Tuesday 12/8
I am rather behind with updating the Blog but one soon gets used to " Bolivian " planning... We have had no electricity and or no internet the last few days.This is just normal here and no point getting stressed, since nothing will change anyway.
After several meetings the last few days with 'tias' of children centre we finally agreed a plan with how to make the best use of the kind donations given by you all.I am afraid without intending to,due to this huge donation Pat and me have become some kind of "blessed people" for the centre with some kind of VIP status, but still washing up dishes, changing nappies or cleaning noses!!!
The biggest portion is going to purchase a fake grass flooring on the patio area, the idea behind this is that it is currently made of concrete and the babies and toddlers either can't use it at all or badly hurt themselves by falling, consequently children are not allowed to run or play!!! and babies are kept all day in a rather grim and dark room inside without the chance to crawl or play.It seems essential to me that they need this as part of their development.
Me and team leader set of to manic La Paz to purchase this and after we went to the market in el Alto to purchase cushions for the reading area( floor is very cold here due to almost freezing temperatures at night). Now believe me these markets are nothing like I have ever experienced before, from lambs heads to locks or anything you might think is here somewhere amongst these aisles and corridors. It feels like a buzzing labyrinth with no end and no toilet when you just need one!!! but that is another story...
Successfully we bought over 30 pillows from different stalls and long haggling and to my surprise we picked up some book shelves too. Taxis here are extremely resourceful and in no time we were off with furniture on roof back to children's centre again.I have to admit that a mixture between feeling rather unsafe and achieving our purpose felt rather exciting.
In the meantime Pat stayed alone with the "tia" looking after 11 toddlers not speaking much Spanish. I am so impressed what he is capable off that I fell more than proud, in fact he is giving me a live lesson. In the afternoon he ran the football club with some other volunteers with a local attendance of more than fifty kids.
He seems to have developed a vocabulary with word like sientese( sit down), apurese( hurry up) callense( be quiet) etc... and he is making himself understood.
This will have to do for now since really late here and early start, no energy for checking spelling mistakes so SORRY...........zzzzzzzzzz
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Some great purchases that will make a real difference. I guess the tasks with the children are helping you both keep your feet on the ground with this elevated VIP status!!
ReplyDeleteLots of love xx