El fin de un capítulo (The end of a chapter)

Hola!

There is, as usual, a lot to report about! A few weeks ago, I traveled to Puno which is near Lake Titicaca. On the other side of Lake Titicaca is Bolivia. On Lake Titicaca, there are these neat islands that float, which are logically called the Floating Islands. They have been around for hundreds of years and were started by the native people. They are made using this mud that floats, and the island is built upon it. They last many years, but whenever one starts to sink, they build a new one. Families actual live there in huts, and they were really friendly to us. I also traveled to the island of Amantani and spent the night at a native´s  house. The daughter, Flavia, was welcoming and showed us around and the ruins that are on the island. In the morning we put on the clothes of the native people, which, for girls, consists of a long, decorated skirt, a white blouse, and a big shawl that is worn on the head. All the native people wear this clothing. The next day we went to another island, Taquile, and did a hike around the island looking at the ruins. It was an awesome trip, minus the fact that our bus broke down on the way back and we sat on the side of a road for 8 hours. Oh well, thus is traveling in Peru =)

As Hanukkah was approaching, I decided that I was not going to spend a latke-less Hanukkah (the Chabad is still closed because the Rabbi and his wife are in Israel). Also, there was an important holiday that my friend from Norway celebrates, called Santa Lucia, in which you bake sweet buns and sing songs. So, we put our holidays together and threw a Hanukkah/Santa Lucia Fiesta. It took place at my host family´s house. We invited my whole Peruvian family, consisting of Oscar, Gretta, Nena, Franco, Nuri, Shirel, and the other Oscar, and also some other volunteer friends. There were actually two other Jewish people, Abby, from Australia, and Jo, from England, both of whom I met through Chabad. We all made latkes together in the kitchen, and then sat down for a delicious meal of fruit salad, latkes, and Santa Lucia buns for dessert. We lit candles and I explained the significance, and afterwards, we played the most competitive game of dreidel I have ever played, which lasted about 2 hours. Picture my Peruvian family shouting: Quiero Gimmel! (I want gimmel). It was certainly a Hanukkah to be remembered, and the most diverse one I have ever attended!

I am done volunteering at both the kindergarden and the orphanage because of the summer holiday. The school is closed, and there are only a handful of girls left at the orphanage because many of them have relatives to go to. My last day at the kindergarden happened to be the huge dance festival that we have been preparing for for the past two months. Each class, 3 year olds, 4 year olds, and 5 year olds, performed a dance and sang a song. My 5 year olds sang the song that I taught them, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. The costumes the kids wore were UNBELIEVABLE! (I have no way of putting up pictures yet but I am working on it =) ) The school was packed with parents and siblings.

My last day at the orphanage was quite sad. We had all the girls sit around the table, and we explained to them that this was our last day. Then, to lighten the mood, we brought ice cream and home made cookies, but they were eaten quietly and with sad faces. Then we put on music and had a dance party with everyone. I will certainly miss this place. I plan on visiting a few times in the next months to hang out with the girls who do not have a place to go over the summer. This place is just heaven on earth. The girls are all sisters (one day they called me their aunt, which I thought was very cute). They look out for each other, they are all incredibly mature, and everyone of them will grow up to be a beautiful person. It was such a blessing to be able to volunteer there.

Also, the family visited! It was quite an adventure. We visited both the kindergarden and the orphanage, and also spent a few days touring Cusco (which my family has FINALLY learned to pronounce. They have come along way since Cosco, or K-mart as they liked to joke). Then, we went to the jungle in Puerto Maldonado where we saw various animals, walked on canopies, went fishing, and did several nature hikes. We stayed in these cabins literally in the middle of the jungle. We spent the last day touring Lima, thus concluding the Shapiro Family Adventures.

I am not sure exactly where I am volunteering next, but I will be sure to keep you posted!

Love,
Avra

P.S. For those of you who have not seen the facebook pictures yet, I got dreadlocks =)