My last full day here L.
It was sad, fun, and very interesting. All in all, it was my favorite day in
Bolivia. It started off early (once again) with me watching Leonardo from the
morning to the afternoon. We have been getting along well (although we have had
our highs and lows), and he doesn’t fuss as much around me anymore. When I
finished my shift with him, I was asked to help out in the kitchen. I went to
the kitchen and made empanadas (dough with cheese inside) and other pastries.
They let me eat the finished product, then another one, and then another one
haha. They pushed me hard in that hot little kitchen and they said I deserved a
nice reward. Anyways, after I assisted in the kitchen, I got ready for
Leonardo’s baptism. I was going to be Leonardo’s Godfather (they asked me a few
days ago)! After mass, I was called to the front of the church with Leo and he was
baptized. I stood there with my Godchild grinning ear to ear in front of 100+
people clapping. It was amazing!
Remember
when I said Bolivians will find any reason to party? Well when we got back to
the Hogar the girls and the nuns threw me a party. They sat me down in a chair
and sang beautiful songs and did authentic Bolivian dances. The songs where
about praying for my safe travels and wishing for me to come back soon. The
dances where very interesting and the costumes were vibrant. For the grand
finale, the older girls put a CD into the speakers and waited. Then what I
heard next made my day. The only Spanish song I know started playing over the
speakers, the Macarena! The girls start dancing to it and then I was told to
join! It is a memory that I will never forget (I taught them the Macarena!).
After the dancing we took a quick break for dinner and a drink. Once finished,
we got right back to dancing! They only had about 9 songs on the playlist but
they knew the dances to all of them by heart. They are fantastic dancers (and
they said I was pretty good too J).
One of the songs was Cotton Eyed Joe (a hometown favorite) and I taught them
the real dance to it. At around 10:00, we had to turn off the music and start
to settle down. A nun rolled out a big TV and the girls picked the movie
“Grownups” to watch. Now to those who don’t know the movie, it’s rated R for
sexual innuendos and other nefarious content haha. About half way through the
movie, one of the nuns started watching with us. Within five minutes, a
hilarious but inappropriate scene comes on. I don’t think I’ve seen a nun laugh
so hard (not what I was expecting)!
After the
movie concluded, I said my final goodbyes to the girls (I leave the Hogar at 5
am so I can’t see them in the morning). It was very difficult for me to let them
go. They gave me little cards and notes and other small gifts that I wish I
could repay. I’m going to miss them. Anyways, I was walking up the stairs to my
room to go to bed when I turn the corner and see one of the girls, Ines,
sitting on the stairs in front of me. She was crying as I sat next to her and
hugged her. I tried talking to her but she really wasn’t in the talking mood.
After sitting for a few minutes, I started telling her how I will never forget
the memories I made down here and that I thank her for that. The girls really
changed my life. Thinking about their struggles and what they have to go made
me start to cry (I’ll admit it). All the things that I saw piled up and up
until finally, the dam burst. From the incomplete vaccinations, to reading why
these girls are here, to my clinic and hospital visits, to the woman with the
dead husband, to the girls calling me “Papa”. Everything finally got to me. It
was rough haha.
Thanks one
last time for all the support! It really made this trip easier on me. I am
updating the blog ASAP and then I will be updating the blog Monday, and again
sometime next week! One last time from Bolivia, Chao!!!
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