Merry Christmas!

First of all, Marry Christmas to everyone!

It´s the 1st day of Christmas and here in Iquitos I think most people has spent the day resting, after yesterdays celebration. It was, for us, a very different, but very nice celebration.

We started the day by going to mass. Even though we didn´t understand everything, and clearly it was in a catholic church- not exactly the same as the traditional Christmas mass in Norway :), it was nice. After all, it´s tradition to go to mass Christmas Eve.

Then we went to La Restinga to finish the "pepperkakehus" (gingerbreadhouse) we had baked the night before. Maybe not the most estetic pepperkakehus, but very tasty indeed! And we had great fun decorating it with some of the kids. Kids being kids, all the candy ( decorating the pepperkakehus) has been eaten before eating the kake... :)

The Cristmas dinner at La Restinga started at 8 something at night, and we helped serving the kids. After eating, most of them went home to their families, or they went dancing somewhere. Here in Iquitos, Christmas isn´t that big a family day, people usually go to parties after eating with their families. We also went dancing. Thats why I´ve spent today resting my sore feet- even more because I insisted wearing my new high heeled shoes...:)

Tomorrow we are going to Lima, then to Cusco to celebrate New Years Eve. I feel a bit sad to be leaving La Restinga and Iquitos for 3 weeks, but it´ll be great to meet the others! And, it´s always good to travel a bit! :)

So, until next time, take care, have a wonderful Cristmas, and a great New Years celebration!

Con mucho amor, Camilla :)

Christmas time

I know the calendar says December 21st (or now maybe it´s 22nd:), I have helped out making Christmas cribs and Cristmas decorations at La Restinga, and the city has been filled with decorations, Christmas cribs and musical Christmas trees the las month...but the feeling of Christmas is missing. Not a bad word about the traditions of other countries, but I realize that I need snow, marsipan, mandarines, my advent- calendar, and the nice "stress" of baking cakes, buying gifts and all the other things that makes up the norwegina Christmas, to really get in the mood. But that being said, I couldn´t think of a place I would rather be to celebrate Cristmas, now that I´m not at home, than here, with the kids at La Restinga.

We will be celebrating with dinner and small gifts, and if I know the Iquitos way by now, with music and dancing, together with 40-50 of the kids at La Restinga. ( If that doesn´t give me the Christmas-feeling, I guess I must have turned into the grinch..) I´m sure it will be a fantastic Christmas Eve.

The 26th we head off to Lima, continuing for Cuzco by bus the day after. There we´ll be celebrating New Years with Silje, Stine, Eline, Hanne Anna and her boyfriend, Victor and Steinar. And Yannick, a canadian friend who just left Iquitos and La Restinga. A great way to start the new year!

Pollo Loco and myself wish you a very Merry Christmas, and all the best for the New Year!

Details from one of the Cristmas cribs some of the kids made at La Restinga. Josef, Jesus and Mary ( José, Jesús and Maria here in spanishspeakingland :) Notice the animals on the floor, really giving it the local touch!
















Elise making tipical norwegian Christmas decorations.

Some of the kids. They just love posing for photos :)

Iquitos

Some pictures from Iquitos. The first is of the Christmas Crib at the plaza. Very original, with a mix of traditional figures, local native figures, and reindeers in the front.

The second is of Plaza de Armas. Plaza de Armaz is usually packed with people, unless it rains...

The third, the view from the boulevard facing river Itaya, one of the siderivers of the Amazon.

Me and a cute, little boa....they are actually beatyful animals, so I might just bring one home...or maybe not :)













Remember Pollo Loco? He´s still alive, but due to national caranteene- regulations he had to stay indoors until recently. But he went with us on a jungle-trip a few weeks back, and met a few new friends. Here with a sloth (?), dovendyr in norwegian... By the way, he asked me to wish you all a Marry Christmas!

Oh, how the weeks fly by here in Iquitos. From the moment we arrived I knew I would like it here. I like the people, the relaxed attitude, the city, the jungle, and not the least La Restinga and the kids there! They are just adorable! But the same relaxed attitude that I like so much some times is really frustrating at other times. Here things obviously work out without having a system, or for me it seems like there´s no structure... Things happen, without us ever hearing about it in advance. Other times, we think we have made plans with someone, and then they don´t show up. Or maybe they show up an hour later. This is a bit hard for a norwegian who is used to a bit more strickt organization. But we are trying to get used to it, and we have realized that we can´t make plans the way we are used to here. It never gets boring thats for sure!

Not that I think it ever could get boring here. If you have some extra time on your hands, the Amazone is right outside your door, so to speak... We have been on a two day trip, giving a taste of whats out there. The diverson in the flora and fauna is fantastic! And for a norwegian from the countryside, it almost felt like home walking around in the forrest. Except for the monkeys, the sloths, excotic birds, alligators (and all the snakes and spiders we didn´t see).

Even though weare getting into some kind of every day routine, I don´t think it ever could get boring either. The work is fun, the kids adorable (besides when they don´t listen, but kids are kids, and I guess thats how it is....its just a bit harder trying to be serious and strick in a language you don´t speak fluently) We are still mainly helping out with homework, and sometimes helping out with other projects going on. So far ithasn´t been time for starting up any activities of our own.

For the 1st of December, the international aids day, La Restinga participated in an arrangement at one of the plazas. The kids gave out condoms, did capoeira, and a play about awareness of hiv and aids. The night before they also dressed up, and went to different restaurants and bars around the city to give out condoms and talk to people.

We also joined two of the others working at La Restinga one night, to go to a disco to make observations. We were looking for boys and girls who are sexually exploited. This is something new for us, and we weren´t to sure what to look for. But we did recognize a couple of situations, where it was obvious. Often if there´s a young boy or girl with elder men, and the men keep buying food or drinks, it might be part of "the payment" for sex. La Restinga always make observations first, before they aproach and make contact with the kids. Then they tell them about La Restinga, and invite them to come. This often is a long process. And first when they start coming, they start going deeper into the situation and problems.

Well, this was a short update on a few of the things we have done lately. Kids are kids, but I do get reminded every now and then, that these kids´ background and stories are different from the ones of kids back home. And that makes me admire all they do and achieve even more!