This morning we took the last group of kids on their special Christmas outing. We returned to the pool at Las Lagunas. That's the third time I've been there in a week. Wonder if they have a punch card? Anyhow, I spent a lot of time with Alejandro (age 3). My favorite part was when he was willing to just chill on a lounge chair with me. He can be so cute and cuddly when he wants to. I swam for a bit, and we ate some snacks. I let Alejo and Esthefany try some Teddy Grahams I had brought. They liked them. The outing was a success, and this group of kids was a lot easier than the group we had on Tuesday. Today Alex, Elizabeth, Jo, David, and I took Esthefany, Jhanpier, Alejandro, Pedro, Jorge, Abraham, Samir, Heydi, and Isabel. Speaking of Abraham and Heydi...I have never mastered the art of looking cool. I cannot imagine how a kid in an orphanage could pull it off. Yet Abraham and Heydi always look cool. It mildly fascinates me.
Lunch back at the albergue was chicken, veggies, and rice. I skyped with Tim Brooks to talk about a few things for next summer's trip, and then I went with the long-term volunteer Courtney to go through a couple of the girls' closets. We were able to trade out some of Oriana's things for clothes that fit better or are not worn out. Speaking of clothes, I have seen none of the Sexy jackets this trip, largely due to the weather and Courtney disliking them as much as I do. However, one girl has worn the same shirt about 75% of the time we've been here, and it's not much better than the Sexy jackets. The sexy jackets are just fleece zip-up jackets that say "Sexy" in English and for some unknown reason come in sizes that fit 10-year-olds. I dunno. Sometimes I just dunno.
All the guys went into Salaverry with most of the boys to play soccer at a field they had reserved. I got to play with the 3 little guys for a while. We walked around on the tires that line the playground and played some soccer. It was nice for them to get a chance at the grass and ball here while the older boys were gone. Junior played with us, too. Then I spent some time on the see-saw with Marjorie and Paul.
Tonight I went into Trujillo with some volunteers. We went grocery shopping, and I felt like I had gotten a fair amount, but my bill was $5.94 in American dollars. Crazy. We also stopped by Pizza Hut to take advantage of the Buy One, Get One for a Sol deal. One dollar is about 2.7 soles. I ate until I was really, truly full for the first time since we've been here, and I have leftovers. Bliss. It's a good thing we went grocery shopping, too, because we had about eaten ourselves out of house and home. I do have to admit that I feel guilty buying pizza and snacks for myself when I know the kids don't get that stuff, but I don't know quite what to do about it. It's not like my not eating would really help them.
The grocery store we went to and the Pizza Hut were at the Trujillo mall. I hadn't been there before except just to the grocery store part. It was cool to see their mall. It looked very western. Stores I recognized were Radio Shack, Nike, Adidas, and ecco. There was also a KFC, a Starbucks, and a McDonald's dessert place.
The thing I'm most looking forward to tomorrow is sandboarding on the dunes and hills behind the albergue with the Luces, the older girls. I've never been and have been wanting to try it.
I love you, and I think you're pretty. E-mail or facebook me. I miss you guys
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