The Orphanage + The Clinic

Every day is such a long day. I get up at 7:30 and go to sleep around 1 AM. I've gotten accustomed to it, though. It's strange, but topics that I didn't expect to ponder on in Peru has started to surface. Yesterday, when I was at the orphanage, the girls were playing little-girl-elementary-school clapping games with my Peru travel-mates and I started to remember my childhood. I started remembering playing similar games in my Chinese tutor's house with the other little girls in the Philippines. I started to remember playing four-square at my elementary school in suburbia Chicago. Then, later that night, we went to see a performance of native dances. The dances were pretty simple. I liked their costumes. I even got picked to go dance on stage at the very end! YAY. But, to tie it all together with the point of pondering, I started to remember performing onstage in my high school years, singing Colors of the Wind and doing a Korean fan dance with friends.

The girls at the orphanage are adorable. One of them asked me if I had a mom. They're all so lively and energetic, which I love because it appears that being orphaned hasn't changed too much of their positive qualities. The first day I volunteered, we ended up doing laundry manually! It wasn't a new thing to me. I was used to seeing the maids I used to have in the Philippines do our laundry without a machine. It wasn't until later when Kim mentioned it that I realized it was a surreal experience. I was doing laundry manually with orphans in the middle of the Andes mountains, listening to music in Hindu and French. What! That's pretty kick ass. The next time I saw them, which was yesterday, I ended up just drawing them, singing and dancing Shakira-like things (very unsuccessfully, I might add), and teaching one of them English numbers and alphabets. Today, I went to the Clinica instead to help out with the mentally impaired kids. Apparently, the orphan girls asked for me. Awww.

The Clinic was something I couldn't see myself doing often, much less everyday. I thought I would just end up going there once a week to switch up my perspective on helping people. Truth be told, I was a bit bored. The children couldn't carry conversations with me, even with my terrible Spanish. I also didn't like the smell of the place. It smelled of sickness and old people, despite the young ages of the children. I enjoyed playing with the little toddlers, though. It makes me sad that they'll never be as free as the average person could be.

In class, our professor appears to like giving us topics that revolve around Love. I've been thinking about that lately. Before I left for Peru, I really couldn't imagine myself with anyone. Being in Peru, I can almost say I've forgotten what it was like to be in love with someone. I'm farther than I've ever been. This is exactly where I wanted to be, though.

Uhh... what else?

I accidentally ate a guinea pig awhile ago. I will be able to own one now. AHHH. Not that.. I was planning to or anything... ha.

I feel as though I'm missing something in this entry. Oh well. Another entry for another day, I suppose.

===============================
Hello, Dearest--

It's Me again. Where have you gone? I can only recognize you through a feeling that left me long ago with an imprint that I find myself looking at when all the world has left me to only my mind. And what a beautiful imprint it was! Intricately, Delicately, Passionately made with edges that burned for the price of Belonging. Dear Love, forgive me for abandoning you, but I have not yet been molded to the vessel in which you'd wish to reside in. Had I been, the scars would not have marked me so black and my insides would have been more ressistant to the advances of your constant visitor, Irrationality. Although your rival, Ambition, has me captivate, you are never a forgotten concept.

I eagearly await the day when you and I shall fit together as it was always intended and never again will I nor you have to leave the other's side.

Yours Truly,
The Entirety of my Being