There may never be another president like Theodore Roosevelt, our 26th president from 1901 to 1909 and the person responsible for our amazing national park system. Roosevelt was a born naturalist and an explorer at heart. In 1914 the Rough Rider embarked on the greatest adventure of his life as he set out to explore …
I spent a good part of my last day with Maria and Ruth my sweet little amigas. I remember when I first met these two little girls begging on the boulevard, I knew there was something special about them. I could tell that Ruth was a very special little girl but she had a shield up. …
“Pelea!” (Fight!) “Pelea!” (Fight!) reverberated around the coliseo, a small ring surrounded by rudimentary bleachers. I looked beside me and a small child was blowing bubbles. The intensity grew as the match went on, the careadores (owners) yelling and cheering on their contestant. Another little boy proudly showed us his favorite fighter, Fernando. Each fighter …
I was walking down the street yesterday when a man approached me in a panic, “Excuse me sir, do you speak English?” I acknowledged the obvious and he asked if I could help him. “What’s the problem?” I inquired. He held up has hand and said that someone had robbed him of all his money, …
Last night I took my leftovers from the restaurant to Rita, Ruth and Maria. When I walked in with the food Rita started crying, I knew immediately the kids had nothing to eat. This morning I got up at 5am to catch the sunrise, which was beautiful. I also caught two guys diving into the …
How Can A Place Be So Beautiful, Yet So Difficult? Read More »
The other day Ruth was complaining about a tooth ache and Paul has a volunteer dentist in town so it seemed like an easy connection but nothing is easy in Peru. I stopped by her house to pick her up and before I knew it I was headed to the dentist with seven children, two …
Well it has finally happen, I have been Iquitocized. Last night I went with a group of friends to see Illusion, a local band. The only illusion I got was when someone stuck their hand in my pocket and stole my video camera. It was particularly crowded because it was an outdoor amphitheater and there …
When I caught up with Ruth’s Mom, Rita, yesterday she told me Ruth was sick and had diarrhea and had been vomiting all night. Believe it or not diarrhea is one of the top 5 killers in developing countries and has claimed many children’s lives in Belen. I called Paul to see if we could …
There is something about swimming in a river where you know there are piranha and alligators that can keep you on edge but when you are with a bunch of orphans after a tumultuous week it was a welcome relief. The Nanay River, a tributary of the Amazon, offers a beautiful sandy beach when the …
On Monday night America celebrated Halloween with all the ghosts and goblins and kids running from house to house filling their bags with goodies but the root of Halloween comes from the Catholic holiday called All Saints Day or Día de los Muertos, (Day of the Dead) which is celebrated in many Catholic countries on …
I headed out yesterday anxious and excited to get back to my friends and the kids in Iquitos. After 9 hours of flying I landed in Lima. I knew my next step was going to be the rough part, sitting in the Starbucks in the Lima airport for 7 more hours until I could catch …