Games & More Games: Wed, Aug 7

We've settled into a routine...and we love it!!!  It's so amazing to watch this group of young adults come together, work as a team, and create such a fun atmosphere for the kids in Las Lomas....all while speaking in Spanish (proud Senorita!!).

Today we made a quick run to the Magdalena Mercado to pick up some new playing balls.  We had a lovely donation of $100 to "spend on things for the kids," so we opted to buy some soccer balls, basketballs, and some volley balls, so when the V4P team goes up, they can grab one out for the kids to play with for the afternoon.  We were able to purchase 10  new balls for Las Lomas!!!  Thank you so much for the generous donation!!!

Yesterday we came up with a better 'lesson' plan for the day of what games, how many games, etc...
So we started with the basics....some dancing (YMCA, Macarena, Chicken Dance) along with some bubbles.  Next fun - musical chairs - boy, do they get vicious....and like to cheat.  Fan Fave again - Tiburones (Sharks & Minnows), and then we create some obstacle races!   We divided the kids into 5 teams (one for each of the PV kids) and they first had to hop to a chair, then roll the inflatable dice to see how many times to run around the chair, then run and shoot a a ball thru a hula hoop!  Lots of laughs & smiles!  We tried another version - but the kids were tired by then...the Lomas and PV kids.  So, we had them all sit in their teams, and Mr. Ahlgren & I went and passed out suckers to those who participated.  We had about 45 kids today!!  They were soooo well behaved today - it was awesome!  We ended with some basic soccer and Duck Duck Goose.

We also were gifted a homemade cake from Diego's mom.  Diego works with V4P, has grown up thru the V4P program, and lives in Las Lomas.  His beautiful mom made us a vanilla cake with chocolate chips - and brought it to us warm....soooo good!!!

We went down to Ventanilla and played soccer with the Juniors - we actually won a match tonight!!  Ran some drills with the girls team, and then went for a SUPER fan favorite for dinner:  CHAUFA!  Chaufa is basically stir-fry rice - so delicious!!!  Back for a bit of the JV squad and then an ice cream stop!  Nothing like McDonald's ice cream to seal the deal!!!

All in all - another beautiful day in Las Lomas with the kids. Weather not beautiful but connections being made, conversations being had - awesome!!!!

Games!!! Tues, Aug 6

We slept in a bit and made a Starbucks run before heading out of town.  We took a different route today thru the Callao as we were on a mission.  The PanAmerican games are being held right now in Lima (hence all the traffic headaches) but we went down towards the stadium looking for PanAmerican games shirts. Sadly no such luck.
Another great meal in Las Lomas, and then up the Hill we went.  One girl was waiting for us, but once we got the speakers out and started playing the music, more and more came.  We probably had about 30 kids come play today.  We did some basic Duck Duck Goose, a little YMCA/Chicken Dancing, taught Mr. Ahlgren Baby Shark, and did some musical chairs.  Fan fave of the Peruvians is Tug of War, so we played Gringos vs. Peruanos (Peruvians kicked our butt twice). Then we played boys vs girls - GIRLS WON!!!!  Another fave is Matagente (people killer) but it's dodge ball!  Lots of laughs, smiles, and a defeat of the gringos.
It's just fun to watch our PV kids interact with the Peruvians whether they were blowing bubbles with Ramya, trying to play basketball with Ahlgren &Carter, dancing with Kayla, or playing Duck Duck Goose with Addie &  Bell.  Our PV kids are amazing!  So proud of them and can't wait for another day of games tomorrow!!

Ventanilla & Las Lomas: Mon, Aug 5

Today we got to experience some crazy Lima traffic as we headed north to Ventanilla.  It's a city of about 300,000 - fairly modern, but it's the outlying areas that have no services.

We stopped at an overlook in the town of Mi Peru, and had a hard time taking in the mass of humanity that live in such a small area. We toured where Daniel used to live, and then headed up the coast a bit more to Pachacutec, an impoverished area with mainly families from the mountain region of Peru.  They are a very blue collar community, with one main paved road that runs thru the town and the rest is dirt.  We stopped at a cemetery - yes, odd place to visit, but interesting to see how a community came together to bury their dead as they couldn't afford to bury their loved ones in the town cemetery, and how the mafia come in and dig up graves for organs.
We then headed down to the Bahia Blanca beach and learned how Ventanilla got it's name.  Make a pit stop at Metro (think of Super Wal-mart, but smaller) and then headed for lunch.  All our meals while we're in Ventanilla are prepared by Victor's sister.  She used to cook for a Canadian family so is well aware of how to prepare food for the gringos, and easily makes accommodations for dietary/allergy restrictions.

Finally, we headed up to Las Lomas.  It's a small community nestled in the hills.  Las Lomas actually means 'the hills.'  Voices4Peru has been working in this area for quite sometime, so we were greeted with open arms, and some familiar faces upon our arrival.  Most of the families maybe make $300-500/month and have at least 4 people in their family if not more.  They have electricity, but no running water and no sewage.  It is an underserved community that has been in existence for 20+ years but the government/town does nothing.  The houses are made of plywood and cement floors.
We met some of the kids.  Our PV kids then hiked up the hill to the antenna...and some slide a bit on the way down.  We played a bit with the kids - nothing super organized, just meet and greet.

Around 5pm, we said our good-byes and headed down the hill to soccer practice. V4P supports 4 different aged soccer teams.  We were able to watch the 12 yr olds practice...and got to join in and scrimmage them.  What a blast!  The gringos were the first to score...but sadly not the last!  We watched a bit of the newly formed girls team and then we headed to dinner.  We returned later for the 15+ age group - like a JV team.  The 1st division team does not have practice this week as their tournament run is over (they lost in pool play), so they have the week off.

Back to the house we went - what a great 1st day in Las Lomas!
Games start tomorrow - we are excited!!!

Let's see Lima!! Sun, Aug 4

So to recap from yesterday, the flight ended up about 5 hours late, and then got stuck on the tarmac for another 30 min.  Needless to say, we didn't get back to the townhouse until super late.  But, still early enough to celebrate Kayla's 18th birthday - Peruvian style:  chocolate cake and Inca cola!!!

After some sleep, we made a Starbucks run and headed downtown.  Traffic was pretty mild today as it's a Sunday.  But, as we got closer to downtown, we found many of the streets were closed due to some kind of festival.  We parked in a different location and headed towards the cathedral....and that's where we found the big street festival going on.  As the kids took a tour of the catacombs, we found out that there was a celebration of the Virgin of Copacabana, as well as they were having a festival for the town of Puno, which is about a 20 hour drive southeast of Lima.  What amazing outfits - such detail! Lots of band - tons of people - it was crazy!  We headed to the Plaza de Armas - they were over there too - crazy busy downtown today!  On our way back to the vehicles we grabbed some churros - you know they are the best when there is a line of locals waiting to buy one!

Next stop was lunch.  We went to the Green Coast along the Pacific.  Green because of the hillsides but also because of the money - it's the richy rich area of Lima.  We went the Larcomar Mall, built into the cliffside and ate lunch at Papacho's.  Soooo yummy!!    We did a drive-by tour of Barranco, a very Bohemian part of Lima, and then headed back to the apartment for some down time.

We sorted thru donations suitcases - just in awe of what people so generously have given, and at Papa John's pizza!

Day 2 - success!!!  Excited for tomorrow when we go up to Las Lomas!

Peru #10: Here they come!!

Today is their day - they're off and away!!  Arriving later tonight is our Peru Group #10!  Hard to believe that just 4 years ago we took our first trip to volunteer in Peru in 2016....and now here comes #10!
They left the HS bright and early Saturday morning and headed to O'Hare.  Flight pattern the same as all the other groups - Chicago to Panama to Lima on Copa Airlines. Easy peasy!
We have 5 students and 1 teacher coming this round. Returning are Addie, Bell, and Kayla. New to Peru are Ramya & Carter.  All being escorted by Mr. Ahlgren.
Excited for what the week has in store for this group and Las Lomas and Voices4Peru are eagerly awaiting their arrival!