we'll be back...I promise!

So I've been very negligent in updating our blog...But I've received some great stories and photos from our interns, so stay tuned! I'm going to be on hiatus for another week or so and then we'll be back!

We've got some great things going on both down in South and North America.
Thanks for all your support....it means everything to the children.

Natalie

Our great trip to El Bichito (Julie)

Wow, it is hard to believe that it has been more than a month since our great trip to El Bichito. Traveling with our Southern Cross expedition group was truly an incredible experience. What a great group to travel with! Under the leadership of Cameron and Laura we all had a great time and appreciated the unique and memorable experience that they made possible. We were the first expedition to Porcon and to El BIchito. We were all inspired by the beauty of the people of Porcon and children of El Bichito. My daughter Emalia and I had an incredible experience, it will truly make a difference in our lives.

As a nurse I have years of experience working in Public Health, but nothing compares to the feeling seeing the good work that Southern Cross is doing for the Children of El Bichito. We accomplished a lot in our few days of hard work and were able to provide some very basic health care for the children. But more is needed. We need to see if we can provide follow-up for a 5 year old that needs an ENT to evaluate a mass in her ear. Hopefully our efforts of raising money at the garage sale will be a start.

Let's continute our efforts and not forget these special children now that we are back home.

I look forward to the reunion of our expedition members and continue our efforts!
Julie

The Little Bug (Chelsea)

(Note: Chelsea was on our June expedition to El Bichito - The Little Bug)

El Bichito is a special place. It is a drop-in center, meaning that it is a safe place for poor children to come to have a healthy filling lunch, and get their homework done. When we arrived we were very anxious to meet the children. We had the opportunity to move bricks to facilitate the building of the walls on the second story. We were fortunate to have a Doctor, Nurse, and a Dental Hygienist with us. They did health screenings and created medical records for the children at El Bichito. The children were rewarded with sublime chocolate and stickers. The greatest concern was the large number of dental problems seen in this group of children. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were handed out. The children were also given instruction on how to brush their teeth properly and they were encouraged to brush often. The greatest pleasure was interacting with them, and seeing the smiles on their face. We spent the last day with them playing games on the grass. We taught them partner tag and red light green light. Jump roping and volleyball were also popular activities. The line for ice cream was very long, but I think all the children felt that it was worth the wait.

It is exciting to see the service provided at this facility. We are excited to see it's progress in the future.

Quick Internship at Aldea (Joanna)

(Note: Joanna is an intern who went to Aldea Infantile for a couple of weeks. She sent us a quick report about what she did in her few weeks there.)

At the school in Porcon, we assisted in the English classes everyday
and also taught Physics to the older students twice a week. The best
way we could help with English was in pronunciation. We played lots of
games with the kids to get them excited and more involved in the
lessons, which covered everything from family relationships to colors
and numbers. In the physics classes, we covered basic laws and did lots
of practice with vectors. It was a very rewarding experience.

The Children at The Little Bug (Laura)

These are just a few of the 81 children who come to the El Bichito for daily meals. According to the principal at the local school, Carlos, these meals have made a huge difference in the academics this year. He stopped by just to say "thank you" when he saw us gringos working there.

The smiles on these children's faces weren't as evident when we came at the beginning of the week. They couldn't quite understand why we were there or what we were doing, but they soon realized we were there to help and warmed up quickly. The big break through came when Randy, one of the men on the trip, went all out playing tag in the grassy area we rented next door to the El Bichito. The kids got the giggles when they saw Randy run as fast as he could to catch them, reach out for the "tag", miss and fall to the ground rolling and spinning! No wonder they all started making sure Randy was "it".

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.

Princess Antonina (Carrie at Aldea)

One of my projects here is to build a website for the Aldea so the world can see how wonderful our children are! It’s not finished yet so, for now, these lovely, little blog updates will have to do. I want to share with everyone one of my favorite little dolls here in the Aldea: Antonina. Antonina is 4 years old, has chipmunk cheeks, ponytails, and a permanent smile. She is nicknamed Princesa (Princess) because she really is one. When other kids throw temper tantrums, whine, or disagree with one another, Antonina doesn’t. She is so mild tempered that I’ve never heard her cry, yell, or whine—how unfortunate that I can’t say that for some of the other 4 year olds!

Antonina is also incredibly fortunate because she is sponsored by the vice president of the state of La Libertad. He brings her goodies, hugs, and new clothes whenever he can. She’s always very excited to see him. With him being such an important man, maybe this makes her even more of a princess.

Now here is my shameless plug for child sponsorships. Unfortunately, not all of the children are as lucky as Antonina. They do not have padrinos (godparents) to bring them sweets, little toys, or no clothes. They don’t have someone to visit them on their birthday or send them a card. You certainly don’t have to be an important person like vice president Napoleon to sponsor a child. Anyone can and the kids would be more than happy to have even just someone. As volunteers in the Aldea, we do our best to be their somebodies but sometimes it’s just not enough. If you read this and want to be somebody’s someone, then consider sponsoring a child like Antonina. Nothing would make me happier than to see the other little ones in the Aldea that I consider little royalty to have padrinos and madrinas so they, too, can feel like a prince or a princess.