Pondering Peru – Part 3 (final one!)

While I will never be able to out-do this video from Will Johnson, I, too have been giving the trip to Peru a lot of consideration and ruminating on what I learned:

Can you see smiling eyes?

• You can take 15 well-meaning strangers and turn them into a tribe.
• You can ride on a motorcycle far longer than your butt would like you to.
• People can see a smile in your eyes – even with helmets on and mouths obscured.
• With context, using a foreign language is easier, even after a 30+ year hiatus.
• A child’s laugh is one of the sweetest sounds on earth (I already knew this, but it’s worth including here.)
• Anything can become “normal,” including seeing livestock herded down a city street, using bottled water to brush your teeth, having a perpetually sore ass (see above) and trying to think in another language.

Laughter with Joey at Hogar Belen

Which brings me to my final point – getting used to something even when it’s not “normal.”

The Old Normal at Hogar Belen

The children and their caretakers at the Hogar Belen orphanage have become accustomed to things that aren’t normal for the rest of us. Since an earthquake in 2001  made their main facilities uninhabitable, they have been living on a farm, with sheep, a few cows, and fields.  While that sounds picturesque, the farm lacks running water (and that means no hot water or flushing toilets), easy access to schools (the girls I spoke to walk 30+ minutes each way to school),  and many of the most basic conveniences you and I take for granted.

And then consider that the backgrounds of these children are also not what we would consider “normal.”  On the Neale Bayly Rides website, Neale states:

Joey in a quiet moment

These children come without birth certificates bearing their name, just a brief story of tragedy and neglect. Burned in a crib, left on a doorstep, or nearly drowned by a mentally unstable mother, all of the children at Hogar Belen carry their horrific nightmares as their only credentials.

Achieving the “New Normal” with WIO

If you have enjoyed reading  part 1 and part 2 of this blog series, please consider donating to the children of Hogar Belen here through Wellspring International Outreach (WIO). Let’s help them realize a “new normal” closer to our own.

Pondering Peru – Part 2

Sitting here in the airport in Miami on my way home, it’s hard to believe that just one day ago I was in Moquegua at the Hogar Belen orphanage with my friends from Wellspring International Outreach. It was truly an exceptional day, punctuated by laughter, omnipresent joy and displays of unique talents. Whether it was the display of soccer skills from the older boys, the harmonica playing of one of the Wellspring International Outreach volunteers, or several of us serenading the group with a rendition of Hotel California, bonds were forged throughout the day.

The children and their care takers live in less than ideal conditions with no running water and ramshackled dormitories, resulting from an earthquake in 2001 from which they have not yet recovered.  But despite these conditions, our contingent was met with open arms, wide smiles and copious amounts of food and drink.

Hogar Belen’s Maria and Joey

Maria and me with a mountain of potatoes

I was especially taken by Maria, an 18-year-old who has been at the orphanage for 6 years.  We bonded over potato peeling and onion chopping. She has a son, Joey, who was celebrating his third birthday the day we visited.  Having an 18-year-old daughter myself, Maria especially touched my heart.  Like my daughter, Maria enjoys math and hopes to continue her education and become a civil engineer. While we communicated in Spanglish, I kept thinking about how best I could help her achieve her goals.  How can I, more than 3,000 miles away, have a positive effect on this girl’s life?

Maria and her son Joey

 

Ties that Bind

And then it hit me – this was the ultimate purpose of our trip: to inextricably link each of us to one or even a few of the orphans at Hogar Belen and make that bond permanent.  I haven’t quite figured out my plan to support Maria and her son, Joey, but I do know that I will stay involved with Wellspring International Outreach to stay in touch and lend a helping hand whenever I can.

While the Peruvian dirt from the potatoes and the smell of the onions on my hands will eventually fade, my memories of the day will last forever.

Worn out hands from a spectacular day

 

Pondering Peru – Part 1

It is hard to fully convey all that I’ve seen these last 10 days, but I will try.

Peru is complex, beautiful, surprising and amazing all at the same time. Beautiful landscapes are the backdrop for small pueblos filled with half-built buildings, while animal herds line the streets that take us from village to village. It is common to see a shepherd tending to his or her flock of llamas, cows, or sheep walking along the streets.  We also encountered wayward cows, burros and horses crossing the road, seemingly on their own accord. And dogs are everywhere.  Most roam the towns and pueblos in search of food and playmates, but are not aggressive in any way.

Peruvian Green Acres

The sheep herd and herder

In the countryside, living is simple.  We met one herder and his son, who were caring for their sheep. The 75-year-old father has lived his entire life on this swatch of land with incredible vistas of the Andes.

Lovely ladies willing to pose for me

The people that we’ve met have been welcoming, helpful and patient with our inability to speak their language.  In the worst Spanish ever uttered, I asked these ladies if I could take their picture.  They were kind enough to oblige and grant me an enduring colorful reminder of our trip.

Positively Amazing Peru

This has been the trip of a lifetime.  Peru wasn’t on my bucket list but I am so glad that I was able to make it. Today, we will travel to the orphanage of Hogar Belen with the team that I’ve been traveling with from Wellspring International Outreach.  I will follow this post with additional ones about our trip to the orphanage and more reflections on the trip.