Day One

Thought of the Day
- Isn’t it funny how much people miss out on things because a thought never occurs to them?
- Like what kind of thought, could you give me an example?
- No—they never occur to me.
--Brinton

I am stopping to reflect of the day and to share my thoughts on what lays ahead in the next week here in Lima with the Global Volunteers
Today is really two days condensed into one stream of experiences. Two flights and 16 hours to arrive in Lima. We were met at the airport and our Peru experience began with our early morning ride from the airport in the fog. A quick nap, a cup of coffee and time to met and become a part of the group. I am very impressed with how quickly everyone has begun the process of transforming personal goals into group goals and objectives four our trip in Lima and at the PPA. While the group is diverse in Geography, backgrounds, age, interest and more there is a very strong sense of purpose, commitment and a desire to serve learn and grow. I believe this energy and desire has gotten us all off to a very positive start. A motivated team with clear objectives will have a positive impact this week on both our group and personal activities. This morning on the start of day 3 I realize that it is important to unplug, both literally and figuratively to focus on this experience and to be more, as they used to say back in the day, “be here now!!” –John T.

Last Day

Journal-Judy Jonas
Going to P.P.A. for the last time
Lots of mixed emotions-glad to be going home, sad to be leaving the children
Onward we went and joined the children for an outdoor special anniversary mass
Brothers, Sisters, staff, children sang and blessed G-d for taking care of us all
All of us watched Cledaman, the Peruvian version of Superman, and had
Lots of fun watching…
Visions of old Peru with niños on a bicycle - covered wagon pulled by a caballo
on roller skates
Other children, dressed in colorful costumes performed folk dances representing
indigenous Quechuan areas
Later we saw the kids carrying their chairs, back to their areas, while others ate
their picnic lunches of pollo sandwiches
Until it was time to go to the huge field for the games
Needless to say, we went too; some watched but others (Jason and I) joined in the
older girls' volleyball game with an invisible, but definite net.
Together we saw one of the Hermanas play as well as the girls
Each of us said our goodbyes, some with tears, other with sweets and some with
both
Earlier doubts and fears set aside
Ready to face our realities at home
Sure that we have been changed and with the hope that the small link we have
formed, in the Global Volunteer chain at the P.P.A., will not be broken

Thought of the Day-Jason Parnes
"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and help them become what they are capable of being."

Journal-Anne Flaherty
Because of the field trip this morning, I found my routine disturbed. Rather than spending the morning pleading in broken Spanish with Ricardo and Franklin to do their school work, I cleaned windows and classrooms with some others. The afternoon was fairly typical-Eileen and I wiped toddlers' noses, mediated fights over toys, and fell even more in love with their smiles, laughs, and attempts at saying "Hola". After that, I, along with four other volunteers, taught English to the high schools girls. They are getting pretty good, if I do say so myself, and can nearly sing "Let it Be" just as well as the Beatles themselves.
However, this break in routine reminded me that my time at the P.P.A. is rapidly ending and while, as Laura put it, "moving dirt around" all morning, I found myself thinking about the past two weeks. To be honest, I think I will leave a little bit conflicted. On the one hand, the P.P.A. seems to be only a temporary shelter from the harsh realities these children face at home and in the world. On the other hand, the connections made between not only myself but the other volunteers and the children are undeniably important. So while it does not seem as if my work has dramatically affected the P.P.A., I think it is safe to say that my mere presence as a volunteer, and therefore as a source of renewed energy, love, and patience, has helped many children survive their immediate, daily struggles-such as a homework difficulties, runny noses, or trouble pronouncing a word. And I hope that kind of help is just as important.

Thought of the Day-Anne Flaherty
"Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, apply the following test: Recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man whom you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be of any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him to a control over his own life and destiny? In other words, will it lead to freedom for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then you will find your doubts and your self melt away." - Ghandi

Journal-Eileen Strong
Today was, for many of us, the last regularly scheduled day at the P.P.A. After finding out that I will not longer be in my kindergarten classroom for my last two mornings, I quickly found myself already missing my noisy, yet lovable, 5-year-olds. I will miss watching Carla draw a very obvious circular island with a palm tree on it, and the children mistaking it for a shoe. Still, funny things like that happen in a kindergarten classroom whether it is in Peru or the U.S., but I do not think that I have come across smiles that have touched me as deeply as they have at the P.P.A.
As in the toddlers' area, the reality of these children's scenarios hits me harder and harder every day. It seems unfair that while I consider the weeks, months, or years many children have until they will leave, the time is approaching for I myself to return home. While it is helpful to know that we are one group preceding a handful of others, I still want to stay and be the one to wipe Emily's nose or tell Enrique that his name is not, in fact, spelled L-U-I-S.
I suppose the most important thing that I will take with me is a compilation of smiles stored up in my brain. It is amazing how one can actually see a child start to feel important with just a friendly glance his or her way. With these last days, I am sure most of my time will be spent admiring the genuine and beautiful smiles that fill the P.P.A. Though we have come for a short time, a smile helps remind me that we are, in some small way, making a difference.

Thoughts of the Day-Eileen Strong
"A smile is a light in the window of the soul indicating that the heart is home"
"The reward of a thing well done is to have done it." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Journal-Laura Merriam
Another cool, cloudy winter day in Lima and day 10 of my global volunteers turn at the PPA. I am still feeling the after-affects of my bout with a bug over the weekend. I indulge my self-pity while walking slowly to my kindergarten class and wonder whether I can make it through another 3 hours of shrieking, uncontrolled, Spanish-speaking 5 year-olds. Then I walk into the classroom and they all cry "Laura!" and I think...ok... it's not easy, I don't understand enough and I feel helpless at times but I know I am making a difference. Being engaged in the world, at all levels with all types of people, is what makes a difference. Getting to know this wonderful, strange, welcoming country and its people as well as the interesting and dedicated people on my team makes a difference.
I like being able to say to the kids in the siblings program, "por la mañana", at the end of the day and see their faces light up --at least until Friday. It can be overwhelming to think about what will happen to Manuel, Lesly, Elizabeth, Astrid, Ysenia, Marie-Carmen and Alexandria or Johanna... but I have to keep in mind that we do touch their lives for the better and the next group of volunteers will do the same...and so on...and so on... an unbroken chain of connections that goes both ways and gives us all our reason for being.

Thought of the Day-Laura Merriam
[Quote from the Tao te Ching]
Act without doing;
Work without effort.
Think of the small as large
and the few as many.
Confront the difficult
while it is still easy;
Accomplish the great task
by a series of small tasks.

The Master never reaches for the great;
Thus she achieves greatness
When she runs into difficulty,
She stops and gives herself to it.
She doesn't cling to her own comfort
thus problems are no problem for her. - Lao-tzu

Second Week

Journal-Francesca Heier
After spending the morning nursing myself, I met the others at our usual lunch spot. After lunch our afternoon consisted of our normal duties, but much less saturated with volunteers. Still the children showed extreme excitement to see us, as if in my case I was Santa bearing gifts. With the 3 year olds we played with the Frisbee, colored, and made play swords out of the markers. The children from the Siblings program joined in our fun. They had been enjoying some beautiful painting with Laura near by.
Sweet dreams was a little later, I did it for the first time. It was a great experience. I think the children really enjoy and appreciate the attention at the end of their day.
After Sweet dreams we met up with the rest of the group and headed to the wonderful "San Antonio". Laura described it exactly how I would have, very "chic". The smells were mouthwatering alone not to mention the gorgeous food on display. Our meals ended with great desserts and a pleasant walk back to the hostel.

Thought of the Day-Emily Hicks
"We cannot do great things in this life, we can only do small things with great love" - Mother Teresa

Weekend in Cusco

Journal-Shannon Halligan
This weekend Emily and I spent our free time traveling around Cusco. We left Friday and came back early Sunday morning. Although it was a very short amount of time it was worth it. I feel so lucky to be able to travel around this beautiful country. It amazes me how different the landscape of Cusco and Aguas Calientes were from Lima. The sky was a magnificent shade of blue and the clouds seemed to halo the massive mountains. Being able to see the rich history of the Incan people was amazing. It's so much different experiencing it rather than reading it out of a book. However, even though the scenery was different from Lima, the people are exactly the same. Everyone we met was so friendly and happy. They are proud of their heritage and their culture. Our tour guide in Machu Picchu was born in Cusco and his first language is Quechua. Even though he leads around annoying tourists, he's proud to show them the beautiful "Lost Incan city" and brag about how much faster he can hike the Incan trail than the Americans.
One of our goals of the group was to learn about Peruvian culture and I think I've gotten an idea of what it means to be Peruvian from the people we've gotten to know and the couple of places we've been. Like I said before, this is nothing you can read about in a book. I'm glad to be back in Lima, though. Me and Emily found ourselves talking about P.P.A. and the group the whole trip!

Thoughts of the Day-Shannon Halligan
"Little by little one walks far"

"All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy. It does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it." - Carlos Castaneda, famous Peruvian writer