Discovering Toddler Love in Peru

I love it here, I really do. I want to stay longer, to learn more, to continue to be pulled from my comfort zone. I miss home for sure and I will be glad to be back...but I feel like our work is far from finished here.

It is amazing how an 8 day experience has the power to change me forever. I know after a few weeks it will begin to wear off but I can only hope my heart will forever remember the time I have spent here.There is one little girl named Taliyah and a little boy named Rinaldo who have stolen my heart. Everytime they see me they run over and grab onto my legs, smiling and reaching their arms up for me to hold them. We arent allowed to rock the kids to sleep or rub their backs because the helpers dont want them to get used to it. They again, do not have enough hands when they are alone to rock 4 kids to sleep. So when we arrive after bedtime, sometimes the kids will just sit in our arms for long periods of time, nestling their faces into our shoulders and finding comfort in the feeling of someone being there for them. They will avoid all offers of toys or games because they simply long for a human touch, just for a little while. When this happens I get a little emotional, knowing that when we leave, they wont get that again until the next volunteer group comes.

There are a couple babies up for adoption in my group. One of them, Fatima, should have no problem being adopted out. Her curly hair and joyful smile are infectious as she imitates sounds and runs around in circles waiting for attention. I only hope a family will take her in soon...People have to live in Peru for about 6 months in order to adopt. So bringing back a baby is not an option for me. Its probably a good thing because if there were no restrictions I would easily leave with them. One of my teammates asked me if I am getting sick of kids yet. I easily said no and rather, I am just growing to love them more and more.Sometimes I say the Serenity Prayer when things are driving me crazy but here it takes on another meaning...God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can;and wisdom to know the difference.I cannot change anything here in this country or at PPA. But I can change who I am and I think this trip is only the beginning.

- Ashley Dawson, Peru volunteer