Roamin' Catholic: Home Away From Home

Saturday, July 3

I have now been in Piura for over a week, and in Peru for over a month. It’s been great coming back to the familiarity of Piura – it truly is my home away from home. All of the things I associate with Piura and Santisimo Sacramento - The parish, my family, the staff, riding in the back of pick up trucks down the Pan American highway, besitos, saying “chiste” after everything, making friends with the altar boys, trying to explain how to pronounce my name, Inca Kola, daily Mass, dancing like a gringa at fiestas, the fruit seller in the street with the loud speaker – have basically remained the same since I started coming here when I was 16. Basically, I love it here because of all of those things I just listed and countless more.

Every day here so far has been different, but yet the same (that made a ton of sense).

My days generally go like this:

8:00 - Roll out of bed to the sounds of my amigo, the fruit seller.

9:00 – 1:00 – work

1:00 – 3:00 – lunch and siesta

3:00 – 6:00 work

6:00 – chill with my family

7:00 – mass

8:00 – chill with my family a little more

8:30 – dinner

9:00 – work on school stuff (= facebook mostly)

The volunteer work I’ve been doing includes delivering food, “building” houses (I’m absolutely awful at that), delivering clothes, visiting the orphanages, visiting the hospice, etc. I’ve been able to speak a lot of Spanish, which is fantastic. And what’s even more fantastic is that I’ve been able to see my Peruvian family everyday. They are the most precious, beautiful, loving girls that I have ever encountered. My family adopted them in 2005, and I’ve been in love ever since. Their family consists of a mother, Edy, and her three girls: Leidy (20), Stefany (15), and Dafne (10). We speak in Spanish mostly (sometimes a little English with Leidy), and then other times we just smile and hug each other a lot. Yep, there’s a lot of love there.

Another exciting development is that Katherine is coming to Piura July 10! My Peruvian family was so incredibly excited when I told them the good news. We’re all counting down the days until her arrival.

I don’t really have any specific anecdotes, so I’ll tell my stories with pictures. Maybe I’ll get inspired with something especially humorous.

"Building" a house. I'm so worthless when it comes to construction. I got a lot of, "Lori, permiso." when I was in the way (which was basically the whole time). Luckily, our master builder, Juan Carlos, is a saint and is incredibly patient.

Rather than building, I prefer taking pictures of the precious children, like this little lover =)

I got to take my family out to dinner. It was an absolute treat for them (and for me).

Drew helping a girl with her basketball skills at the orphanage

Homegirls at the orphanage.

Performing a traditional dance at the orphanage. I much prefer when they dance then when I have to.

After Mass in San Jacinto. Everyone gathered around Padre Jose to get a little of that Holy Water.

A typical house

Delivering food

My obsession with Peruvian children is getting out of control. I'm not proud of it.

Aprista for life.

Laura and I with the monaguillos (altar boys)

Family!!

Family, otra vez.

Now this was fun. We delivered a bunch of clothes to one of the chapels and the women could come and pick five pieces of clothing and one pair of shoes. It was a mad house. How did we publicize such an event? We rode around in the van with a loud speaker yelling, "Ropa ropa ropa en la capilla! Ropa! Corra corra!" Which translates to "Clothes, clothes, clothes in the chapel! Clothes! Run run!" And run they did!