Day 1-2: Welcome to Peru

Welcome to Group #3!!!!

Our last group of the summer!!  I have 6 girls (Addie, Bell, Bri, Carly, Kate & Kayla), 1 boy (Quinn) and a mom (Valerie).  They made the trek down to Lima, a bit of fun at check in with overweight suitcases. Great flights - all went well.  Luggage made it to Lima - phew!

The boys & I were waiting for the kids at the airport and off we went into the crazy Lima traffic.  Back to the apartment/townhouse for a nice welcome from Voices4Peru staff!!!  Had a pizza dinner and sat and chatted for a while.  Kids were tired so off to showers and bed for them!

Day 2 started when Victor & i took the girls on a tour of Ventanilla, Mi Peru, Pachacutec & Las Lomas.  Ventanilla is the city north of Lima, by only 15-20 miles, but an hour in traffic!!  Gotta love traffic!  We stopped at an overlook so we could see a lot of Mi Peru. Talked about a human trafficking ring and some of the other social issues plaguing this area.  We toured bumpy Pachacutec and oddly enough visited a cementary where the mafia "sell" you a plot and then dig up your loved one to see the organs.  We stopped down at Bahia Blanca beach for some fun jumping pics.  Lunch was up next - we eat at Victor's sister's restaurant.  Lunch was ahi de gallina, a very typical Peruvian dish of a cheesy/creamy sauce with shredded chicken, potatoes, and rice.  

Next we headed up the hill to Las Lomas, the forgotten/ignored area of Ventanilla.  This town has been in existence for over 25 yrs, but yet the city won't pump water to this area.  An average family lives off of $300/month, so if university costs the kids $150/month, most kids don't continue in their studies after HS.  We were greeted with smiles and shy looks from the kids who were out already.  But more showed and the laughter and fun began.  The girls jumped right in and played with the kids, even ended up in a 4 on 4 basketball game with the older boys!  

Friday is arts & crafts at the center, so most kids went in to participate, so we went for dinner (spaghetti & chicken), a Metro stop to pee and to get some ice cream from McDonalds....with and without spoons, and then off to soccer practice. Only the younger kids had practice today as the big kids have a game tomorrow. My super soccer studs scrimmaged with them and then we did a Gringos vs. Peruanos....and my gringos won!!!!!!!!!!!

All in all, a great first day! Plus, it was Kayla's birthday so we celebrated with some McDonald's ice cream!!!  

Day 11-12: Travel Day

We started out the day saying good-bye to Las Bananas & Huacachina. So glad we did the Dunes yesterday in the sun as today, there is not much sun out.  We make a mall & Starbucks run, and then head down the road to the seaside town of Paracas.  We make a quick stop, head  down the boardwalk to see the Pelican man.  How hilarious to watch the kids sit by the pelicans as the dude feeds them!!  hahaha!!  We spend the next hour plus on the road, do a lunch stop, and then continue on to Lima.
Back at the apartment, it's time to get ready to fly.  Showers, packing, cleaning, and pizza dinner.  We passed out gift bags to the boys who did so much for us this past week.
We head to the airport at 10:30pm, to find a looooooong line.  All checked in and head up towards security where the boys are waiting to say good-bye.  And, one last surprise!  A few of the soccer boys come to say good-bye at the airport....awwwww......
Needless to say, tears were shed, smiles around, memories & friendships forever!

Good flight up to Panama, and got lucky as the gate they arrived in Panama, is the same gate to go to Chicago.  Only had about an hour and a half in Panama...which is super easy when it's the same gate lol    :)  Safely landed in Chicago - all the luggage arrived - shuttle showed up to pick them up & home they went.  Due to construction on 88, the driver chose to go home via I-80, and so the kids passed through Peru, Illinois....which made them giggle & reminisce over their amazing week!!

Thank you, Grupo #2, for everything you did this past week!  You have made beautiful friendships between yourselves, but you have shared a piece of yourself, and your heart with a community much different than your own.  Thank you for coming to Peru and helping this small community!  You will not be forgotten! 

Day 10: Friday: Surfing the Dunes!!

Had a nice quiet start to our day, breakfast, chilling in the hammocks, a little shopping around the lagoon.  Delicious lunch at Las Bananas, more chillaxin' until our 3pm Dune Buggy Adventure.  We all piled in the buggy, buckled in and off we went! What a blast!  Up and down and around the dunes we went - lots of laughs, some screams!!  We stopped at a great lookout for some pics and then did some small hills as a practice run for the big ones!!  Next up, the big ones!  Despite some scratches & bruises, the kids loved the adventure!!  Needless to say, we had sand in all sorts of places.  Back to the Bananas for a shower and some chill time before our BBQ dinner.  Again, a story to ask the kids, but maybe THE BEST dinner ever in Huacachina!  I don't think we all had ever laughed that hard!
Played some games after dinner - taught Victor how to play spoons - what a blast!
Such a fun day....really don't want it to end.....

Day 9: Thursday: Let's head south!

Today we headed to the Green Coast of Lima and to Miraflores.  Appropriately named Green Coast for the green grass covering the hills as well as the money & wealth in that area.  We parked at Park Kennedy, or the Cat Park, grabbed some Starbucks and headed to the Inca Market for some shopping.  Lunch at La Lucha - famous sandwich shoppe.  On our way out of town, we stopped at Love Park, a beautiful mosaic tiled park on the cliffs overlooking the ocean.    Miraflores is such a difference from where we've been working all week....good for the kids to see the extremes.
We spent the rest of our day heading south to the small desert oasis of Huacachina.  It's about a 4.5-5.0 hour drive south.  We arrived around 7:30 to our hostel, after an entertaining ride....you'll have to ask the kids for the whole story!  Got checked in and ordered some pizza for dinner and chilled in the courtyard. It was a bit chilly, but tolerable.  Tomorrow we're off to surf the dunes!!

Day 8: Wednesday: Last day

Today was a bitter sweet day as it was our last day in Las Lomas.  After delicious lunch and some Metro shopping, we headed up to begin our day.  We had LOTS of kids show today, so the giggles, laughs, and smilIes were abundant.  Limbo has been a crowd favorite.  Did some dodgeball, Dress like a Gringo, the ever popular sharks & minnows, a new favorite obstacle course, and beach ball volleyball...until Jose stepped on it and popped it. lol
While the kids were playing and dancing, I organized bags for donations.  Each kid out today ended up receiving a bag of goodies:  clothes, soap, toothbrushes, book, toys, pencils, etc....   Watching their eyes light up when they got their bag.  So sweet!  Thank you to our PV & Riverdale communities for their donations. 
Sadly had to say our good-byes....but better "see you soon".  Some tears, some photos, lots of smiles....Great job this week, Gringos!  You brought many smiles to many many faces!!
Had our last dinner and then went to our last practice - got some group pics.  My soccer studs did an awesome job again....and Messi even scored a goal!!!!
We are excited for our adventure to the south, but boy, those Peruvians will forever be in our hearts!!

Day 7: Thankful Tuesday

We had an extra special morning today, got up a bit earlier, and headed to Pachacutec.  This is outside of Ventanilla, but in the opposite direction than Las Lomas.  It's a poorer area, made up of mainly people from the Highlands of Peru, who have moved into the city to find work.
Our first stop was the Wawawasi day care that we have visited in the past.  This time, they were expecting us, and only 1 burst into tears when we walked in the door.  We brought a suitcase of diapers and a suitcase of baby wipes as most of the kids are under 2 yrs old.  The moms pay 3 soles ($1.00) per day to leave their kids for the day while they work.  We took some toys & Play-Doh and were able to play with the kids for about 20 minutes before lunch showed up for the kids.
Our next stop was another neighborhood, the discapacitados, or the handicapped people.  On about a 2-3 block area, there are many handicapped people in wheelchairs or with walkers, who live and there is a sweet lady who helps to take care of them as their families don't.  As we had many blankets left over, we decided to bring them a whole bunch.  They were so sweet, and many of them had come out of their houses to greet us. They were so appreciative and just grateful for some simple blankets as it's winter here in Peru.  Warm hearts all around!
Up in Las Lomas, the gringos decided to hike up the hill to the antenna.  A few of the kids took them, and while it was a hike, it was great for them to see an overview of the entire community.  They returned tired, so we stalled on games, and then kind of had a chill day of games.  We played some music, organized a few games, and then got out the sidewalk chalk and the Picasso's went to town!!!
Tomorrow is our last day in Las Lomas......saaaaaddd......

Day 6: Monday: Games contd....

Today was our 2nd day of camp, but we had few kids there.  Not sure why - was a quiet day...could have been the weather....or the fact it was a Monday...
We did some dancing, musical chairs....and added some new games.  We did the Limbo....and they loved it!!!  We also did an obstacle course.  The kids created multiple obstacles for the kids to do and...they loved it as well!!  Of course, we had to play some favorite oldies:  Sharks & Minnows, added a new twist on tag and did line tag (where they could only run on the lines), and ended with some good ol' fashioned Tug-of-War:  Gringos vs. Peruanos!!  The Peruvians beat the Gringos pretty easily, but we called in some reinforcements and were able to defeat them!!!
After dinner, we headed to practice, but it was a short night as the older kids didn't practice today as they had a game yesterday.  My Super-Star Soccer Studs played again, showed off their moves, and were welcomed at practice.  It's cool to see the gringos jump in and participate with the Peruvians...totally immersing themselves into the culture.  #proudsenorita