you win some, you lose some

The last few days have been the dreaded school exams! The questions are as basic as possible but it still seems to take us hours to get through each page and the children's blank looks are hugely frustrating. We have been doing the same stuff ALL YEAR how can they not remember??? My consolation is that teachers all over the world face this and carry on living!

   Today we had the last exam (hurrah!) The final part of it was role playing. Each child was offered the choice between fireman or doctor and they had to pick correct clothes and props and "play" for 1 minute as their character.
    Some of us got it right...

    Some of us lived the role heart and soul...

    And...some of us spectacularly failed and just tried on everything!!!!!!

Ups & downs in Laura Flores

As per usual on  a Wednesday, this afternoon I went to Laura Flores to help with the women's Bible study group. Sounds pretty boring but believe it is anything but boring!! A new year but LF is still the same; dirty, smelly, over crowded and full of hair raising tales of abuse, crime and neglect.
       Today only 4 women came but small is best! One lady arrived quite upset since a relative has recently died and she is worried about him. She said he was a Christian but was concerned if he was well, safe and happy. Since there was so few of us we had the time to sit with her and chat. Comfort her, calm her doubts and assure her that her relative hasn't been abandoned but is safe with God. I am still mourning the recent loss of a friend and it was so nice to hear these reassurances as well. I know many people who don't share my faith but for me; to know that my friend is safe, well, happy and loved is a huge comfort  and I am so grateful for that consolation.
     During the study the same lady talked about a cousin of hers, LJ. LJ is 22 and is a drug addict who lives on the streets. According to her he is nice " he isn't violent to me or rob me"(!) but he does rob from everyone else including his mother. In spite of being in rehab 3 times he is still an addict and his poor family are giving up hope. What can we do? To be honest there  is very little I can do and I feel so sorry for her and the family. I was saddened even more to hear all the other women share similar concerns. All 4 women are robbed and beaten by drug/alcohol fuelled relatives. All of them live in dread of yet another relative being found dead in the street! They lead such unhappy lives but each week they come and say how blessed they are!
     After the study it was suggested that we could visit LJ (he was having a sleep at his cousins house) but to be careful because if he saw strangers he might run away or turn violent. After long and mature consideration I suggested that it might be best if I and Amy didn't go, after all we wouldn't want to overwhelm LJ(!) This meant that instead Amy and I sat in the mini bus for half an hour and entertained the local kids. This is very easy...just take out a camera. These kids have nothing-no toys, no books, no games, nothing. For them; the joy of having a photo taken or even...TO HOLD THE CAMERA is the highlight of their day! And these are the results...

Hello, goodbye

Right, well the antibiotics have worked woohoo!


   My host family came home yesterday with a baby rabbit!It's sooo cute. Tiny and very fluffy it's already adored by everyone.

Showing off "Bunny" on skype gave me the perfect opportunity to introduce my host mum and brother to my parents. I'm so glad they finally got to "meet" although the translating was a bit tricky especially when my dad joined in.I ended up speaking 3 languages but getting very confused as to which language was what! Think I ended up just saying a random mix of words oops.


   The last few days have brought me clarity. I know what work I will do when I return and have already started contacting people. And I have decided to not come home for Andrews funeral. I miss him but I know this is the right decision. Andrew helped me all of last year to do my fundraising and he kept on telling me to travel and make the most of my opportunities so I'm going to honour that.

I get by with a little help from my friends

When I woke up this morning I felt miserable, tired and sick. Now? Well the room won't stop spinning and I still have a temperature but I'm happy. So what's happened since this morning? Friends!

  My host family are great but their way of coping when I'm ill is to avoid me. I hope I'm not being harsh when I say that from my point of view it's a fairly miserable tactic. At the moment I am incredibly dizzy; I can't leave the flat and even standing up is a challenge so as you can imagine my food supply is running low and cooking is impossible. Today Amy came round with some orange juice and food she'd bought for me and Claire also popped round with a huge, freshly made Shepherds pie for me! I have such amazing friends.

  Plus this morning a dear friend asked me to be Godmother to her (gorgeous) daughter.I'm absolutely thrilled and can't wait to go home and be with that family again and tell my new god-daughter how proud I am of her!

God has created me to do him some definite service

God has created me to do him some definite service: he has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another,I have my mission-I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.
   I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do his work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it-if I do but keep his commandments.
   Therefore I will trust Him. Whatever, wherever I am. I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him: in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends; he may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me-still He knows what He is about.

                    John Henry Newman

What next?

I have spent the last few days meaning to write about my New Year and some other fun stuff I've done but to be honest I couldn't be bothered. I've been tired, fed up and unable to concentrate. I am grieving over the sudden death of a friend, I am trying to discern what I should with my life when I return home and...I'm ill.

  ill again! This is getting tedious. This time I have an infection causing swelling in my inner ear which is making me dizzy and giving me headaches apparently. I am now on antibiotics, pain killers and anti inflammatories. This of course is just the starter; it turns out I may also have parasites in my stomach and possibly a relapse of my old friend-Dengue Fever. I've been for a blood test and am awaiting the results (everyone who owns a phone and speaks Spanish is out so more waiting around.)

  In a way, being ill is useful since it does explain my fatigue, misery and it gives me the perfect excuse for feeling sorry for myself. (fever does also explain why I've been feeling cold even when clutching a hot water bottle in 30C temperatures!) Being ill though does not help me decide what to do.

I only have 9 days of work left and then I can travel around until I fly back next month. Do I fly back early next week so I can attend my friends funeral (and get checked out by a Brit GP) or I stay on the final 6 weeks?

If my head just stopped hurting then maybe I could think straight.

Lesson learnt

It's New year. Well, obviously Happy New Year! I hope that 2012 is a good year filled with fun, purpose and love.


End of one year and the start of a new year, I don't know about you but it does make me think. What have I learnt, what were my experiences good and bad in 2011 and how will I use this knowledge?


Here is some of what I have learnt and experienced in coming here:


I know people who are dirt poor and yet are happy!I have met some people who are crueller and more selfish than I had ever met before.



I know the feeling of futility that comes of working in situations that seem so bad you don't feel you can help. I know that sometimes simply being there and standing alongside someone can help.



I've had the overwhelming experience of being surrounded by people and not able to get away and go home. Finding friends in the most unexpected places. Being away has made certain friends fade away and that has been hard but then people who weren't friends before have suddenly become good friends.


I have seen someone badly hurt and know the horror, pain and despair that comes when you cannot help. I've gained the comfort of knowing that when all else fails, I can pray for someone.


I have experienced the horrible pain of losing someone whilst away. Unable to grieve with others, share memories and pay respects I have had to become stronger.


I know that people are infinitely more complicated, flawed and amazing than I had realised. Sometimes I learnt this in heart breaking ways but I'm still grateful for the opportunity to learn these things.


I don't yet know how I'll use this knowledge but I'm looking forward to 2012 and a chance to move forward.