loveliest girls out on a day trip to Chosica. The park there is beautiful, with a gorgeous fountain, flowers and buildings all around. (*Me, Yadina, Violeta andKristina below in the photo.)



Everyone sang happy birthday in English and Spanish and each of them had a flower to give to Mama Terry! A beautiful bouquet for a beautiful mamita.
On the day of Mama Terry's birthday some of the volunteers took the kids on a trip to the market to buy flowers for Mama Terry. It was quite a sight; three volunteers, five wheelchairs and ten kids strolling to the market. The best thing was seeing the kids helping push their friends in the wheelchairs. At first, Little Segundo, who has a leg shorter than the other (so when he walks it's almost like he's hopping on one leg), was pushing Nikanor for awhile, and when one the volunteers thanked him, he responded with, "It's nothing."




One of my favorite memories of Jose Luis (the one on the right in front of the cake) is of him helping me wash dishes after dinner one night. He washed and I rinsed dishes; Tio Frank kept coming with more and Jose Luis would say "Mas, mucho mas!" I couldn't believe that this kid who was blind was helping me wash dishes! How inspiring each of these people really are. And they are really full of so much character and depth. His famous line, said with a booming voice is always "Eso!"

A month at Dr. Tony's House in Pictures

I bought this beautiful scarf that Anita knitted for me! She is really gifted and knits all sorts of things. Anita is also such a help in the house, helping the mamitas with their cooking, helping in the babies room and with the clothes.
Alex playing the instrument. He is such a sweetie, giving hugs all the time and sitting in your lap. He got to go home with his parents last week! "Se fue de alta" Yay for him!







Flor and el caballo. She loves to dance and has a lot of energy, bouncing around the room and falling all over you.












Jefferson, Jordan and Luis Sanchez.


Jefferson is also very hyper and tires you out on those Lima trips to the hospital. Haha.





















Victor is a total daredevil. He has no fears at all; he goes swimming in the pool, rides his bike (by using his chin to steer) and everything else! And all this without any arms, one leg and one prosthetic! He is such an inspiration that anyone can do anything if they set their mind to it.

domingo, 14 de febrero de 2010

Baby Hour!

Super cute babies at the hogar who are the sweetest things.


Lobeli who had a cleft lip. She is everyone´s sweetheart.



Orlando who had a cleft lip. He will be a future musician; he loves playing with all the toys that make noises, clapping his hands and hands drumming on the sofa.



Baby hour! Me holding Fernando with Yohanna Lizbeth at my side. Fernando has shaken baby syndrome and has little control of his movement and we don´t know if he can hear or see very well. Lizbeth has cerebral palsy and doesn´t have a lot of control of her feet and legs. She recently arrived at the hogar last week and has been having a lot of homesickness but is settling in little by little.

Hogar de San Francisco de Asis: Dr. Tony´s House


(*The viewpoint from the stairs where in the house where I´m staying, surrounded by stark, rocky mountains.)

These past few weeks have gone by in a whirlwind; full of crazy hospital trips into the city where I feel like accidents could happen every two seconds (I´ve nearly gotten run over twice which isn´t too bad), a house full of 50 kids, getting greeted by cockroaches at my feet whenever I go for a nice walk outside and so many other things. I am volunteering for a month at Dr. Tony´s house, a hogar for children who have various types of medical ailments. They range from severe burns to webbed feet and hands to amputations to leukemia and everything in between. At first, I was overwhelmed by everything but now it simply feels like a normal house with 50 kids (if that can seem normal). Everyday I get to know somebody a little better in the house, learn so many sad and also inspiring stories, experience daily life at the hogar. My life is getting so touched by the kids in the house, the doctor who started this incredible hogar, and the workers and volunteers who truly care. Each time at coffee hour the volunteers hear a different story about each patient; it really is opening my eyes to both the problems in this world and also the incredible people that are making it better.