Week 1 at the Aldea

The week starts out with us all getting really sick. yeah so great. We stayed an extra day in Trujillo to get better before we ventured to the Aldea for the first time. It was actually a good thing because the meals we missed was cow intestines, so i'm not too bummed about being gone for that. The Aldea is great!! Our house is nicer than I was expecting and has a big open living room area. Our beds cave in at the middle so I feel like i'm in a taco and we don't have a toilet seat on our toilet...The kids are so cute!! No one speaks English though, so its kind of funny sometimes because we can't understand each other and the kids think we're crazy. I have learned a ton of Spanish already and actually understood a lot of sunday school, congratulations to me. I do have to admit I gave up by relief society though, 2 hours is enough.
It's really relaxed at the Aldea and we just do whatever whenever basically. We are supposed to help with the pools for an hour on Tuesdays and Thursdays and do English class but other than that we just play with them or do whatever we/they feel like doing. We eat in the houses with the kids and have to finish everything (thanksgiving feast at every meal...only its mostly rice with meat). I've have learned the art of pawning off food to the kids when the Tia (the women who stay with the kids, kind of like a mom for them) isn't looking. There are many techniques I've learned. Good skills for life right? We play a lot of futbol with them and they love the frisbee and american football I brought. I love it there! The only part that isn't amazing is the complete dreading of meal times, just because I know how much they are going to put on my plate even if I ask for a little bit and I've got to find some way to get it all into my stomach.
This Friday we had a party for all of the kids with January birthdays. It was so much fun! The kids got all dressed up for it and looked so nice. They had presents for the birthday kids and a piñata for the rest of them. We had a big dance party where the kids showed off their great skills. Some of them have some pretty good moves they whipped out. Everyone had a great time! We had a big lunch before outside with everyone...we now have 3 sheep wandering around instead of 4.
Friday night we went to a place kind of like a night club to watch Candy's friend Alex and his band. They are really popular here in Trujillo and well known. A lot of people come to see them so the place was packed! Alex plays the piano for their band and asked if any of us played, so I told him I did to which he responded, okay then you'll play tonight. say what?! He didn't have any music so I was supposed to just wing it, they called me over and introduced me then Alex played the first few bars to show me which chords and rhythm then it was all me! It turned out good and was way fun! So, yes, I am now famous. After they thanked me then said some other stuff but I don't know what so it doesn't matter, I just smiled while they were talking and pretended to understand ha. Everyone was already staring at us because we are white first off, and we weren't drinking, and now I was playing in the band...way to blend in, not.
Things are going great and I'm having a blast!!
Here are pictures....there's a lot this time.

When I got sick I had to drink that ENTIRE bottle....I like American medicine.

This is the living room in my house.

LUCHO!! He is so cute! Very chubby, but way cute.

This is Renzo. No need to say more, just look at him.

Victor. Easily one of my favorites. He is a goof, he helps me with my Spanish but teases me a lot. He loves to pose for the camera though so all the pictures of him are funny. He is a great kid!

This is outside my front door. The middle area of the Aldea

Some of the kids. And just for the record i'm not that pasty white anymore....just so you know.....

Flor is adorable. Enough said. 

3 sheep....not 4.......

These are the little boat things they use to go out fishing...

This is one of the views from the roof of the house I stay at. The buildings don't look nice from the outside, but on the inside they look a lot better! Kind of interesting. And none of the houses have roofs, they are all just open.