Travels and back to the kids (Preston)

Hey everyone!

So, we are back from our travels. After a few bumps in the road, we ended up seeing everything we wanted to see. Macchu Picchu was amazing. It’s kind of unfortunate that the pictures we took will never do it justice. We went the back way via bike and foot which was a great way to do it. The physical aspect of it really added to the experience. The Rojas family was amazing. They were incredibly hospitable.

Iquitos was also amazing. We stayed with some friends of the Rojas family, the Babilonia family. They showed us around all the sights of Iquitos. We saw the amazon, a few really cool zoos and got to visit a native tribe. It was a lot of fun.

Even though we had so much fun traveling, it felt really good to come home to the aldea. I was surprised how much I missed the kids while I was gone. Kelsey, Lacey and Britney whipped things in to shape while we are gone. They are doing a great job rounding all the kids up with specific activities. The 50 dollar budget is also a big help because we can cook with the kids and a lot of other activities that we couldn’t really do before, so thanks to everyone who has helped make that possible.

It was Ruben’s birthday two days ago. He’s a great kid. When he is a little older, I’m sure he will fill leadership positions here in the aldea. The younger boys really look up to him. He was just moved to casa 5 with the older boys while we were out on vacation. He seems to be doing just fine there. Hopefully he will be able to dodge a lot of the problems that are common with the teenagers here.

Thanks for all of your support. I’m really glad I didn’t let this opportunity slip by.

Preston

Cesar (Preston)

I have been playing some chess with the kids, and while teaching the younger ones takes a lot of patience, there are some of the older ones that are actually quite good. This one guy, Cesar Humberto, who is 15, who is very bright and already knew how to play chess. He gave me a very good fight, and I´m sure he will beat me a few times before I leave the Aldea. I love how I am really feeling more comfortable here at the Aldea. I can joke around with the kids and even the Tias and it feels like home.

So we have a new intern here! She´s from Ohio and is great. Britney graduated from BYU in 09 and is 24 so I am not the oldest one here anymore! Her spanish is second to Preston´s and she came prepared with spanish books for the kids and is really motivated to help them.

A great week (Preston)

Life is amazing in the Aldea. Just writing about life here makes me happy. The kids are really starting to get comfortable with us. I'm getting to know them on a more personal level every day. It seems like every week I get to know a new kid.

This week Tanner and I have spent more time with the older boys, which is great because they are the hardest to win over. The key, unsurprisingly has been soccer, and to a lesser degree, volleyball. They definitely have more talent, but our size gives us an advantage. It evens out pretty well.

I ate in casa 9 this last week. The girls there are a lot of fun. Sara is full of jokes. Mercedes is anxious to learn everything. I promised them guitar lessons. Hopefully it will work out. Anyway, there is more to write but the time here in the internet cafe is running out. Im looking forward to another great week.

Fanny & Sofia (Preston)

It's been another great week. I'm fighting a nasty cold right now, but besides that, everything is perfect. The kids are wonderful. They do a good job of keeping us busy and tired.

This week I have really gotten to know Fanny and Sofia, the twins of the aldea. Even though I have been spending so much time with them I still cant consistently tell them apart until I learn who's wearing what clothes. That being said, I don't feel too bad because they can never get my name right. They have decided that my name is Crespo and no matter how many times I remind them, they always revert back to Crespo. They really are great sisters and spend all of their time together. They love playing tag or monster and are experts at planning sneak attacks from behind.

This week I ate at Casa 5 with the teenage boys. I was a little bit apprehensive to start because Casa 5 is quite notorious among the interns for being a difficult group. I ended up really enjoying getting to know them and have some pretty decent conversations. I tried to get a little guitar class started, but it didnt happen this week, Perhaps next week.

Anyways, all is well here. I am loving Peru more and more every day. Thanks for sending me out and have a great week!

Preston

P.S. Another post about Fanny and Sofia and here and here!

Casa 2 Children

Hey everyone!

Before I even get started, I made a mistake. Stanley does not have a child named Luis.

Anyway, it has been another great week at the orphanage. The mornings get lonely with all the kids at school, but the afternoons are always filled with fun.

This week I ate lunch with Casa 2, which is mostly filled with younger boys. It was a blast. I helped them with their homework a lot this week, which was a lot of fun. Everyone I interviewed this week is from Casa 2.

Gian Paulo Daniel Briones Nascimento more commonly known as Daniel, is a hoot. He is incredibly active and smart. He was born in Brazil and spent the first couple years of his life speaking portuguese before he came to the aldea. Unfortunately, he was unable to pick up spanish and now he is unable to speak either language. The good news is that it doesn't hold him back from making his voice heard. He is a great communicator considering the language barrier. He loves the swings. They dont know his birthday.

Miguel Angel Laredo Ramirez is new here in the aldea. He and his brother victor arrived only a few days before I did. Because they are so new, we don't know too much information about them. He is probably about 4 years old. Miguel is one of the most lovable kids here in the aldea. He is fearless and likes to go higher in the swings than anyone else. When I asked him what he likes to do, he told me that he likes to sweep. When I asked him what he wanted to do when he was older, he told me he wanted to be a janitor. He would be a very friendly janitor.

Pedro Ediberto Carrillon Cesias is 13 years old. Like a lot of young teens, he loves sports and dreams of being a soccer player. He is a very hard worker. Every time I walk by his house he is cleaning something. He likes computers and working in sugar cane fields.

Ruben Alexander Malca Palacios was born on the 16th of July, 1999. He is the oldest of 3 brothers. He is a good older brother and always is taking care of his brothers. All of the Malca Palacios boys define boyhood. Ruben likes to play with tops and ride his bike. He wants to be a police man.

Jose Antonio Malca Palacios is 9 years old. He was born on the 6th of March, 2001. He is the funny guy here at the aldea. He is quick to make a joke. He is very athletic. I have a hard time chasing him down when we play games. He likes to play tops just like his older brother. He also likes marbles. He told me that when he grows up he wants to be a soldier.

Walter Benjamin Malca Palacios is 8 years old. Benjamin is more relaxed than his brothers, but he still plays all day long, every day. His favorite game is Kiwi. He likes to dance and dreams of being a soldier with Jose Antonio.

Jhonatan Jair Portilla Espinoza has got his head on straight. He loves studying, having a clean house and being abnormally friendly. He loves the tias (the caretakers) and is a big help around the house. He is 10 years old and is an aspiring soccer star.

Prisila Rosario Mori Vega is 16 years old and was born on valentines day, 1994. She is the oldest in the house and does a great job keeping the boys in line. She loves going to school and hopes to do something with computers in her future. She doesn't have a favorite sport because she loves them all. She loves love songs.

Piero Cordova Limay is 5 years old, but we don't know exactly what day he was born. He is quite the character. Curiosity is his defining characteristic. He always has his hands in something. He doesn't talk much, but you know he is there. He loves the swings.

Well, I think that between all of us we have covered just about all the kids in the aldea. I love spending time with them.

Have a great week!

Preston

More Aldea Children (Preston)

(Victor and Miguel - see their bio below - they are new to the Aldea...)

Hey everyone!
This week has been a lot of fun. I'm getting the hang of their names and getting to know them on a more personal level which has been very rewarding. We have had a few good activities this week like painting one of the walls with a tree and then using the kids hand prints as the leaves. There was a group from the local Baptist church that put on a presentation for the kids and brought them lots of gifts. Some of the kids have troubles saying my name so they call me "Fresco" which translates to fresh. I kind of like it. All the interns here aldea have been collecting information on some of the kids that are here. Here is the information that I managed to gather from the kids.

Victor Manuel Mun~oz Ramirez is new to the Aldea and arrived a few days before I did. That doesn't stop him from being the most outgoing child in the Aldea. We still don't know much about him like when he was born, but he claims to be 8 years old. He loves piggy back rides and any form of play. He has a younger brother that came with him named Miguel.

Evelin Edith Arenas Llaro was born on April 8th, 1996 and is 14 years old. She is always kind and a great help around the house where she is staying. She likes to jump rope, play volleyball and run. She also really likes to play computer games.

Dina Cruz Garcia was born December 1st, 2003 and is 6 years old. She is a little reserved, but often times her 6 year old mind gets the best of her and she is just as loud as the rest of the kids. She is always ready for creative activities like painting or drawing. She is an aspiring singer. She is one of 4 sisters here at the aldea.

Elvia Marleny Sanchez Garcia was born on November 4th, 1995 and is 14 years old. Music is her passion. She loves to sing and her favorite music is reggaeton. She has 3 sisters here in the aldea: Dina, Israeli and Daniela. She's a good sister figure for them and also does a good job of taking care of the younger kids that are in her house.

Stanley Enwin Mora Sevillano is 14 years old and was born on the 23 of October, 1995. She must have a little conquistador blood in her because her dream is to explore the world. She loves music, but is rather picky with her selection because she only likes romantic "ballads". She has an adorable son named Luis.

Eliza Elizabet Carranza Reyes was born on the 13th of July, 1993 and is 16 years old, making her the oldest one in her house. She has a younger sister living with her named Antonina. She likes to play volleyball and listen to romantic music.

Next week I will send you more information. Thanks for everything!
Preston

My First Week (Preston at Aldea)

Hey everyone!

My first week here in Peru has been amazing. The kids are so much fun. I'm still working on learning all of their names. It's tough because there are so many kids and I'm terrible with names, but I'm making progress.

This week we put on a little show with all of the kids in the aldea. Pretty much everyone was involved so it was a lot of fun. I'm glad I brought my guitar because we used it a lot in the show.

The children that I have gotten to know the best are Victor, Miriam and Daniel. Victor is extremely active and always ready to play. I can't sit down without him trying to climb on my shoulders for a piggy back ride. Daniel is a lot like Victor in the sense that he is always ready to play. He is very friendly with the interns. I got to know Miriam because she sat next to me at the dinner table in Casa 10. She is a little shy, but has a little spark in her that comes out from time to time.

Anyways, I'm really enjoying my time here. I'm extremely tired at the end of every day, but that's exactly what I wanted.

Have a good week!
Preston