Thursday, May 27, 2010

How do you say heartbroken in Spanish?

Today was most definitely the hardest day.

The mural is done. The roof is up. In Peru, when the roof is done that is when the celebration is, because here a roof means shelter regardless of what may be underneath it. That broke my heart a little. Then Erica had the honors of christening the bathroom with a bottle of champagne. Laughter followed and the tears abaded. Today we didn't really work. Abdias told us to come in but there wasn't any work so we think he just wanted to spend more time with us. Which was fine. A moto taxi came by playing music at full blast so had a dance party in the middle of the street for a good hour, including an organized line dance for all to see (line dancing on a hill is an unbelievable work out.) Such fun times.
And then my heart broke.
We got the kids to sign our shirts and write things down, like numbers and emails and names. Sorry Mom and Dad - 120 Peruvian children now have your phone number. But then there were hugs, and an onslaught of tears. How do you tell two 10 year old girls, Kelly and Carmella, that they are so unbelievably smart and talented and that the world is their oyster. How do you tell them that if they need anything or just a person to talk to, just to call. How do you tell them that you will miss them all and you will be back to check in on them - if you don't speak their language? So you cry and you hug and you tell them that you will be back to check up on them because they are way to brilliant to be stuck in a place like Villa Maria. And I mean it. I will keep in touch however I can because those kids that not only touched my heart but fully stole it deserve so much better than just a shelter over their head and a dirt hill to live on. In the end that bathroom really didn't mean anything. It is those kids that are the heart, soul and hope for the community. If the kids only took a small piece from the last 4 weeks, I'm ok with that - they taught me things about myself I didnt know and affected me in ways I probably am not quite aware of yet.

But now I must put my travelling boots back on and once again say my goodbyes and hit the road.
Tomorrow:
Cuzco!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

love this entry. well said. - Erica