and so it begins.. or continues beginning..

I've been in Lurín for maybe 5 days, and already I feel like I live here.. It's weird and at the same time really exciting to be back in South America.. Most of the kids here are on vacation, which means that only about 10 are around.. so far, I've become pretty good friends with a tiny, huge-eared 9-year-old boy--we got to know each other by being awesome roof-sweeping buddies over the last few days. We're currently getting ready here at the orphanage for an eyeglass mission that starts on Sunday. This consists of a bunch of eye doctors and volunteers from the states, along with a LOT of eye equipment (that hopefully the peruvian customs guys will decide to let through..), ready to spend a week treating the eyes and getting glasses for 600 of Lima's poorest people. I'm excited to get to spend a lot of time interpreting, although I've discovered that a lot of the most helpful vocab in Spanish is vocab that I still have to learn.. So I'm kind of embarrassed telling people here I'm going to be a Spanish teacher when I don't remember how to say something as normal as dustpan.. or liver.. hahaa .. speaking of those, apparently getting the orphanage ready for volunteers and doctors means getting all the roofs REALLY clean. And speaking of liver, one of the kitchen guys, Bambi, was pretty excited to tell me he made liver yesterday--the guys laughed at me when they saw my face as I figured out what Bambi was talking about :) It turned out great though--I'm so hungry by lunchtime I could eat anything. ANYTHING. Anyway, I'm really excited to see what the rest of the week brings (food-wise and other-wise), and for all the little ones to get back here!!