I know that I have been absent for a while but just let me explain! I have been sick, and I did not go to La Casa on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Peruvian food upset my stomach, and I have been drinking too much Inca Kola..at least twice a day. However, now I am better. Even thought I was sick, I managed to complete my three English lecture topics, which were the conditional, school, and the use of  ¨did.¨ Emma, Emily, and I also made pancakes for all the volunteers at La Casa de Panchita, and they said the really enjoyed them. Also, I help my Sunday group with the some of the activities that they are planning for this upcoming Sunday. We are going to do a lesson on lungs and respiration. I think that this is a very stimulating and vital topic, especially for my group since the age rane is from 11 to 14.

The most memorable experience this week was going to Las Pampolonas with volunteer leader, Johana. This was a very eye-opening experience,and the level of poverty remind me of Jamaica. The majority of the children who go to La Casa are from Las Pampolonas, one of the most poorest towns in Peru. The roads are not paved, and the houses are constructed out of various materials like wood and metal scrapes. Basically, whatever the people can find to build a merely sustainable home has to work. Las Pampolonas sits on a massive hill with thousands of houses and people living inside them. The level of poverty is clearly visible and not easy to forget. Despite the level of poverty, there still exists a community--a community that welcomes its arms to outsiders. When  we went with Johana, we got to visit some of the children from Las Pampolonas that come to La Casa. The teenaged'girls we very nice and open. On our first visit, the girl let us in and talked. She was very sweet and talked to everyone. On our second visit, we met a girl around 14 years old. She has four brothers and sisters, and her mother does not know how to read and write. Her farther does not live with them, and thus, she is one of the main financial supporters. However, she does attend school, which is great. When we came to visit, she seemed a bit nervous. I did not it if was because she was a little embrassed about her lifestyle, or maybe she did not expect so many visitors. She remind at the door while she talked to us and made sure that her brothers and sisters stayed inside.  She mentioned that she was having family problems but did not want to go into further detail. We visited another girl, who I think was 16 years old. Johana asked her about what was good and bad about her neigheborhood. For the good part, her initial response was nothing. Johana tried to remind her of the people here and how nice everyone is .

After that visit, we went to another side of Las Pampolonas and visited another family. We ran into two little girls who were soo sweet. They told Johana that they could not come to La Casa on Sundays becuase they had to work. They had to help their mother and their older sister. They would help their mother make this little patches toput on clothes and jackets. One took them a whole day, and they only sold them for 2 soles. 14 soles a weekk is rarely enough for a mother who has three kids. Many of the kids have to work everyday to help support their family even though that aren´t getting paid enoughj for their work. Just seeing their lifestyle and condition of their town really upset me because right on the other side is a very well-off city with big tennis courts and paved streets. The kids clearly recognize this and see the unjustness in their lifestyle. Hopefully, the children will continue go to school, attend college, and have a healthier and safer life.