After breakfast at our quaint hotel, all of us boarded a very small bus with Peruvians and ascended a few hundred feet in just a few miles to El Bichito drop-in center where we would be working all day. (Fanny, an engineering professor from the local university, who is also connected to the building project, joined us.) Part of the fun for me in Peru is connecting with the people, so I love riding on the bus with them. I know hardly any Spanish, but when I have to chance to use it to converse with someone, I'll at least try to say something that makes sense. I make a lot of mistakes along the way. Oh well!
Our first job at El Bichito was to clean up from the last job. It took us a good part of the day to clean up the debris on the second floor of the building ... bricks, rocks, wire, trash, tires, wood. The dust was flying everywhere to where, sometimes, you could hardly breathe. The people who have joined us on this expedition are hard workers, so it is fun to watch what they can do.
About noon, the children started showing up. They were shy and bashful at first.. You could hardly get a word out of them. Then some of our group started throwing around an American football, and the fun began. A hide and seek game was initiated by Christy, and it was funny because the ninos loved chasing after her. We all ate lunch together at El Bichito, prepared by Feliciana and a friend. We were all so hungry that we appreciated the meal of white rice, lentils, and a fried egg. It tasted so good!
I am still amazed how much the children eat here in Peru. They never turn away food, no matter what it is. Even the little ones had their plates piled high with food. I am also still amazed in how much the older siblings take care of the younger ones. It is beautiful to see. The ninos are not in school right now because it is their summer vacation. That meant that we could spend a lot of time playing with them.
We were waiting for the dump truck of sand to arrive anyway, so everyone took advantage of the time to connect to the children. When the sand arrived, it was back to work. I have a feeling our small friends will be coming back to see us earlier tomorrow. One member of our group had to return to the hotel today. He has a bad case of high altitude sickness. Not a good thing. Wayne has been fairing very well. He can't do any of the labor, but he is there to run errands or take over for Cameron (our fearless leader). He got a sunburn today from spending so much time in the sun. Yes, it is warm down here .... about 70 degrees F. At night, if we're going to be out much, a jacket is needed.
Wayne and I are really enjoying the hot springs. It is a great way to end the day. We added two more to our group this evening. Their flight had been cancelled in Chicago, so they joined us late. As we say in the old country, "Nicht th'noo!". Good night. Pam
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