PASEO Program Adventure- Day 2: Leaving Lima for Huanchaco

Seeing as my flight from Fort Lauderdale was delayed (I feel like you can no longer have expectations when using any type of transportation these days), I arrived in Lima, Peru shortly after midnight. By the way, if anyone is actually out there reading this, this post is a day behind- so as to live in the moment. (I figured writing that would be a good, understandable excuse. And if not, stop by tomorrow to see what I’m doing today.)

I was able to spend the morning with family friends from the city, as we shared breakfast together in Moraflores, overlooking a beautiful city and ocean view (top left photo). Since it is wintertime in Peru, the sun doesn’t shine as often in Lima, which explains the cold, overcast weather. 

My flight to Trujillo was scheduled for the early afternoon, so shortly after breakfast, I had to head over to the airport to make it to my final destination. The owner of the house we are staying in picked me and the other students up from the airport, and drove us to Huanchaco, which was a 15 minute drive, at most. 

We took a quick tour of the city, which is known to be a fisherman city with great seafood. (I’ll keep you posted about that). While the size of the city is small, it is seemingly filled with life, as you can hear Celia Cruz, Marc Anthony, and many other classics playing from inside the restaurants by the water. At a time like this, I’d say it’s fitting to hear the words, “La vida es un carnaval.”

The other students (from across the country) and I had dinner at a restaurant called “My Friend,” which offers a variety of Peruvian dishes, as well as hamburgers and pizza for visiting Gringos. I ordered pollo a la plancha con arroz y papas (grilled chicken with rice and French fries) for only 16 soles (around five dollars). The cost for food in the area is pretty inexpensive, so here’s hoping I eat well before any Amazon/Whole Food buyouts and mergers make their way over here. 

Tomorrow starts our first class with a local psychologist in Trujillo- Psicología en Peru. Until then, hasta pronto!

Running For A Cause: Part 3

As mentioned in my prior posts, this upcoming Sunday, January 24th, I’ll be running in the Miami Half Marathon to raise money and awareness for Misioneros Del Camino—a home for orphaned, abandoned, and malnourished children in Guatemala. Over the course of the next few days, I’ll be writing about Misioneros Del Camino and sharing the incredible background story of one brave woman’s calling from above to make a difference, as well as various success stories of some of the many children who grew up at MDC.

In 2006, a beautiful dream of Mami Leo’s had finally come true; a neurological center was established on site, providing special education, care, and numerous therapies to children with various neurological and developmental disorders such as autism, Down syndrome, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, learning disorders, attention deficit disorders, and many more. With a great team of certified therapists and psychologists, each year, hundreds of children are able to obtain the necessary treatments that they wouldn’t be able to receive anywhere else. Some of the various therapies include speech, physical, occupational, sensorial, and psychological therapy.

Imagine having a child in need of special care, but not having the funds to give your child the best possible care. On top of that, imagine having to work every day to provide for the rest of your family, all while living in a location with limited resources for your child in need. Misioneros Del Camino offers neurological care to children in need at no cost whatsoever. In addition to the necessary services, the neurological center on site provides the children with meals throughout the day, and offers transportation to pick up the child (and an accompanying parent) all for free. This significantly decreases any burden the family may have previously experienced, all while giving such children the necessary skills to be more independent and be put on a path to receive the bright future they each deserve.

One such child who has benefited immensely from the various therapies he receives at the Neurological Center is Alejandro. Alejandro arrived at the home nearly fifteen years ago at the age of six months old with a presenting history of cerebral palsy and delayed cognitive development. Throughout the years, he has been receiving daily therapies at the Neurological Center, and has shown tremendous progress. His physical, emotional, and neurological development have improved significantly and he is very involved with all of the activities taking place throughout the home. When Alejandro was first evaluated years ago, the staff at Misioneros Del Camino was told that he would never be able to walk or stand on his own. However, since receiving numerous daily therapies at the Neurological Center, he has been able to walk, run, eat, dress, and bathe all on his own. Alejandro loves all types of outdoor activities, especially playing ball! Thanks to the incredible work being done at Misioneros Del Camino, children like Alejandro can receive the medical care they need, while enjoying their childhood to the fullest.

In honor of the work Mami Leo has done, in continuing her legacy, and to help provide a bright future to the current generation of children at Misioneros Del Camino, I am running in this week’s Miami Marathon. If you would like to help contribute to this incredible cause so that we can help fulfill Mami Leo’s mission, please feel free to click on the below link. And if you would like to learn more about Misioneros Del Camino, please feel free to clink on the bottom link.

https://www.gofundme.com/5y82yn78 
www.misionerosdelcamino.org 

Running For A Cause: Part 2

As mentioned yesterday, this upcoming Sunday, January 24th, I’ll be running in the Miami Half Marathon to raise money and awareness for Misioneros Del Camino—a home for orphaned, abandoned, and malnourished children in Guatemala. Over the course of the next few days, I’ll be writing about Misioneros Del Camino and sharing the incredible background story of one brave woman’s calling from above to make a difference, as well as various success stories of some of the many children who grew up at MDC.

In 2000, a generous Guatemalan businessman helped Misioneros Del Camino open a school on site. The elementary school, Sagrado Corazon School has since provided a free education, in addition to uniforms, school supplies, and transportation for children from the surrounding areas. Not only do the children at MDC get to receive a quality education, but children from neighboring cities are able to attend the school for free and enjoy what so many of us forget is not always available to everyone across the globe, as we tend to take it for granted—an education.

Last week marked the beginning of a new school year at the Home. Pictured below are a few of the children on their way to class. For some of them, this will be the first time they will be exposed to school, but by the looks of it, they could not be any more excited to begin learning!

In honor of the work Mami Leo has done, in continuing her legacy, and to help provide a bright future to the current generation of children at Misioneros Del Camino, I am running in this week’s Miami Marathon. If you would like to help contribute to this incredible cause so that we can help fulfill Mami Leo’s mission, please feel free to click on the below link. And if you would like to learn more about Misioneros Del Camino, please feel free to clink on the bottom link.

https://www.gofundme.com/5y82yn78 
www.misionerosdelcamino.org 

Day 1 In Bogota, Colombia

Last month, my mother took my brother, sister, and me to Colombia where we spent two days in Bogota and two days in Cartagena. Throughout the next few days, I’ll be writing about our travels and experiences.

We flew out of Miami on the afternoon of Friday, August 7th, and arrived in Bogota later that evening. August 7th happens to be a national holiday in Colombia, as it celebrates the Battle of Boyacá. The Battle of Boyacá resulted in Colombia’s independence from the Spanish monarchy and is celebrated as a national holiday every year on the seventh of August. Every four years on this particular day, the elected President of Colombia is announced in the Casa de Nariño—the official home and workplace of the President of Colombia.

There are roughly nine million people living in Bogota, but there is no subway to transport everyone who lives there. Instead, the official means of transportation is public busses. There are designated lanes on the highways solely for the busses called TransMilenio. However, since the busses are always crowded, the name is commonly called TransMilleno as a joke by the locals. (Lleno in Spanish translates to full).

Upon arriving to our hotel, we were given a few minutes to drop our bags off in our rooms before being served dinner in the hotel’s restaurant. As we sat down in the restaurant, we were each given a delicious hot drink consisting of Aguardiente—a Colombian alcohol also known as “fire water”, in addition to cinnamon, sugar, and panela—unrefined whole cane sugar, common in both Central and  Latin America. We were then brought a creamy chicken soup with carrots to begin, followed by chicken, potatoes, and vegetables.

Since it was already dark outside by the time we arrived, there wasn’t much we could take pictures of besides for the food (hence the pictures of food below). Shortly after dinner, we went to sleep for the night before officially commencing our trip in the morning with a tour of the city.

Aguardiente (Fire Water) with Cinnamon, Sugar, and Panela

Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Chicken, Potatoes, and Vegetables

Misioneros Del Camino- Educating the Future Generations

In 1986, Mami Leo answered a call from God to pack her belongings and move to Guatemala to help abandoned, abused, and malnourished children. With $2,700 raised by her and her prayer group, and faith that the Lord would guide her, Mami Leo devoted nearly thirty years of her life living in the mountains, nourishing, educating, and loving countless Guatemalan children in need. Over the next month, I’ll be highlighting a lot of incredible accomplishments that helped countless children in need, all thanks to one valiant and dedicated woman, Leonor Portela.

Thanks to the generosity of Mr. Ernesto Townsen, a Guatemalan businessman, the Sagrado Corazon School was opened on site in 2000. This elementary school has since provided an education, uniforms, school supplies, and transportation for children from the surrounding areas. The Sagrado Corazon School also has a marching band, which consists of numerous students with immense talent. To date, the band has won countless awards and has not only made the city proud, but they have made us proud as well. The school not only provides children an opportunity to receive an education and learn to become active members in a society that might not have allowed for such an education, but it instills confidence in each and every child in attendance. And the band gives the children a chance to learn a new skill and take pride in a talent they would have otherwise not knew existed.

A preview from the Sagrado Corazon’s Marching Band practice can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/k9w2bkg

Sagrado Corazon School

Sagrado Corazon Marching Band

Some of the Children From the Sagrado Corazon Marching Band

Some of the Children From the Sagrado Corazon Marching Band

Some of the Children From the Sagrado Corazon Marching Band

Some of the Children From the Sagrado Corazon Marching Band