So, you're in Perú... What Exactly are you Doing?

¡Hola Todos!

This is Laura.  She once had the idea that she would organize 
me and Ryan's apartment.  Still hasn't happened.  

As I write, I am commemorating the end of my second week of work and the start of what hopes to be a formative endeavor.  With this mindset on my responsibilities here, I thought I would share exactly what I am doing.  I felt that since my placement in Perú, I have not really given a good, clear explantation of what I would be doing (mainly because it was something uncertain on my end).  But uncertainty was good, and I am realizing this now, because instead of relying on the pre-conceived notions that I could have built up over the last few months, I have gone into Ciudad de los Niños with a very open mindset, ready to take everything in.  

Laundry Area.

Before I proceed with the schedule, I would like to explain a little more the place I will be living and working at.  Ciudad de los Niños de la Inmaculada is a residential school in San Juan de Miraflores, a district in Lima that emerged because of the migration of people from the countryside or the mountains to Lima (I will explain this further in another blog post).  It was started by a Italian Capuchin in 1955 in order to deal with migrant children who were abandoned or orphaned.  Today it works in the same light, bringing in kids who come from backgrounds of unstable economic situations or violence, to name a few.  In all, the kids come from situations where it would be best for the child to send them here.  Ciudad is not a school (there is a Capuchin school next door), instead it is the place where the kids can develop in many facets in a healthy and safe environment.  There is a lot more I could talk about, but I have 18 more months to get those thoughts out.  As for me, I live in an apartment behind the church with the other four Cap Corps Volunteers.  There are also two volunteers from England and two from Germany living in the apartments on the second floor.  They will be here for a year.  

Well, let's begin....

-6:00 am: Wake up.  

-6:30 am: Breakfast.  Granted, I have found out the hard way that this actually means I should get there at 6:25.  Many times, especially during the first week, me and Ryan found ourselves walking towards the comedor and hearing one of the brothers start prayer.  Oh well, late once and a while.  

Living Room, Guy's Apartment.  

-7:00 am: Return to San Juan (the pabellon I am working in).  The older three houses, along with the responsibility of cleaning their house, have the responsibility of cleaning up around Ciudad.  During the time after breakfast we sweep up the streets around our house.  I usually walk up and down the main drive sweeping up random pieces of garbage.  

-7:30am: Break.  Everyone is off to school.  This is usually when I enjoy a nice cup of instant coffee (with condensed milk!) and try to catch up on news (be it Peruvian, U.S., or World).  

-8:00 am-9:00 am: Mass.  All of the workers come together for mass everyday.  At first I was dreading the prospect of having to go to mass everyday (and there are times where I would rather sleep, read, or write) but I have come to appreciate it as a way to reflect, practice Spanish (especially the responses), and understand where this place comes from, in a spiritual sense.  

Entrance to San Juan

-9:00 am-11:00 am: Work.  For me, during this time I do some sort of manual labor job.  This can range from anything from working in one of the gardens to cleaning up the little tienda o kiosko (sometimes I even sell some things-thus living my dream of working in a colmado!).  At times I do get frustrated when I hear I have to work in the garden again, or sweep up the house again, but being that I am usually by myself, I have come to find that this time is a really good time to reflect.  It is a very humbling job.  

-11:00 am-1:45 pm: Break.  Often involves reading, relaxing, or taking a trip to el mercado and getting to know a little bit of San Juan.  

-1:45 pm: Lunch.  Boys are back from school, ready for a lunch that usually consists of soup and some combination of rice, beans, potatoes, and recently fish.  So, for all those who are worried about me losing weight (mom), it probably wont happen.  

-3:00 pm: Work.  For the three oldest pabellons, the kids begin to work in some sort of workshop (such as a bread shop, shoe repair, wood work, or hair cutting place, to name a few).  However, I am with the awkward house that has boys old enough to work and boys who are too young.  Therefore, I get to work with the boys who are left behind-sad, especially since they have to spend two hours with me.  We usually clean up the pabellon, garden, or, such as yesterday, play a lot of futbol (ended up playing 2.5 hours of it yesterday-and no, I am still horrible).  

Cancha.  Can usually find me playing fútbol here

-5:00 pm: Break.  

-5:30 pm: Homework.  I kind of help to run a study hall.  I walk around, making sure that everyone is doing their homework, while also helping as much as possible-I was asked a question about chemistry... kind of wish Suzanne (chemistry major) was there to bail me out of that question.  But for the first week and a half I felt like I had no idea what I was doing-which was true.  I would walk up and down the row, and then stand at a window looking immersed in thought (in all reality i was probably thinking about what the kids were thinking about me... "who is this guy? He looks lost."  This past week I was really intentional about observing one of the tutores (head of the house... I am close to his position, but not quite) and try to understand what he does during this time.  This, as well as the fact that my relationship with the kids is changing, has made the last few days really good.  

-7:00 pm: Alabanza.  This is 30 minutes of praise and worship, i.e. singing and dancing in church with the boys.  Slowly understanding the songs.  

-7:30 pm: Dinner.  

-8:00 pm: Boys goy back to homework, I call it a day (or I try to call it a day... need to learn how to say "no".) 

Pachacamac.  Ruins Just South of Lima

It is a very busy schedule, but it has allowed for me to do almost everything that I wanted to do as a volunteer in Lima.  I have been able to reflect, be it on spiritual questions or social problems (hard not to forget that as house filled sand dunes stand as the backdrop to any view); I have been able to spend time and get to know the people I am working with; I have also been able to walk with and share lives with people that I encounter.  This can be anything from a conversation, and smile, laugh, or a look into a face.  Each person comes from some place, and it has been an experience to work to see where people are from.  

I have loved hearing from all of you, be it through emails, letters, or Skype conversations, and I am excited to be able to continue sharing with everyone.  

paz y amor. 

Miguel