Eagle turned Mother Hen - Day 7

My first week here has been pretty busy. It feels like it has been a lot more than just 7 days. I've been a bit confused about what my role would be here. So to clarify, I will be the Kindergarten teacher for the whole 6.5 months. (Note to Ange and Cowboy - little fingers!)
I spent most yesterday reading the Super Nanny website which is like a crash course on correct discipline for kids. Fingers crossed it works on the pinching and hitting problem I'm having. By that I mean the kids pinching and hitting each other - I had to sign a contract saying I wouldn't be violent with the children.

And these are mis niños...

José Luís - always smiling, independent and cheeky.

Jhon - very serious for a 3yr old, very intelligent, the leader of the group.

Alejandro (and Ashley) - pinches the other boys but is very affectionate with adults.  

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A church group from America is coming on Thursday and staying for a week. This is really exciting because groups do a lot of work at the orphanage in a short amount of time, spoil the kids silly and take the volunteers out for a few dinners. Can't wait! I'm worried that my accent may change because all the non-Peruvian people I meet are American. I've already caught myself thinking with an American accent (you know how you talk to yourself in your head? That voice.)

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We went to a Peruvian church this morning (and experienced public transport for the first time - not too shabby). Everything was in Spanish but I understood enough words in the sermon to piece together the message. It was about how members of the family all have responsibilities and that each of us need to respect and act on those responsibilities in order to build a strong family unit. Thinking about that and the kids at the orphanage bothered me. I hate being reminded of the past that the kids have had. They are all too young to have gone through even half of what they have. They come from families broken by poverty, crime and abuse.  But looking around here you wouldn't know it. They are all just like normal kids. They spend as much time as possible playing and having fun. It really feels so full of energy, joy and life here.

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So, in summary, its been a good week - even the dull moments weren't very dull. I already have some "wow that would never happen in Australia" stories but I'll collect them and pick the best ones to share  later in a special "That's so Peru!" post.

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p.s you can feed the fish if you like, its very therapeutic (click the water)

the eagle has landed

safe and sound in my little room in Hogar de Esperanza, Trujillo, Peru.
Phew! Craziness! Where to start...

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ok, its 11:33pm Sunday - which reminds me, I need to fix that clock so it shows Trujillo time. Sitting in bed with a towel wrapped around my head - fresh from a cold shower. It was cold because, even though I did turn on the water heater and gave it time to warm up, I failed to check that it was plugged in *sigh. Cold is refreshing though. I was very efficiently picked up from the airport at about 10pm I think (?) by Ashley, Bryson and Kelly. Bob was also on my flight. So in total, the 5 of us, crammed into the 3 seat cab of a pick up truck - the van they usually pick up volunteers in, was at the mechanics and no one had noticed till they came to pick us up hahaha. It was definitely a bonding experience. Someone did take a photo, I'll post it - as soon as my luggage appears with all my cables.
We were pulled over by a policeman before we were able to leave the airport carpark. Not because we were piled on top of each other, but because the driver, Bryson, hadn't brought his license. Which was fine, Bob became the driver. We repacked the clown car and drove for about 20mins to the orphanage. Luckily I was on the top of the stack, which meant I didn't get crushed by body weight - rather, by lack of head room. Half the journey was spent curled up, almost kissing my knees and the other half with my head and arm out the window.
I preferred the second option, now I know why dogs do that.

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Tomorrow is my recover from jet lag day. And locate my luggage and wash my jeans and t shirt. I'll also drop by kinder, to meet my new students =D I'll take heaps of photos and post them as soon as I can.

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I think I might just be an optimist after all.
Buenas noches!

T minus 1 day

eep, last blog till the long, long, long flight to Trujillo
  - 16 hrs to Santiago, Chile (with stop over in Auckland)
  - 4 hrs to Lima, Peru
  - 1.5 hrs to Trujillo, Peru
If you would like further details of the flights and aircrafts (i.e. flight times, plane type, plane registration, most comfortable seats, etc) - please contact Kieran a.k.a fountain of knowledge for all aircraft and flight path related knowledge (he is royalty in plane spotter circles).

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In other news, I and other local Solomon Islanders, celebrated Solomon Islands' 33rd Independence Day today - although the official Independence day is the 7th July.
In case you aren't sure how to celebrate, don't worry, sit back and enjoy the video below. It features dancers from the Isabel province - and a comedian in the front :)
NB: ignore the 'zulu dancers' thing - very sure they aren't zulu

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Tomorrow will be incredibly exciting and exhausting, so I'd better finish my Guiness and hop off to bed.
Hasta luego!