Mother of 67 (Carrie at Aldea)

I’ve made lots of new friends while here on my internship—like Clare and Becca (the other interns from Great Britain), Leticia (my teenage Spanish maestra), and Luis (my teenage pastry chef)—but perhaps some of the best relationships I’ve built here are those with the tias.

First off, I’m convinced that the tias are angels. They work 5 days on (working, sleeping, eating, living in the Aldea) and then 2 days off so they literally spend more time with the Aldea children than with their own. What’s amazing is they don’t do it with resentment; instead they take these children in as if they were their own. How noble to be a mother to 67 children! Angels, exactly.

Mami Olga in casa 10 (girls ranging from 8-16) is one of those busy,angelic tias. The only time tias get to rest (even a little) is after dinner while children are cleaning up and getting ready for bed, but even then Mami Olga is spending time with the children, helping with homework, or teaching trades. This week while eating in her house I got to see her teach Peruvian traditional dances to the girls, one from the jungle and one from the plains, to perform at a birthday party. Even in her possible downtime she is working to help these children to grow to well-rounded adults.

I have learned a lot from my friendships here—British words, more Spanish words, and how to bake a Peruvian cake—but some of the greatest lessons haven’t been formally taught. Mami Olga teaches by example and I hope one day to be like her. A cook, a teacher, a seamstress, and a mother (maybe not to 67 but hopefully at least one). Until then I will be the pupil watching the angels at work.