Anyways, I'm not sure if I've mentioned Luana before, but Luana has been in the Aldea since she arrived as a baby and is now nearly 3 and a half so it's all she's ever known. She has been a big part of our time here because before christmas we were taking her at least once a week to her therapy sessions (she has quite serious mental health problems) so we've got to spend quite a lot of time with her and grown to love her and her crazy spurts of energy that mean we can be chasing her round the therapy centre trying to get her back insde to carry them on. We've known for a while that she was up for adoption and then that she had actually been adopted, but Iquitos having the standard Peruvian ways of behaving we were never 100% sure she was actually going to be adopted, or if her parents were ever going to turn up. Last Tuesday (27th March) very very excitingly her new adoptive family arrived at the Aldea.
Me and Alex turned up really eagerly to check them out, because all we knew about them was that they were gringas from Amercia-only to find out they already knew who we were because they've been following our blogs, attempting to catch any news or pictures of Luana that they could! Luana went off with them the same day after filling out their paperwork-for us she is the first of only 3 kids who have gone for adoption in the whole time we've been in the Aldea and the only one who we've been able to meet their new parents. Luana's family are from Lousiana and she has 3 brothers, all older although the youngest is only by a month. Since Tuesday she has been staying with them in their hotel, which has felt really weird and quiet for us in the Aldea.
We got an awesome surprise visit from them on Thursday, when she arrived in tow with the whole family for her despedida-her goodbye party. It was hands down one of the best days of my whole 7 months in the Aldea, without a doubt. Luana looked so so different, so much happier, so much calmer, so much more at peace, so much more like a young kid rather than someone who just wanted you to play with her. Words cannot describe how amazing it was to see that change; to see how she could go from a child who has severe mental capabilites and because of that was always on a tight rein within the Aldea, to see her looking so much more happier and just walking around meeting the other children in the Maloca was a completely different experience.
Callie and Danny said after 3 days she had already learnt Mummy and Daddy in English, she had been swimming for the first time in her life and absolutly loved it-she's a complete and utter water baby! It was so incredible hearing and seeing how quickly she had got used to them, and was even communicating with them despite the fact that they all spoke a completely new language-one that she has never learnt. It just made me realise how lucky she was to be adopted and how many new opportunites have opened up to her, not only for her therapy, but the options of education and choices that Luana would never have had the chance to experience from within the Aldea. It's also made me even more determined-if that was even possible after living with these amazing, lovely kids for seven months to adopt when I'm older so I can try and give somebody else those opportunites.
So I'm dedicating this blog to Luana and her nueva familia who I hope are still reading! Callie, Danny, Amiah, Jessiah, Isaac and Luana buena suerte, we miss her already!
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