Pray I don't get eaten by a jaguar!

Yesterday I went to tandem with Edward and then stopped for a snack on the way to work in Gringo Alley. There is a place called the Bagel Café that makes special bagels like the one I had which was called pizza. It had cheese, tomato sauce and oregano on it and was very tasty!

When I got to placement I was greeted by the children with hugs and kisses who had missed me while I was gone for the weekend. There were 3 new people who had come while I was gone: Jason from Rhode Island, Monica from Croatia and Joselyn from Honduras.

I asked what the word Colibri meant because I saw it in Arequipa as well and the director explained the meaning of the word and how it related to the children. Colibri means hummingbird in Spanish. Like hummingbirds, these children go from place to place spreading their love with no real home ground. They work in the streets as the hummingbird works in the garden and like the hummingbird they wear many colors. It was a cool comparison I thought and it made me appreciate the name and what it stands for.

I will be at Colibri for 2 more weeks and then for my last 2 weeks I am going to switch to a shelter for abused girls also near the plaza where I will teach English.

I leave for the jungle tomorrow morning and I am so excited! I am going with two friends from Canada, Brendon and Chantal. We have to fly to a place called Puerto Maldonaldo and then take a boat to our lodge in a part of the Amazon called Tambopata. I started my malaria pills last night and will have to take them for the next 8 days since I will be around so many nasty mosquitoes. I need to pack tonight when I get home and make sure most importantly I bring my high deet spray, sun block and hats.

I can’t believe that I have already been here for almost a month! I have big plans for my last month and many more things I have to fit in before I leave.

This weekend: Jungle
June 18 weekend: Pisco
June 25 weekend: Stay in Cusco for Inti Raymi festival
July 2 weekend: Puno and Lake Titicaca
July 10: HOME

And in between there during the week days before work I plan on going rafting, horseback riding, seeing the Cocoa museum and attending a church service. I still have a few more gifts to buy as well and I need to check out the dollar movies everyone keeps talking about at Molino.

Wish me luck in the jungle and pray I don’t get eaten by some wild animal in the jungle! I will take a ton of pictures because being the animal fanatic I am I will be psyched at everything I see I am sure. Chao amigos!

-Hillary-