Stephanie (Cori at Aldea)

Dear Southern Cross-

This week, I decided to write about little Stephanie. Wow, what an adorable little girl she is, her smile just lights up my day, everyday. I will tell you what that girl can climb anything, she is so petite yet she is so strong. She is so incredible at showing her sincere kindness for others. Each day she gives me the best hugs in the entire world. Just the other day we were watching a movie and she was sitting on my lap and would wrap her arms around me and give me a kiss on the cheek. Simply adorable. She is really adventureous for her age and so daring to do anything. Swimming in the pool she will do so much, climbing the trees she will go so high, or climbing anything at that matter. Mitch also noticed that Stephanies loves buiding things, loves building houses out of anything. She made a house out of twigs for Mitch, and while watching a movie in our Casa she started making a fort out of the cushions, blankets, and chairs. This girl really is so smart, creative, loving, giving. I love being around these kids, they just teach me more and more each day.

Till next week. . . Cori

Luz Mila (Cori at Aldea)

Dear Southern Cross-

This week was yet another one that flew by! Being with the kids the time just seems to be nonexistent. . . wow how I love them so much! This week we got a lot of good time with them before their school starts this next Monday. I got to know a cute little family this week, Braghalee, Kristel, and Manuel. What an adorable family they are. They all take care of each other and are all really good friends, its fun to see that they treat each other so well and respect one another. These siblings are such a great example for me and how I want to treat my siblings.

But I actually wanted to write about a cute girl named Luz Mila. She is such an inspiring girl. One ready and willing to give all that she has for you. While eating in her house this week, I was able to see how well she interacts with the others in the house. She is always willing and ready to give hugs, to give kisses, to get excited about life. She is so happy and constantly happy, even with the small things. For instance when in the pool with all of the kids, she was the one who wanted to be thrown in the air as well. Even though she is a lot harder to throw cause she is older, she still wanted to do what the kids were experiencing. She kept asking about when we were going to swim again, when she was going to be able to make her mask we made in art. Which she will make on Monday! I love how she is just so content being her. . . and when I went to say goodbye this weekend, she just wanted to say goodbye over and over again, so sweet, she just cares so much. With all the tias as well she is so excited to see them and to show them she is happy to see them. She has one of the biggest hearts! Thanks again for everything!

-Cori

Alahonda (Cori at Aldea)

Dear Southern Cross-

We definitely have had a strange week this week with the kids back in school. . . the Aldea is . . . quiet. Something that hasn't really happened since we have been there. It has been quite weird, but its great to see how these kids are so busy and have so much going for their futures. The mornings however are quite different. This week I wanted to highlight the Alahondra in casa 9. I was looking at the part that said she was shy on the website, which is definitely true. . . at first. :) Once she is comfortable with you she is so playful, full of laughter, and such a jokester. So one of the nights we were sitting playing jacks. . . Wow! That girl is amazing at jacks, its fun to see how patient she was in teaching me when she was simply incredible. We had so much fun chasing the ball around on the floor when I messed up over and over again. Alahondra, Antonia, and I just laughed, laughed, and laughed. Great girls, who again taught me what true joy is, that you can find it in the simple things in life. And that communication really is heart to heart. She also is quite the cuddly girl, when I was watching something with all the girls in the casa she was sitting with the other girls and you could tell she wanted her way to feel loved. She would lay her head down on the laps of the older girls, it was adorable, at the same time it hurt me. Hard to see that these kids don't necessarily get that same love you would receive from a mom/daughter relationship, a sister/sister relationship. I know that they are all family here, and I absolutely love how that happens here, but it still made me wish she had a chance to feel that, made me wish she could experience that. But one thing I admire about her, is that she loves so much and that is how she receives love is by giving love too. I wish I could learn that myself. What an example she is in my life.

adventurous Stephanie (Cori at Aldea)

This week, I decided to write about little Stephanie. Wow, what an adorable little girl she is, her smile just lights up my day, everyday. I will tell you what that girl can climb anything, she is so petite yet she is so strong. She is so incredible at showing her sincere kindness for others. Each day she gives me the best hugs in the entire world. Just the other day we were watching a movie and she was sitting on my lap and would wrap her arms around me and give me a kiss on the cheek. Simply adorable.

She is really adventureous for her age and so daring to do anything. Swimming in the pool she will do so much, climbing the trees she will go so high, or climbing anything at that matter. Mitch also noticed that Stephanies loves buiding things, loves building houses out of anything. She made a house out of twigs for Mitch, and while watching a movie in our Casa she started making a fort out of the cushions, blankets, and chairs. This girl really is so smart, creative, loving, giving. I love being around these kids, they just teach me more and more each day.

Inspired by Priscilla (Cori at the Aldea)

This week has been so much fun, I have absolutely loved the rain that we have gotten here, for it has made for quite a lot of fun here at the Aldea. Well, a different kind of fun, one of the highlights this week for me was playing futbol in the rain with all of the boys. It honestly was one of the funniest moments of the week, well good and bad. We were all laughing so hard at each other because everyone was sliding and falling, and at one point we did say that one had fallen into a mini piscina, it was hilarious. Aside from Mitch falling in a ditch and hurting his foot it was the time of our lives. The boys here just make me smile whenever I am around them. They just know exactly how to make me laugh and smile with their humor. They are such good kids inside and out, I am so impressed with their characters and the young men that they are. Don’t really know how to explain it, but I just am lucky to be around them.

Which leads me to who I want to focus on this week, which is actually Priscilla. The reason why I feel it ties in specifically to the boys is because she is the only girl living in her casa. She is just like another mom in that casa. I was eating in their casa this week which just really made me curious why she was in that house, but it was so much fun to get to know her a little bit better this week. Most of it are things that I have observed rather then things that I have actually discussed with her, but actions do speak louder then words.

First, I noticed how much the little boys in the casa look up to her. They are always making conversation with her and telling her stories trying to make her laugh. She helps a lot with these boys in the house. Today, the tia asked if she and I could watch for a bit while she took one of the kids to the nurse, and she honestly just knew exactly what to do. She is very responsible and very observant. We got to watch a movie together today and of course she turned it on in English for me, I tried to convince her otherwise, but she insisted. I thought that it was so sweet of her to do that. I heard her sing and she actually has a really good voice and she said how she loves to sing and dance.

However, I feel like I got to see a glimpse of who she really is later in the night during dance class. During one of the dances that most of the girls know already, I looked over and saw her teaching another one of the girls how to do it. She could have easily just done the dance that she had been wanting to do, but instead she took the time to help someone else to learn it. Such a selfless act of service. Then after that I saw her talking with one of the girls who had been having a bad day. I guess I just got the vibe that she is one of the girls who is a really good listener, maybe someone that a lot of girls trust. It was amazing to me to just see that she took the time on the wayside to help the other girls during this dance class. It’s like she was more aware of the other girls then of herself, such a respectable attribute that I hope I can learn.

It is girls like Priscilla who inspire me in my own life. I am sure she has impacted many of the lives here at the Aldea for the better.

Look forward to this next week, hope all is well, and thanks for this amazing opportunity created by Southern Cross to be able to be here. It truly is life changing. –Cori Hoffman

Yenifer's eyes (Cori at the Aldea)

Yenifer (on the right) is simply an incredible girl. There is one thing that I really want to try and describe about her, but I also know that words won’t really do justice. I am going to try to anyways. She has the ability to do something that is pretty rare. When she hugs me, she is able to look up at me with her gorgeous eyes and it brings immediate joy. There is something about the power within her eyes. I wish I could explain, but don’t know if I will be able to, but she has that ability to say a million different things with a look.

She has so much personality and spunk, it is so much fun to be around her. I love how playful she is. When I was eating at her Casa she made me feel so loved. She was always one of the first to give me a giant hug. I can see that she has so much potential with whatever she does because she seems to have a lot of determination. Her ability to make others feel comfortable is incredible considering the age that she is. Seems to me that she is one of those born leaders.

PS - special thanks to Leonie Cramer and Carl Reese for sponsoring Yenifer!!

spunky Luz! (Cori at the Aldea)

This week was yet again packed with so many incredible moments, everyday is such a learning experience, and I continue to feel more and more blessed each day. This week I wanted to highlight Luz Marina.

I actually ate in her same Casa this week, which helped me to get to know her a little bit more. It was one of the first nights eating there and she just made everything so much fun. She was constantly laughing and saying funny things. There was one phrase she kept saying and dancing to, which I continued to laugh with her about, "I love you, I love you, I love you." As she sang this she would shake her hips, and start laughing hysterically. It just made me laugh every time I heard her sing it. I taught her this handshake off of the movie Parent Trap and she learned it so quick and would keep laughing every time we did it. She has so much spunk, it's fun.

The things about Luz is that she is really athletic! She is great at all sorts of things and loves doing it all. I asked her what her favorite things was to do and she listed basically it all. She loves to sing, dance, play sports, is interested in gymnastics too. I had her try a kart wheel, and wow she did an incredible job. It has blown me away how great she did considering it was her first time I think. I honestly think she would be great at gymnastics or something athletic that includes strength. She said she would love doing something like that.

One thing about her too is that she has a very strong personality. . . She is always helping the the Tia around the house cause she is one of the few older ones in the house. I always saw her helping and willing to work hard with anything. She definitely knows how to help and to make others smile and laugh. What an incredible girl she is, and I honestly feel like she will excel in anything that she puts her mind to. I hope to continue to get to know her and continue to learn from her!

a bag of chips by intern Cori at Aldea

This week has been so incredible- I feel like the kids are teaching me more then I could ever teach them. . . I feel so inspired each time that I am with these kids, there is so much each day that they teach me. It's hard to even know where to begin with it all, but I will do my best. I am still trying to get to know these kids on an individual, more personal level, and with the language barrier sometimes it makes it hard, but I have realized that actions speak so much more then words, so I decided to highlight a moment that I will never forget.

Some of the boys have made me feel so comfortable and so at home, feels like I have a bunch of younger brothers who have become more and more special to me each day. But it started out last week when I was sitting on the court at night after a run, and three boys came up and started to talk to me and Brianna. It was Juan Carlos, Juan Estevan, and Junior. They started talking to us and teaching us different words. They were so patient with us, and really tried to teach us which I thought was so sweet. The boys seem harder to "crack" a little harder to reach, especially at that age, however from the first time I talked I felt there is a way to help these boys feel important to feel special, but they have made me feel that way instead. I just can't get over their kindness.

But this past Monday we were in Truijillo waiting to go to swimming lessons there with the older kids. While we were waiting there, which lasted quite a while, these 3 boys Juan Carlos, Juan Estevan, and Kenny came back from buying some snacks and they handed me a bag of chips. They wouldn't let me turn them down and insisted that I take them. I was so inspired by their kindness. None of them would take credit for who actually bought it (partly because I think they were embarrassed), but I just couldn't believe how giving they were. To someone they didn't really know that well they were willing to give, when they don't really have a ton to give. I was so impressed by their unselfishness. They made not only feel welcome, but cared about.

That's what I wanted to highlight this week was the kindness and generosity of these teenage boys. They help take care of other people, other kids in the orphanage including the volunteers. As the week went on, they continued to talk with me, mostly joke with me cause I have quite a lack of words (poco espanol). It made my week, playing futbol with them was the highlight of a lot of the days this week. These 3 boys brought me joy each day that I was there. . . I am looking forward to getting to know them even more as time goes on.