My Girls
Mariana Gledhill from Wellington, N.Z. spent 7 months, in 2005, in Peru doing voluntary work. She shares her experiences.
Hi All
Well, no one won the election bigtime. I am sorry I was so hard on New Zealand… it just seems like a world away now. It really does. So do uni strikes and all of that.
Sometimes I do not want to go home, I just feel so settled here. I have been working with my girls more and getting closer to them. The more I do, the harder the thought of leaving is getting. Best I leave now I think. We sing together, and I help them more with their homework… the number of kids in increasing. There are now 80 including 2 3 month old babies. Lots of work.
Some of the girls have brothers who live in Ica, which is 1 a half hours from Chincha. I went with them on a visit. It was wonderful meeting their brothers and some of their parents. Ricardina has 2 brothers in Ica and I have never seem her looking so happy. Brigitte was just so pleased to see her brother that the stuck to each other like glue. I meet Cinthia´s mum… I have heard so much about you, she said. It makes me pleased to know that I am doing some good. I teach Englsih like a mad thing right now, and the kids confide in me alot now… more than the tutoras. I help the little ones a lot with their work, and have to punish them when they are bad. I hate doing that.
I have been sick again (another bloddy flu). I had a flu in my first and last weeks of work… there is an epidemic in my work. 13 kids are bedridden right now. It is quite a lot of work…
My last day is 24 of Sept
I do not want to leave
See you all later
Love Mariana
