Tentative first day at the casa

Taking a side road towards Ayacucho to finally escape the tourist highway that Peru sometimes resembles was definitely a necessary step. But traipsing around gorgeous citadels wasn’t painful. Life in Ayacucho is far more real, although I of course still remain in a vastly more comfortable situation than the majority of people here.

My first day at the casa was messy, uncertain and of little impact. It’s termed a casa here, instead of an orphanage, as the majority of the 28 kids housed there still have family, albeit often estranged or incapable of caring for them. The children are divided in three groups—the little ones, the eldest and the handicapped. There is nearly the same number of señoritas, or caretakers, who seem to be constantly running after the rowdy kids.

As there are nearly ten volunteers rotating their time to be with the kids at all times, they have understandably become blasee about the coming-and-goings. Especially the brief interventions of the well-meaning travellers who sometimes don’t speak Spanish and only stay a few weeks. Every time I acknowledge that i am only staying a month, i feel the coolness of the organizers. I’m trying to find a meaningful project to contribute despite my lack of real skill or time.That said, i completely understand—when working with children who have a history of abandon, the constant shuffle of volunteers is not ideal.

I definitely spent a lot of time shuffling yesterday—energy is one characteristic the toddlers do not lack. From playing in the dirt to running after some of the chicken in the yard, they were adorable if at times difficult to handle. After my session, i discussed some of the children with the coordinator, who informed me of some of their deeply chilling pasts... Much remains to be navigated—from understanding the individual kids to exploring the peculiar hierarchy of the organization, and only hope to be able to contribute a grain.