Team Aloha carries on, less our Compadre Jim, who returned to his real world on Sunday.  He is missed.  Still, Carol, Jared, and I continue the good works under Edith’s expert tutelage, serving the special children of PPA.  Jared and Carol spend their mornings sanding and painting doors, to address the challenges of aging buildings, and in their afternoons, bring together sibling groups to strengthen tenuous family ties. I have been spending mornings in a classroom as a Kindergarten teacher’s aide, and in the afternoon provide recreational relief to shut-in children in the infirmary.  As the end of second week approaches, we seem like familia to PPA staff, who greet us daily as we come and go.

Peru has provided the perfect experience through placement at PPA, and the perfect mentor, Edith Rodriguez Perciado, for us to achieve our Team Aloha goals:

·         To share and show aloha

·         To experience Peruvian culture

·         To learn to speak a bit of Spanish

·         And of course, to wage peace and promote justice as Global Volunteers.

Discovering the wonders of Lima and the warmth of its people has been a bonus for us

We will carry our special memories of an incomparable experience as we return to our home on the weekend. Among my favorites are:

Visions of the luminous big brown eyes of our children.

 Forehead kisses as cure-alls for sad faces.

 Knowing you can reverse a mini meltdown with hugs

   Balloon volleyball as a perfect antidote for shut-ins.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed in the things that you didn’t do than by the ones that you did do. So, throw of the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

Morning meeting at PPA sets the tone for the day before we take turns at the loo and move automatically to our workstations, be it kindergarten or an 82-yearl-old building in desperate need of a face lift. Senior Napoliano’s welcome greeting is by now a fixture as are the worn and paint spotted gloves, scrapers, gloppy paint brushes and diminishing cans of white enamel. By this, the 4^th day of work, progress is evident in the white gleam of the doors and window panes as Global Volunteers pack up our equipment at the end of another morning to turn our attention to the afternoon with Siblings.

Less than five hours after a hearty breakfast we find ourselves trudging hungrily toward D’Gallia for purple corn juice and another substantial meal. Fully satiated and reluctantly suppressing visions of an afternoon siesta, we select the items that we know by now will please (or at least entertain) the various members of our Sibling Families. Meanwhile, Joanne, having spent the morning volunteering at kindergarten, heads off to the infirmary to bring joy to the shut-ins with the help of Snoopy.

Sibling time has become more laid back and casual. We no longer scramble to find the perfect toy or the correct building and room to pick up or drop off a kid. The Sibling’s routines are better understood as are their individual habits and personalities. Hopefully, thanks to Edith’s daily lessons and tips, language is becoming less of a barrier to communication. Sibling interaction seems to be more relaxed and natural so that they can play in the same area, each doing his own thing, but being aware of each other’s presence. There are fewer demands and less competition for the Volunteer’s attention with the constant “mira, mira, mira” -- “Look at me, look at me…”

All in all, it seems like the Volunteer and Siblings have become their own little temporary family.

“Life sometimes just is not fair”

On Sunday I met the oldest, saddest seven year old.  We first met at the hospitalito where he was sitting in the corner on the floor moving a toy car back and forth with a blank look on his face.  Turns out his two younger brothers and him were abandoned a year ago and unfortunately he has not been able to see his brothers in almost a year…the staff is concerned about him as he has been increasingly stressed by this situation.  The decision was made that he would be part of the siblings program and on Monday he was reunited with his two younger brothers…it was an amazing sight to see this little boy totally light up and start jumping around…. This sad, old little boy turned immediately into the proudest big brother I have ever met.  My eyes began tearing up and had to choke back the tears for two very different reasons, the first being tears of joy seeing these young  children being reunited and second because for these three little boys life just has not been fair to them.

“To know even one breath has breathed easier because you have lived, that is to have succeeded” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

             We had arrived at our final day in Peru - what a journey this has been. As individuals we came from diverse backgrounds, with different histories and experiences - yet we shared a common thread – the importance of giving and contributing for the better good. With finite time we united as a team; giving ourselves, our hearts, and spirits. We worked hard, played, shared, learned, and JUST WENT WITH IT! What we learned, experienced and felt will remain with us for a lifetime.

Our last day at PPA came with bitter sweet emotions. It was exciting to see the final product of the girls’ dining room and the amount of work that was accomplished over the 2 weeks! Spending the afternoon having lunch with the girls and getting the opportunity to say our last goodbye’s, share our appreciation for each other, and simply play and enjoy our final moments was truly special.

Reflecting on my time in Peru and at PPA words cannot justify what I experienced, felt, and learned as a person. I am extremely grateful to have had this opportunity - thank you Stobbe’s for providing me with this. I feel blessed to have you in my life - you have taught me the importance of giving and “paying it forward” which I will continue to share with others throughout my lifetime.

Edith thank you for leading our team, planning, organizing...and just being the amazing woman you are. From PPA...to dinner plans...to helping us with any sickness...to walking, walking, walking...the list just keeps going on! We appreciated your over and above dedication to us and our time and projects at PPA. Your heart and passion is in the work that you do and the kids at PPA appreciate and love you. Thank you Edith - for everything. We could not have asked for a better person to lead our team.

On a final note – Let’s all remember to take the time to appreciate our lives. No matter what life brings to each of us there is always space to remember how grateful we are to be living this crazy little experience called Life. As Edith would day “Appreciate what you have, Enjoy what you have, Everyone deserves the Best”.

Cheers to our Adventure!

 by J.

A better place...

THANKS A MILLION TO MARY HOPE FOUNDATION... THIS IS TRULY A GREAT EXAMPLE OF HOW TO LEAVE YOUR MARK IN THE WORLD... 

Last day at PPA. Edith said that this week would go fast. It was a blur.

It´s hard to describe what it´s like to have 20 three-year-olds greet you – like puppies every morning. Such smiles and happiness. Not that it lasts. There are fights and tears, consoling qand anger, sometimes all at once.It is amazing how much personal growth we saw in the children in two weeks and experienced ourselves. Maryanne and Susan hokey-pokeyed their way through the morning, even for a film crew shooting a documentary.Rose and Marie washed a lion share of dishes and soothed the little ones. Pat and Mandy used sports and crafts to wear out the 4,5 and 6-year-olds. The results of the sibling project seemed mixed. One family group was older and reconfirmed their bonds, one group was guided by the care of the big sister who may hold that family together. The younger group may appreciate they have one another – the little sister at 3 seems independent and strong. May she offer leadership to her brothers. The goodbyes were emotional and heartfelt. Appreciation oozed from both sides.

By bus we went to Donatello´s for another exceptional meal. At 6:30 we had a final dinner with Edith whom we cannot thank enough.

"The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away."

So it was business as usual. Pat had the idea that we should find the less rowdy San Vincente boys. We colored made paper fortune tales, sang songs, and played musical chairs. I knew our morning was going too smoothly because all of a sudden all the boys were together and it was mass pandimonium with skateboards, scooters and other forms of hazardous horseplay. As we were getting ready for lunch we found out that Rose´s choco crispy bars were a success and that the 3 yr. olds will be eating them on Feb. 10th.

As for the afternoon, Marie and I sang a whole lot of songs and we were amazed that we didn´t have to pick up a hundred balls but rather the kids played in one corner. After dinner at Le Baguette we returned to PPA for sweet dreams. I attempted to read Aloha and Bunny Rabbits Picnic, we looked at pictures and marvelled at the pretty colors. When Edith said five minutes left, I did my best to put Andrea to bed and I sang him Silent Night and for Anderson, well, lets just say I sang him a song that my Mother sang to me, Good night and sweet dreams.