The Beginning

Well I wouldn’t say things went terribly on my flight down here. Besides all 4 of my flights being delayed and being awake for more than 40 hours straight, everything was really nice. I was able to enjoy a live mariachi band at the Duty Free in the Lima Airport at 3am. The airline also gave me a complementary meal in the airport because of the delay.
I am currently living in the neighborhood of Graca, which by Latin American standards is pretty nice. The house is huge, 5 floors and houses 30 people. I share a room with 7 others girls, which I thought would be a nightmare but has actually worked out quite well. We have the largest room by far and most everyone communicates via sarcasm, so I fit right in.
The girls, yes I live with 30 girls, range from 18 to late 30's and are all just a kick. For most, this is their first time to a Latin American country so most are still in culture shock. The program does almost too good of a job educating everyone on the dangers of a large city. I feel like I can’t turn around without someone asking if its safe to wear a skirt outside or earrings to a bar. It’s a bit unfortunate this mistrust as most people are more than kind.
That being said, while we still live in a nice area, we only live down the hill from a favela. While these favelas aren’t nearly as poor as the ones we work in, poverty and crime are still just right in our backyard.
Work is been pretty tiring. The house is home to 8 children, mostly 1 and 2 years old, and elderly women. Days consist of cleaning in the morning, talking with the old women and then helping with the children in the afternoon. All but one of the elderly women seem to suffer from dementia or are unable to speak. It’s been a challenge finding things to do with them. For the most part the children are well behaved but can sometimes be total terrors.
The nuns run the house on a strict schedule, which is nice for the volunteers because it provides a great structure that seems to be lacking from all the other volunteers' programs. Because of this regimented day, the house retains a very peaceful atmosphere and is extremely clean.
I honestly have never seem anything like the fevela we work in. My group is the last to be dropped off in the morning and most of the ride to work is reminiscent of downtown LA. It’s right around this clay soccer field that the neighborhood gets extremely poor; many houses lacking proper roofs, some just 4 cement walls. My work is at the base of the favela, so a glance up the hill reveals even worse poverty. It’s all very emotionally and physically draining.
Of course I take care to get a few drinks in when I can. The night life is great, drinks are cheap and Carnival season is in full swing!
Ate Logo.