Day 25

Hola amigos!

So I will recap my week as usual...
On saturday we went go karting, and it turns out I am... awesome! It has to be my calling in life! Quite cringe though when I was giving banter the whole way there about how i would win then i did by 7 laps, the first few times i lapped them it was funny but by the 5th or 6th it was just awkward! Then on saturday night we went to the irish pub in the main plaza then to a club, i still find it strange how they do things differently, like only ordering shots, but not any drinks to sit and enjoy, so just every 15 minutes they do another shot and have nothing inbetween.On sunday i went to the park with luis, marias brother, he speaks english pretty much to the same level as my spanish, so it was a lot of bad spanglish, and giggling!
This week I have been at the orphanage every day, i´ve got to know the other volunteer, a german girl, quite well, as well as more of the other children. Like i said the older children seem a bit happier because they can play outside with each other. It is the babies i still feel so sorry for. People said working at an oprhange will be so great because all of the children are so happy to have you there, but its not as simple as this. When you see them sitting in a dusty room playing with old, broken, dirty toys and theyre ill and so are crying for hours on end and really whatever you do wont change anything in the long run, its not the romantic image people have. Sorry to sound so cynical! It was quite nice, one of the children; miguel, has gone because his aunt came to take him. she had been looking for 5 months since his parents died but hadnt known where he was, so everyone was really happy for him. i´ve been thinking about that all week, what it must be like having his first week at home, and also how forutnate that is, because he´ll have a totally diferent life now. although he was definitely one of the easiest to look after. feeding the 1 year olds is one of the most difficult things, they obviously need spoon feeding but some respond to this better than others. there is lots of dribbling the foot back out, knocking the bowl out of your hands, food throwing, falling asleep mid meal, crying, watching each other, throwing up, choking etc etc tec! we have to get them to finish their food though, so when it comes to feeding people do grab a ´good´child i.e. one that is easier. i actually saw another women eating the baby food when she thought no1 was looking to try and get rid of it as the child wouldnt eat it.. so funny. i´m literally inlove with millie, my favourite one, she is 7 months old, i found out she has 2 siblings but theyve been seperated and are in a different orphanage. please can someone say theyll adopt her.. ill be a fulltime aupair! tomorrow is my last day working there i cant believe it! i am going to write up about it properly with contact details and photos so to encourage other people to go there to work.
Apart from that this week, we have just done the usual i.e. lots of chicken dinners at this place we like. its like an authentic, outdoor, cheap nandos, so obviously i love it! every day we have lunch as a family, which is always home cooked and delicious. its really nice that whatever they are doing everyone comes home for lunch. they found it odd that i said we do this more for dinner; dinner isnt important here. on tuesday i had to go in to the city to go to the airline office and to the post office (for the 3rd time to colelct one package.. they dont make it easy), so after i sat in the main plaza and read for an hour, and then went into the cathedral, and then for an early evening beverage, was a nice afternoon with my fantastic own company as usual!
ive noticed the longer you spend somewhere the less things surprise you, and unfortunately, the more it wears away at your pity. when i used to see beggars, who are extremely crippled and are the worst case of poverty ive seen, i found it very sad and shocking, now it doesnt seem much of a shock to walk past a man with no limbs or a blind woman sitting in the road inches from traffic. the same with the children, you may remember i said i nearly cried when i saw they had the í love my mummy´bibs, well i found out quite afew of their first words is ´mama´ but now i dont feel as saddened by this when i think i probably should. I do feel bad for not spending christmas at the orpahange, but it didnt make sense to spend 2 months in santa cruz and no time in la paz or travelling on before my tour starts. for christmas i think i will be in mancora in peru, a beach town.
i am flying up to la paz on wednesday. i´m sure i will ahve a busy weekend to report on as it is my last in s.c, and then next week i will upload photos! sorry if i am sending people short emails or taking a long time to reply.. i am nearly always just on my phone when i read them and writing along email on my phone is not easy! lots of love xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx