Summer where have you gone?

Me and Becca hanging out with some of the girls on Saturday morning

Summer has come and gone. Where did all the time go? Well the sun and season are here still, but the kids are now back in school and our jobs have gone back to "normal". Mine has changed a ton, but it is going great.

Me and Daisy at the pre-camp meeting!

Frankie and Piero playing at the park playground.

So our summer started out the week before Christmas. We had Christmas holidays and then after New Years we started the infamous "summer programs". I rememeber older volunteers telling us newbies that summer was the BEST time here at the albergue and it was so chilled and fun. So as you can only imagine we were pumped! The kids went to summer camp, thanks to Twin Lakes in Jackson, MS who came down for the week to have camp with kids here in Trujillo. Thanks guys! So while the kiddies were at camp we went to work planning our summer programs. We worked sun up to sun down...well maybe not that much. I was partned up with some others and was in charge of art, reading, and games. Sounded like a PERFECT summer! I was ready to by the following Monday. Then the chaos started. Wow, summer was hard. I have worked at summer camps for the past 8 years, so I know what it is like to run activities and such, but this was waaay different. In the mornings we had 2 hours of tutoria, I had some of our 5 and 6 yr olds. We learned our alphabet and numbers, started doing sums and writing. Teaching the alphabet is hard, guys. Yes I learned it years ago and I wish I could remember how I learned because I am sure it would have helped me teach. We had great days in tutoria though. I would teach them through games and other stuff. I can tell you that it was sucessful and they learned how to say a-z including ñ! So then after tutoria every day we had 3 more hours for our activities. The kids were slpit up into 5 groups according to age and they would rotate activities. I think I was more excited about some of them than they were. But in the end they really had fun! We read A Secret Garden, A series of unfortunate events, and a series called Casa de Arbol. In art we made things like paper mache masks, salt dough, painted, and so on...games we started out playing futbol (soccer), volleyball, and kickball, but in the end we played a TON of jump rope. They are super at jump rope...but then again what 8+ yr old isn't?

Courtney and I were matching and having so much fun on the merry go round thing!

All of us Christmas day at the Plaza!

The afternoons were filled with activities that they could choose from. Yo-yo, drawing/painting, baton twirling, guitar, futbol, photography, and chior are some of their choices. I mainly stayed working in the garden and was able to plant corn, lettuce, cilantro, radishes, and tomatoes! They are coming up so nicely! So at the end of the summer we had our "clausaura" which is like an ending program or event. We went to Moche Park to swim and play, and then after lunch the kids put on a show of the things they had learned this summer. It was a lot of fun and they all did a great job!

Some of us after a futbol game on night

Mateo and I playing jump rope with some of the kids

Becca, Mateo with 2 of our moms, Sefora and Milargos

Even though it was not the BEST time ever here and definetly not "chilled out" it was a pretty great summer! Our kids were exposed to so much that they would have never had the chance to do had they not been here. I even think about my childhood. Besides summer camp, I just went to the pool and played outside all summer. In fact I am pretty sure my mother locked us out of the house all day long. These kids were exposed to much more in one summer than I was in probably 10 summers. Thanks parents...haha kidding!

Cristina and me at moche park

Marecielo at the pool.

So now the kids are in school getting their learn on and I am cleaning houses. But anticipating the days I can get to the beach to have some of that last summer fun. I got burned last saturday...don't worry I am planning on putting on plenty of spf next go round!

Chauuuu! Les quiero mucho!

* Oh I already told my mom and I thought she was going to jump through the phone in excitement, but I am learning French! Soooo much harder than spanish in the pronunctiations, but the verbs are really really similiar.