Happy (super late!) Holidays! I hope everyone spent the holidays with loved ones and ate double their weight in holiday goodies! If you didn’t, I would be more than happy to do it for you. While I can’t know for certain if you ate your weight, I do know for a fact you were freezing. Yes, even on the sunny West Coast there was cold weather according to my mother. I, on the other hand, was fighting off the mosquitoes on Christmas Eve.
It was the beginning of summer in South America. There were tons of little buggers as I handed my camera over to my cousin, Naomi. Technically she’s my second cousin through marriage (her father is the brother of my aunt who is married to my mother’s brother), and I was spending my holidays with her, her family, and 133 of the children and staff workers at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Cañete, Peru.
NPH-Peru is a branch of NPH International, an organization that has established several orphanages in different countries. One is in Mexico, and this one is very close to my family because my parents grew up in there. My uncle (my mother’s brother who is married to Naomi’s father’s sister) is the Executive Director of the organization now. My parents sponsor three children, and I have been to the Haiti branch as well. So, this holiday season I wanted to visit the Peruvian site.
Naomi ran to the other children. Their beautiful faces lit up under the flash as they danced underneath the spinning disco ball. I laughed at the site, and caught the eye of some of the small ones. The Kindergarteners were giggling because I was “trying” to dance. I will admit I have no sweet moves. I dance like a chicken on fire (no animals are actually harmed when I’m dancing). Earlier at dinner, they were repeating everything I said, until I pulled out my secret weapon: English! They just giggled even more, and then came the screams of joy: it was midnight!
One of the staff members (the children call them, “tias/os” (aunt/uncle), out of respect, so I was Tia Janette) dressed up like Santa, but his costume reminded me of a Bobble-Head Santa. Names were called and gift bags were given. One of the volunteers from Spain, Olga, was taking photographs of each child, and the staff. Surprisingly, my name was called and I received candy. The gifts were opened by the children and they were so happy to be receiving new clothing and candy. I wish you could have seen their smiles.
To me, even though I was not with my family this Christmas, I was among a bigger family that had quickly given me a new home. This was most certainly the best Christmas I have had in a long time! I hope yours was filled with warm smiles and beautiful families and friends!