A day in Santa Cruz

There are many tasks to be done at the Aldea in Santa Cruz. Ragnhild shares how a typical day is spent at Alalay:Alalay boys (Photo: Lena - På vei til Bolivia)

• Wakeup at 5.30am and hop in the shower, if there is water that blessed day.
• Then 6am you take a walk from the voluntaries’ cabaña to the cabaña for chicos pequinitos that I am in charge of. I have 6 boys from 2-5 years and they are adorable, when they sleep…Hehe … No just kidding I love theme, but they are monkeys and I am their favorite tree to claim on.
• From 6-7 it’s all about getting theme dressed and helping theme to wanna make their beds... Sounds so easy… but its not…
• Then we are ready for breakfast: 2 small breads and a cup of something disturbingly sweet. They call it tea; I call it sugar with water.
• Then its play time, and that means more monkey claiming on me
• Then from 9-11 they paint or make something that results in a lot of mess for me and the Educatora,
• Apoyo en cocina, that means that I go to the kitchen and help preparing Almuerzo/ lunch
• Then more play time until we eat at 2o’cloc; aroz con algun …that signifies rise with something, but the majority is rise. If you are lucky you get a chicken foot in you soup.
• PANADERIA; help making bread for the whole village/ La Aldea
• TV-time or playing in the cabaña de juego
• 6pm “Water splash” or showering of the 6 angels
• Cena or dinner is served 7pm and after that they go to bed

Then I take my leave around 8, stumble over to my cabaña and watch 1 or 2 episodes of “The OC” with Lena. We call that ” therapy and relaxing time”…

In between all of this are there a lot of punching, screaming, fighting and the constant calling for Hermana Aggie or Acky or something similar. But they are my boys now, Juan Carlos, Ruben, Brayan, Efraian, Ariel and Javier. And already they have put a mark on my heart.

The funniest thing that has happened so far is the time we went to a pool with all the kids in Cabaña E and F. 12 kids from 2-7 and 4 adults. On the way back we decided to take a taxi, and me and Lena thought we would take at least to taxis, but way pay for two when apparently you can fit 17 people in a car… yes it is proven you can put 5 adults and 12 kids in one car..

From: Aggie i Bolivia