Day Two in Lima!

Tuesday 7th September

Today is Tuesday, our 2nd in Peru. We have our hearty breakfast at our hotel and get ready to go to CDNL. Our taxi is very punctual, although the streets are filled with trafic, we arrive to CDNL on time at 9 a.m.

Upon our arrival Myriam comes to greet us with her warm and welcoming smile. We start our day with a Spanish lesson. It is really fun, we are learning slowly but surely. Then Jill and I have big project, painting the windows in St.Fransicana pavilion. Freddy is giving us a helping hand... he teaches us how to scrub rust from the windows. Then we clean them with the brush and paint them.

And now it is lunch time at 1:30 p.m. We are going to the cafeteria to set up the tables for the children. Once we put the dishes on the table we help to serve the food. Suddenly we realize that all children gathered around in the cafeteria at individual seat. Then ready for the prayer. We pray with gratitude.

Suddenly I notice that children are coming towards me saying “hello hermana Karina" and kissing me on the cheek... what a delightful moment for me... I am being accepted as their team member!

After we eat we help them to clean up the tables - they are so efficient in doing the chores, I am very impressed. Then we go to our pavilions. My children from St. Antonio pavilion go to play football, they reall love it. I hang around with them, saying "go go go" and I wish I could play footbal!

Then it is time to do the homework - the fun part. I say "who needs help with math?" and we start doing the homework. I am impressed with them. They are really very good at math, complex divisions and subtractions, although they need little it is nice to just be there and cuddle with them while they do their homework and they are really appreciative when they do it well.

It is 5 p.m. and our day almost comes to the end, we are so glad just to be there for them. Our taxi is waiting for us and we go back to our cozy Hotel Torreblanca.

Written by Volunteer Karina