Day 7: School visit, camp & practice....and some good byes!

Today we got up early to go visit the preschool. This was their first week back and we arrived in the last 15 min to not disrupt their whole day! What a great experience to see where their donation dollars go! We were able to make up gift bags for the teachers!
After lunch and some shopping, we headed back up the Hill for the last day of camp! The water balloons were a hit!! Lots of kids came today.  We danced, we laughed,  we smiled, we loved!! At the end we gifted out about 50 gift bags full of toys, candy, socks, and fun!!
We also made it to our last soccer practice for all the levels, and gifted out vitamins. It has been awesome to see how the soccer program has grown over the years.
Saturday is going to be hard, saying our official good byes....

Day 6: Best laid plans

Sometimes things don't go as expected and you stumble upon new & exciting things in the process.
Our plan to head up to Las Lomas at 11 was thwarted by a finicky van, so we hung out at Starbucks in the a/c and then headed to KFC for lunch. Yes, fine, exotic dining today!!
But we got things squared away and off in a taxi van they went! Even with limited time they still were able to squeeze a bunch in. Balloons, dancing, Duck Duck Goose, Musical Chairs, and a rousing game of Volleyball with the moms!! The clouds sure helped block the strong sun!
Friday is our last day of games....sad...

Day 5: Games galore...but, oh the heat!

Up for lunch we went today...another delicious Peruvian meal!!

Today is game day....but because it's so hot, we didnt have many out at first. Did some Limbo, had to do Duck Duck Goose on chairs since the cement was so hot. Musical chairs is always a hit...and some more kids trickled in after that. Played everyone's favorite Tiburones, Sharks & Minnows. But all the running around was too much, so we got out balloons. Amazing how something so simple can bring you so much joy. Bought water as the kids, and my gringos, were melting. More kids started coming out, so we danced, and limboed the afternoon away. 

Mon, Wed, and Fridays is soccer practice night, so we caught the 14 and unders, then the Juniors, went for dinner, and came back for the recently formed girls team, and the 1st division. 

Another beautiful day connecting with others and making a difference!

Day 4: Ventanilla!!

Today we finally headed North to Ventanilla, population 300,000+. Its about 30-40 miles north but takes over an hour with crazy, congested Lima traffic.
Took the kids on a tour of the different communities: Mi Perú, Ponte Piedra, and Pachacutec. Just amazing to look at the sea of humanity that is much underserved and in need of the basics. We did a pit stop at the beach, and the girls flexed their muscles pushing the Jeep out of the sand.
Off to lunch at a little patio restaurant run by Victor's sister. Peruvian food is outstanding...and nothing beats homemade!
We finally headed up to Las Lomas, the community where Voices4Peru has worked for years, a community in existence over 20 yrs but yet no running water from the government.  Neat to see some new houses that weren't there in August.
Got a tour of the school, and community building. Girls decided to take a trip up the hill for an overlook of the whole neighborhood.  What a view...and escorted by some helpful Peruvians! We stayed a while longer, met some kids, and sadly said goodbye. Was hard to leave after the first day...
Grabbed dinner to take home, and got to sorting & organizing the donations!! Santa's elves got nothing on these girls!!

Day 3: Lobos & Soccer

What a great day, again, today!
We headed down to the port in the Callao to board our boat for a sea lion adventure! Luckily our boat had lots of shade as the sun is quite strong these days. Completely opposite from when we come in the summer months.  The water was fairly smooth until we turned out into open water. Even then, it wasnt terrible but a few struggled. We could hear & smell the sea lions before we could see them. There were a fair amount as most had moved to colder, deeper waters. All the girls did amazing! At a few points, I think they made more noise than the lobos.  All in all, I think they were glad they went!
Back to the house we went for showers & sandwiches.
We next headed up to Ventanilla to watch soccer practice.  There are 4 different teams: the under 14, the Dan Juniors, the Girls,  and the 1st Division.  We were able to catch some of each and the girls scrimmaged against the Girls team! What an honor....and they smoked us!
In between practices,  we went for dinner. One of the staff members, Victor, has a sister who cooks and has her own restaurant. So we eat there with the groups. Tonight's meal was pesto pasta with chicken, or tofu. Delish!! Had 6 members join the Clean Plate Club!
It was a quiet ride back as they all passed out tired.
Tuesday should be another great day as we're finally going up the hill to the school!!

Day 2: Lovely Lima

Today we set off to explore Lima. After a quick stop at our local neighborhood Starbucks, we headed downtown.  First stop the Cathedral and the Catacombs. What a beautiful church and creepy underground. Next we headed to the Plaza de Armas and timed it perfectly to see the changing of the guard. Such a beautiful plaza, surrounded by mustard colored buildings with gorgeous wooden balconies.  Grabbed a delicious churro and headed to the fancier part of town, Miraflores.  Lunch at La Lucha was delicious as always. Did some productive shopping at the Inca market, and watched some Sunday dancers at Park Kennedy.  Next we headed to the Love Park with its mosaic tile designs overlooking the Pacific.  We did a driving tour of some other eclectic parts of Lima and headed for dinner at Papachos.
A full, busy day. It's quite warm, and humid, here. The girls have already commented how much Spanish they can understand...and use. #proudSeñorita