Saturday, March 31, 2007

Good-bye Trujillo

This week we started our good-byes, something that seems to be much more difficult than I imagined. It is crazy to think of the imact you can have on someone, or they can have on you. The slogan for the Albergue is "Cambia Tu Corazon" (Change Your Heart), and this holds so true to mine. When I got here, I had no clue what I was doing or what I was getting myself into, as twenty-eight little kids came running up to us. When we got out of the van, Sarita looked at me and said, "bebe?", as she held little Jose David out to me. "Ummm... no", was my reponse, something we joked about in Huaraz as we were remenising about our first day at the Albergue.

Two days ago I was in Hugo and Sarita's house when Jose David came running up to me, grinned, and reached his arms up to me. I cryed. I realized how much I am going to miss him doing that, and how much I will miss all the boys in that paticular house.
Arnold is one of the boys in that house that I have become quite attached to. He became very special for me the first day I met him. He was easy on me, as he was very content just sitting next to me, and smiled up at me with same expression as in this photo. We have a great time together when he takles me and when we just sit side by side. This little boy's past is a very ugly and dark one as he was abused, neglected, and uneducated. Now, I have been able to share in the joy of seeing him attend school for the first time and have a loving home with people that care for him. Arnold has changed my heart. He is a very adorable little boy with a huge heart and a hunger to learn and grow. Chito (short for little Jesus, "Jesusito") is also another little boy from the same house that has changed me. I love this little three year old boy. He is adorable and I have spent about everyday with him. I tought him in my preschool class and I watch him in the mornings. We put together "rempacabezas" (puzzles) almost everyday, as it is one of his favorite thing to do. I have grown quite attached to this little one. I call him "Mi Amigo" which makes him happy and giggle. Friday night (our last night at the Albergue) was very hard for me. We were watching Spiderman 2 and having a party, which was our treat to the kids before we leave. When I sat next to Chito while watching the movie he shouted "Mi Amigo" with so much excitement! Then he held my hand and would periodically look up at me and say, "Tia, Hola." After the movie finished I said good night to all the kids for the last time and went upstairs, where Adam then found me trying to fight back tears. I will miss him very much. He is my little buddy here at the Albergue.
This is the last movie/party night before we leave. I am sitting with my boys! Left to right: Samir, Edwin, Rocio, me, Chito, Piero, Jesus, and Arnold.
On Thursday night, our friends from church had a good-bye party for us. Here we played games and they put us on the hot seat, sharing memories and having fun. The whole night was dedicated to us! They are a great bunch of people and we have enjoyed getting to know them all.
Today, Satuday, is our last day at the Albergue. I had planned on packing and cleaning, but the workers and kids had another idea. They knocked on our door at 9am eager to play and party the whole day. We started with relay races and other games. Then, everyone was divided into three groups for an art competition. The groups were divided into people to work with cardboard, sand, and with paper, paint, cotton, and other matterials. After our art projects we met for lunch, where the workers gave us gifts and shared with us how much they appreciate us coming. Here are some pictures I took through out the day.

Dani tackeling Adam after the relay races during our "field day." My team won the competition with this sand horse.

Adam's team project had to make something out of cardboard. They were very creative. They made a dancing elephant, by putting it over Jesus.

It was a very fun day full of activities. We are finished packing, and will be departing for Lima and Cuzco shortly. It was hard and sad to say good-bye to all our new friends. We will miss them very much. This will be our last blog written in Peru. I will write another one in the States, next week, to tell of our trip to Cuzco. See you all shortly!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my, parting is such sweet sorrow.

I was bawling when I got through reading this one.

I love you both so much.

Mom, Riley, Mia, Boofur, Susie, Casey, and Santa Baby.

Anonymous said...

Hey Kristen and Adam,
It would be hard to leave somewhere when you have spent so much time there and getting to know the people. But what a great time the two have you got to spend with one another. It will help your relationship grow even more. You'll for sure have tons of memories from this trip. Maybe someday you'll get to go back. Hope to see you soon!
Carla