11/23/06

Ricky and Kelsey caught the early morning bus to pick up the legal papers. 
  I got up at 7:00 and went into Ricky’s bedroom to use the internet.
  I was able to answer a few emails but found myself way behind due to the minimal time with access as well as time to use it.
  When Robert got up he used the internet after me. 
 That gave me a little time to straighten the room and learn how to run their wash machine and hang a load up on the (flat) roof of the house.
  I anticipated we’d be back later in the afternoon to take it down.
  It was a beautiful sunny breezy day.
  We actually didn’t get home till almost 11:00 pm so the clothes are still up there and now need to dry after the evening moist air.

When Ricky and Kelsey got back at 11:30 am, I fried up some sausage and made sandwiches for lunch then we headed out for another signing of the land purchase papers.
  We arrived early enough for Ricky to make sure his papers were filled out properly by the notary republic and get them copied down the street.
  While we were waiting for Ricky, Robert got out his new fancy camera and was looking for photo opportunities in this fishing village.
  A policeman asked about the camera and Robert let him check it out.
  Kelsey interpreted while the policeman asked Robert many questions.
  Ricky returned to the store/street area and the policeman asked him many questions, too.
  All the while he kept hold of the camera.
  When it was a couple minutes past the appointment time with the land owners, Ricky left and it was then that the policeman gave Robert back the camera.
  He made us pretty nervous.
  He obviously really liked the camera.
  I remembered being told that anything that you give a Peruvian, they can think that you mean for them to have it, not necessarily look at it or use if briefly.
  It turned out the man was a Christian from the Assembly of God church.
  He spoke of his long hours in the police force.
  He can work from 8 in the morning till 8 the next morning, have two hours to himself and then have to go back to work.
 

As we waited again with the land owners for all the details of the land purchase, Ricky made a call for the $15,000 to be placed in the land owner’s bank account by Ricky’s lawyer.
  After a half hour and several phone calls, she wasn’t successful.
  When that much money is transferred the banker asks many questions, some of which the lawyer didn’t want to answer.
  So Ricky had to drive the owners back to Lima to the bank to make the deposit.
  That too was very complicated but we didn’t get to witness it because Ricky had the land owner’s brother who lives on the land, take us to the orphanage.

We stayed at the orphanage till 8:00 pm waiting for Ricky.
  We played with the children trying to think up games that didn’t need anything beyond what could be found there naturally.
  Kelsey taught them duck, duck goose and tried red light green light and Simon says.
  Robert drew a hop scotch in the dirt and the children knew the game and started playing, but the lines didn’t stay well in the dirt.
  The director came and gave us chalk to draw it on the cement area.
  The children were actively involved in the game for over an hour.
  It had been a long time since I’d played hopscotch and it all came back as I watched them.
  They only had rocks to throw into the different squares and they would frequently miss their target.
  I remember using keys that would land where you want them more easily.
  While I watched them play, other children would climb on my lap and play hand games or swing their heads downward toward the cement in play, over and over again.
  There was never any lull in activity or boredom shown even if all they were doing was hugging us.
  The children are delightful and very good.

When it got dark, we went into their assembly room and Kelsey and the kids sang and did motions to songs.
  Felix came in and played on the guitar and the children sang robustly and did special dances with the songs.
  Robert played a few songs in English for them which they enjoyed.
 

We called Ricky several times in the evening, especially when it was time for the children to eat.
  They wanted to wait for him to return and us to go before they ate.
  They waited till 8:00 and then they could wait no longer.
  Felix stayed with us and his wife fixed us tea and crackers with jelly.
  They expressed how much they appreciated the money we gave the day before so they would have food to eat.
 

Earlier in the evening I was feeling sad about not being able to communicate with the children.
  I tried something I thought I knew and it was all wrong.
  Robert laughed and it just hit me the wrong way.
  Emotions from many things came to the surface and I started crying and couldn’t stop for quite a while (Robert says an hour).
  The sweetest thing was how children tried to comfort me stroking my face, catching the tears, hugging me and fetching me tissues.
  One older girl, Liliana who may be 11, sat down to comfort me and cried with me.
  It was very touching to me.
  I would gather myself and then lose it when I saw her red eyes.
  She hugged me and I hugged her and afterwards she told me that she loves me.
  It was all very touching and amazing.
  The children are so very sweet and good kids.
  They are very good with each other, too.