In the Spirit of the Season...

A fellow volunteer here at the orphanage has been working hard organizing the first annual ¡Los Gorrioncitos Rockeros! It's a concert in Lima on January 13, to raise money for the orphanage. No obligations but if you are able to make a small donation to cover some of the initial costs of the concert it would be really apreciated. She has until the 28th to raise the money. If you have any specific questions you can contact Adeline Tissier directly at adrenalinaperu@hotmail.fr. I think she has 300 dollars left to raise. The money can be transferred directly into an account. Email me or Adeline for the account information.

I've also added a link to the Casa's webpage if you would like to make a general donation to the casa. You can read about the project for a new home.

People make inquiries to come and volunteer here every day. The Señoritas, the children, Papa Gil, the volunteers, the donors, this place is surrounded by so much love. Unfortunately eventually you realize that in addition, what they really need is money.

Today the Casa is giving a present to each of 500 neighborhood children who's families can't afford Christmas. It really makes me think of the stack of presents I got as a child on Christmas morning. I remember in Guinea when I described to Ifono, my language teacher, about Santa Claus. I was describing a fat man with a sleigh and a sack of toys, and chimnies. He asked me if Santa Claus came to Guinea. And I said no, I didn't think so.

¡Much love and I'm jealous of all of you out there getting a White Christmas!

¡Pictures!

This is a shot of me doing laundry on the roof. Overlooking the city and the mountains beyond makes washing your clothes by hand a really pleasant experience. I`m still taken aback sometimes even just walking from my hotel to the casa.

I think I mentioned that there are stray dogs everywhere. They happen to be pretty good at somehow getting up on rooftops and walking along walls. I caught this shot walking downtown one day.

The pequeño's toothbrushes.

I went hiking down to the river with the Grandes one morning. It's a beautiful spot just 30 minutes from the casa. That's Abel, he didn't spend a minute out of the freezing cold river the whole time we were there.

Doris, one of the Señorita's is getting in on the action.


Check out the monkey we saw!

I went hiking up to the Wari ruins last weekend with a friend. ¡Stunning!

The other day, some kids from a private school came to the casa to organize an activity for the kids. It involved games where the kids raced eachother to quickly wrap team members like a mummy with toilet paper, or pop balloons filled with flour by sitting on them. There was an eating contest between three of the Pequeños. Chino won so quickly, and stood up, with his arms in the air like a true champion.

Here's Chino drinking Mate, pumping up for the competition.

This is Chino in action, already way ahead of Sergio and Freddy who haven't even finished their cupcakes.

After the games there was some time to kill before Saturdays evening activity of projecting a movie on the outside walls of the casa. I followed the Grandes from the orphanage up the road, each child carrying a sweater or pants or pairs of shoes. Someones family had dropped off clothes, most of which were too big for the kids. We passed the church and I continued to wonder where this mission was going. Twenty minutes up the rubbly road, Ciliana and Alonzo approached an older woman offering her a sweater and a bed sheet. We set everything down, and within a few minutes people were coming up humbly asking for pants, shoes, jackets, socks, etc.

These children at the casa aren't fortunate enough to have individual loving homes, but they come from one big loving family that has plenty compared to a lot of families in the neighborhood. The senoritas didn't have to tell them to offer these things to the community. They know what it means to receive charity. And in return they`ve learned what it means to give it. There was no hesitation, no awkwardness. I watched this charity coming from orphans, and stood there kind of stupidly. I didn't fit in in this circle of giving and receiving. But I cannot complain about having had the opportunity to be a witness.

Only I would have two friends from two different parts of my life, show up in Ayacucho on the exact same day, at the exact same time. Here's Kevin and Mal in Quinau for the fiesta. Check out Kevin's camera. It was stolen later on in the day.

Today is the 5th day of Hanukkah. Mal has been giving me a present every day. I think it's the first time I've gotten Hanukkah presents since I was a little kid. So, I'm in the holiday spirit, excited about Christmas at the casa with the kids. I'm pretty confident in Ayacucho being a beautiful place to spend Christmas.

2009 has been a wild year filled with the most unique experiences of my life. I can't help but feel grateful. Reading about the latest news in Guinea, I feel grateful that I come from a country where there are civil democratic elections. I'm grateful that I have equal opportunity and education. Working at an orphanage, I'm grateful of my amazing and supportive family. I'm grateful that I've been given so many opportunities to see the world and meet so many people.

Thanks for reading and I'll be in touch.

¡Happy Holidays!