Mucho Mas Sleepovers

Aaaaah, I can´t believe I only have just over 3 weeks left with my children, how has the time gone so fast?!

I´m so excited to start the proper travelling, especially with my extra 9 days thanks to a little flight change with STA - I´m now back on the 24th... more adventuring in Peru to be had it seems :)  but also the idea of leaving the orphanage is heartbreaking, I don´t want to think about it yet...

I´ve had muchas travelling on the weekends too though, first to Sucre, the official capital city, for our 1 pound 40 a night hostel, sugar white buildings, awesome chocolate and dulce de leche breakfasts! Then to the jungle the next where a bought of food poisoning for me and Alice made the Saturday ´ínteresting´!! But we still managed a treck into the rainforest to see caves full of blind birds and bats. Then a national park the next day where a mommy monkey and her baby decided to befriend me... just wandered over, put her hand on my knee and sat down, then had a little snooze in my lap!

 

As much as I am really loving to explore, right now its my time with the children that I love the most.

Last week I had another brilliant sleepover with casita 1. Although, those of you who know me well, especially my hatred of singing in front of, well, anyone! will appreciate this story... as many children and I were in the midst of chaos making ´God´s eyes´ (which are a little like dream catchers) from wool and sticks - thank you so much Maggie for this idea, they loved it! - I suddenly realised the others were dancing, and attempting the words in English, to ´Girls just wanna have fun´ and the Grease megamix!! So subconsciously I started singing along too = uh oh, big mistake!

When they caught me we started the songs again while I was made to dance and sing pretty loudly ín front of them all while they gawped in awe of my ´english´singing! Man alive, pretty embarrasing! But hilarious at the same time as none of you reading this will ever see anything like it again... I hope! Another ´only in Bolivia´moment!

 

This weekend is ´Dia del Madre´which is Mother´s Day really but its such a big thing her in Bolivia as it also celebrates the day that only women were fighting in the war. All the schools and orphanages are practicing performances. Today I went to La Cahcha, the huge market in Cochabamba, to rent Cholita clothes for 4 of my older girls to wear in their dance. And have often been made to take the part of a missing child when another group practice! Friday is the big celebration at my orphanage and all the children are pretty excited about it. They are going to perform for their Tias and have been making cards and present for them for weeks now. We are invited too so it should be really nice. Then Monday is the turn of Maria Christina, the home for those with mental disabilities, and apparently they are dancing too!

It seems really appropriate to me that Dia del Madre is always the 27th of May here... Happy Birthday to my Mommy!

 

Tonight one Tia can´t sleep in the orphanage so she´s asked me to take care of her casita, by myself, eek. But I´m going armed with many strings for more ´mañilla´ making (bracelets!) so hopefully it will be okay :)

 

I hope everyone is well wherever in the world you are xx

My two best purchases...

Cochabambino...

After 2 more weeks, and weekends, in Cochabamba I am finally feeling like more of a Cochabambino! Although at first it felt wierd not to travel on the weekends it has actually been really great to properly experience city life here. We even went to a 'feria' which turned out to be like a music festival with hundreds of Bolivians singing along to 'Americo' like it was Mr Brightside or something in the UK!! Very cool, although freezing at night, and, unprepared me now has no voice thanks to the cold I have to show for it. So now its not only my spanish that makes me incomprehendable here, man alive :)

I've also now settled into my role at the orphanage more. When I can't get over the language barrier now I just dance! Bailar!! It makes the kids laugh, and being a little bit razy suits me fine anyway! Nail polish has also been the best buy of my trip yet... a day doesnt go by without me painting at least 4 chicas nails! Yesterday I organised to take 14 of the older children out to the cinema. It was pretty stressful but so much fun in the end and really worth it as often they don't get to leave on the weekends which is not what you want when you are 15 or 16. So 17 of us squeezed into 3 taxis - yip 3, but that's pretty normal here! for a wee trip. I also surprised myself by managing to negotiate a little discount... in Spanish!
I'm starting to get really attached to some of the children its going to be so hard when I have to leave. My second sleepover was pretty interesting. My casita had no tia at night so some of the girls were up until after 1am, then up for school at 6, definitely an experience. I have 6 weeks left there now and hope there is something more I can do to really help out. We will see.

Another addition to my time here is Maria Christina. This is another orphanage for children and adults with mental disabilities. It is probalbly the place where volunteers are needed most but don't often go so me and 2 others are using some of our free time to help out there. Compared to what I know of such places in the UK this is massively different and also quite a shock at times. But just to be with them, giving them attention and stimulation, is so appreciated and when you get a smile, or a dance, feels so worth while. Every new experience in Bolivia never fails to surprise me!