It's been a long time since we've gotten a post up on the blog. I feel like we've got so many wonderful stories to share... and the days zoom by so fast. Well, today is the 19th of August and we've officially been here for 6 months. They always say that it takes at least 6 months to adjust to a new culture, new ways of living, a new language. I always seem to want to speed up the process, but no matter how hard I try God just looks down, laughs, and says nice try.
I can proudly say that we have finally come into our own here at the Hogar. Matt works hard in the kitchen each morning, and he now is the official cook for Sunday lunches. He plans out the meal on Wednesday, does the shopping and cooks the meal on Thursdays to freeze for the coming Sunday. The kids have been enjoying lasagna, Risoto, pizza, stuffed shells... basically all things Italian. Lots of new flavors for the kids, but they've really been enjoying it, as have the sisters as it has lightened their work load for Sundays. Thanks to the amazing donations that we have recieved from the States, you all have been able to pay for these meals, which has enriched the children's diet on Sundays and allowed the sisters to buy additional foods for the other days of the week.
With the donation money, the sisters have also bought a new refrigerater and the lovely Wash machine demonstrated here by our lovely assistant Tia Roxana. Believe me, this baby will get A LOT of use, and is a life saver when you're washing for 45 people.
I've been busy lately too. The Rhythms of the Hogar can absorb you, but in a good way, with a lot of belly laughs, smiles, hugs and kisses from the kiddos sprinkled throughout the day. The day starts early with getting ready for school, showers, dressing, breakfast, brushing teeth, combing hair, cleanning up the house, homework... then right into lunch, picking up kids from school, dropping off, more kids coming back home for lunch... finally time for a short lunch with Carlos, Vero, Roxana,Matt and myself. After lunch it's another hour of chores and beauty of all beauties a 2 hour break for Matt and I. The idea is to have time for each other, to connect and run errands etc. half the time it gets set aside for cooking, yoga classes, gardening, and every now and then helping kids with studying. I keep telling Matt, we have to make our breaks sacred but it is sooo hard! We're working on it. After break it's off to pick the kids up from school, back for dinner, showers, chores and bedtime, but wait there's still chores, lay out clothes, shine shoes, and another pass of the broom and the mop. Sit down for a hot cup of tea and bread for Onces, and a nice Chilean tele-novela. Bedtime at 10:40pm and repeat the next day!
We're coming to the end of yoga classes with about 12 of the girls. They've had a lot of fun learning the new moves. There's always one of them that says, 'oh that one is sooo easy!' Then they try it. If it's something involving balance, they fall over laughing. If it's a flexibility move, they wind up like little pretzels. All I can say is wow, wish I was as flexible as a 9 year old! Check out the pictures on the photo link to the left. The kids are putting together a power point about what they've learned about Yoga. They're loving learning about the computer. I've never seen them so eager to learn.
Just a few weeks ago we finally got our winter garden planted. It took a lot of paperwork and a lot of waiting but Dad's peas finally made it to Chile and to the Hogar. We used some of the donation money to buy supplies and the girls all helped plant a row. Yesterday we got so much rain that the whole garden flooded... I guess we didn't pick the best spot along the wall. The girls have been so excited. In reality they're much better at digging holes and fighting over the hand rakes than they are at weeding or at taking the rocks out, but either way they're having a lot of fun.
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