March. Damaris Thais

As if it's March already, I cannot believe that it's come round so fast. Everytime I think about it, it just makes me more aware of the fact that I'll be leaving here soon :(

Firstly for people who are reading Alex's blog too you'll already know, but for everyone else I want to tell you about Damaris Thais one of our babies in the Aldea. She was one and a half, last week she went into hospital because she was having trouble breathing, Thais was in hospital straight after christmas, when she arrived in the Aldea suffering from malnutrition but we both thought she was improving-albeit pretty slowly. All the tías were really worried about her and by Sunday she was still in emergency care with pneumonia, we found out on Monday morning that she'd died that night at 3 o'clock. It was a massive shock to both of us, in fact to the whole Aldea and even now I can't believe it actually happened. Earlier in the week we'd both been looking after her casa and helping to feed her, play with her and change her, then suddenly she's just not there anymore. We had a belario ceremony in the Aldea all day Monday, which is where the coffin is brought back to the aldea and everyone sits round to make sure her soul is accompanied until the funeral and she passes onto heaven.
 It was an eyeopener in so many ways, mainly for me I think, because the younger kids just accepted that she wasn't there any more, they didn't ask any questions  but just seemed to accept that because she was no longer with us, that must mean that she's in the sky with God. But also having them around made the whole situation so much easier because they are just so full of life and love and make you feel better without even realising it. The funeral was held on Tuesday and was  pretty intense, I think the whole thing was so much harder because Thais was a baby we actually knew and had got to see develop and because of that it's going to take a lot longer for everyone here in the Aldea to get back to normal. This whole thing has made me think more about the way they deal with life here and it's made me really keen todo something in the Aldea to ensure that she won't be forgotten.

As if that wasn't enough drama for one week, on Wednesday morning I wasn't feeling to well, after a pretty scary moment in the Aldea when I apparently went a funky green one of the tías decided it would be best to take me down to the hospital. Alex and the Aldea nurse came with me and after waiting in the dirtiest reception of a hospital ever, we then had to PAY just to get seen by the nurse. Which literally meant him taking my temperature, my blood pressure and weighing me!? Very bizarre process not helped by the fact that the whole time, I could see him eyeing up his snack of chocolate milk sat in the corner and the he was so blatantly going as fast as possible with the least amount of effort just so that when he was done he went and sat down to have his chocolate milk, ignoring all the other patients! The doctor diagnosed me with stomach bug and gave me an injection in my hand, which hurt like hell-later found out from Alex that the needle was insanely big, and all I can say is that I'm pretty glad I was in no state to notice it otherwise there is no way it would have been anywhere near me. After a day sleeping I was fine again, it was lovely seeing all the kids on Thursday when I ventured out the house and seeing how much attention I'd caused (not boosting up my ego AT all!)

On Thursday morning we said bye to the Lima volunteers who've been with us every fin de semana for the past 5 weeks. Really really sad, although I'm even more excited now to spend time with them in Lima when we leave the Aldea to start our travels-they've promised to show us all their favourite spots. It's been ridiculously quiet without them, especially without all the extra attraction they bring from all the kids coming down to our house and they really will be sorely missed, especially their crazy saturday nights.  However it means we got our first Sunday morning lie in since they got here because they haven't been dragging us out at 8 every Sunday for breakfast. AND we got to nick their mattresses which they had from the school they were working in in the jungle and we've had so much better nights  sleep-instead of our pieces of foam!

THEN just to make this week even more fun packed, on Friday we had our first paseo with the kids, the whole Aldea went down to this laguna in two collectivos (iquitos version of a bus, made of wood and only one floor) absolutly packed, they were so full you literally couldn't move. There were about 4kids and an adult on every seat, but it was hilarious and it was also amazing being outside with the kids  and not just in the same Aldea environment. The laguna was beautiful, with these little pontoony things in the middle and hammocks everywhere which the tías had brought with them for the babies-organisation or what! Slight scary moment when one of the little boys Alex slipped off the walkway into the water (only like knee deep) but I completly didn't realise he couldn't swim until he didn't come straight back up again! He was FINE, swallowed quite a bit of water but all good! We got treated to a little presentation from all the kids,like a summary of all their summer classes which was really cute. Although now they've finished their classes and only the private school kids start back next week it doesn mean we're going to have lots of kids to entertain until they start back-which I don't think is until April!
So if anyone has any ideas of arty crafty things, outside games or just general playing activites they would be seriously appreciated!!