Viernes: A Day of Lasts

     After eating a wonderful breakfast of hard boiled eggs and bread courtesy of our host family, we went to Yure's house for our last formal class. We talked about the life of Mario Vargas Llosa and his essay "La civilización del espectáculo." In this work, Vargas Llosa uses an elitist tone to argue that many people in developed countries are concerned more about being entertained than learning actual facts about the world.

Here is a picture of where we have been having class during the last week:

      We had to finish class a half hour earlier than usual because unfortunately, Amy was very sick. Dra. Shaw and Yure took her to a clinic. When they came back, Amy had a list of medicines to take and only good things to say about her experience. She said that she did not have to wait very long to see a doctor, the doctors and nurses thoroughly explained everything she needed to know about her medicines, and that the cost was extremely reasonable.

     We ate our last lunch at Yure's house once they returned.

     After class, we went to the orphanage for our last time. Although Amy was feeling significantly better, Beth was sick, so she stayed at Mery's house in order to rest. In the casitas that Amy, Angie B., and Michael were in, the children worked on their homework and drew pictures. After spending four previous days with us, the orphans were definitely comfortable around us and allowed us to take some pictures, as you can see below.

     In my casita, the orphans were very excited to go to the birthday party of their mother's cousin. We worked on homework for an hour before their mother gave them all a bath and dressed them up for the party. The girls loved to twirl and dance in their dresses.

Here is a picture of them and their mother all dressed up:

           Then came the hardest part of the day. We had to say goodbye to all the children and the director Margot. I can confidently say that no one wanted to leave. We all enjoyed helping and playing with the children because they were so energetic and needed the attention. It was easy to become attached to the children, and it was a humbling experience overall. We are hoping to put together packages to send to the orphanage once we are back in the United States.

One last picture at the orphanage:

     When we arrived back at our host family's house, we had to finish our last formal lesson. We talked about Vargas Llosa's short story "El Abuelo." Although it does not represent the themes that he usually writes about, it does demonstrate his descriptive style of writing.

     After class, we went to dinner at a restaurant called Chicha and ate Peruvian food. Here is a picture of one dinner that three people in our group ate. It is called Rocoto Relleno and consists of a pepper with a filling of meat, cheese, and spices.

     When we returned to the house, we played cards and ate cake.