Bananas and Photo Shoots...

I am so enjoying the new place!  With windows on every side of the apartment and being on a hill and on the 4th floor, there is lots of natural light, it's fairly warm, and has a beautiful view of Cusco.  The color scheme in the apartment is a bit funky, but I love the open concept and it's very comfortable and homey.  The 10 minute combi ride to the last stop before my walk to the orphanage is so appreciated after the nearly 40 minutes from before! And, I couldn't have a better roommate.

Banana chocolate cupcakes

This week I was blessed with a huge box of fresh fruit by my friend Walter's parents who live on a farm nearer the Machu Picchu area.  Mandarins,  mango, citrus fruits similar to limes but that you can eat like an orange, and LOTS of bananas!  So, I've taken the opportunity to use the kitchen and try out high-altitude cooking, baking up a storm in my spare time.  Banana chocolate cake, banana bread, banana chocolate cupcakes with icing...  I would still like to try a banana chocolate chip cookie recipe and maybe some pancakes.  After some reading, it's apparent that reducing the sugar and flour, adjusting the baking soda/powder, and increasing the moisture in the recipe are helpful adjustments for the altitude.  So, I really haven't had any problems, other than nearly burning the bottom of the first cake because I put the grate too low in the propane-fed oven. It's been nice to be able to bless others with the baking and use the bananas that were given so generously to me.

  

News from the Orphanage...

On a second visit to the Clinic, the Doctor didn't hear a heart murmer this time, but discovered that little Carlos has an underdeveloped nasal passage.  This causes some feeding problems and discomfort as he is unable to breathe clearly at times.  The good news is that it is something that will repair itself as he grows and won't affect him long-term.  He does seem in distress alot of the time, but could also be experiencing some affects of fetal alcohol syndrome.  It was nice to see him a little more content these past couple of days.

Baby Carlos at 4 months old

Luis peeking through the play-house

Little Luis took about 5 big steps on his own this week from one house Mama to another.  He enjoys the encouragement, but is still resistant to start "running" on his own. 

Adriano was given a head-shave a few days after arriving, so he's looking alot different from intitially.  He is still adjusting.  It seems like he didn't have any adjustment issues when he arrived at the House, but the last few days has been very attention-needy and cries lots when he doesn't get the direct attention.

Adriano

As in any house-hold it is an adjustment having a new baby in a house.  So, having 2 new newborns, a 3 1/2 month old, and a 2 1/2 year old all within one month has certainly caused some adjustment issues for the older kids. For the most part it's positive though, and cute watching them especially drawn to play with and care for the dolls in the House like their own babies.

This weekend... I joined the church group for a couple of immersion baptisms at the Royal Inca pools in Pisac Saturday morning.  The whole group took a couple of collectivo buses to transport together to the hour-away location.  It is a beautiful retreat location similar to having botanical gardens.  Palm trees and cacti, green lush grass, beautiful plants and flowers, a huge swimming pool, tennis courts, and areas for picnicing.  It was a really hot morning and enjoyable with a short worship time, Bible message, and fellowship with a bbq afterwards.

At the orphanage, we got all the kids together for a Christmas themed "photo-shoot" for Christmas Thank-You cards.  An American girl who is here for a few months with her husband is a professional photographer back home, so it worked out really well that the Director happened to meet her a couple of weeks ago, and she very willingly offered to take the photos.  We dressed all of the children up in Christmas pajamas which was fun, and pretty hilarious and impossible trying to get them all to pay attention for the photos.

Christmas Photo-shoot

Transitions / Kaqchi de Habas

This is my last week living in the center, and am moving into another district into an apartment with a nurse missionary from the US.  As in any other place, there are advantages and disadvantages to living in the center of a city.
I am especially thankful that my travel time to the orphanage will be cut down by about an hour per day.  It will be nice to be in a quieter, less busy/ less tourist-minded area.  (Everywhere you go in the tourist areas you are constantly offered to buy hand-made products, massages/ manicures/ pedicures, food, etc.  Also, in the plazas, every weekend there are craft sales and live music, entertainment, fireworks, etc, which can be very loud in the evenings). Of course, it will also be nice to have a bit more living space, and a roommate to share it with. 

I will miss the conveniences and friends that are downtown.  I've discovered that the vegetarian food in Peru is absolutely delicious, and have a couple of favourite places that I will miss being close to!

Above: Rocoto Relleno
Below: a Vegetarian dish with Haba
beans and tofu

In Peru, it's common to have a small breakfast & supper and the largest meal of the day at lunch, which is usually an extended lunch time, or followed by a siesta.  The typical Peruvian restaurants and usually most touristy restaurants (if you ask) have what they call the daily "menú".  For a range of prices as cheap as 2.50 Soles to upwards of 15 Soles, this meal usually consists of a drink, a soup, a segundo (a second- or main course) and sometimes a postre (dessert).  I am learning to find more economical options, and have been finding places in the 7-10 Sole range.  The drinks are usually a freshly squeezed fruit juice, or sometimes something similar to a lukewarm tea.  Being that the potato originated in Peru, the soup almost always has some type of potato or variation like the yucca or camote (sweet potato) in it.

Some of my favourite vegetarian segundos have lentils, or haba beans (a broad bean) or some kind of stir-fry that usually has fried potatoes in it.  Rocoto Relleno is similar to the popular Peruvian Papa Rellena dish.  Rocotos are a hot chili pepper, Rellena means "stuffed" and Papa means potato- and usually is a soft mashed potato formed and fried around a stuffed 'surprise' inside. Both the Papa Rellenas and Rocoto Rellenos typically are stuffed with rice and minced meat or other vegetables, but I have had some delicious vegetarian variations.
White rice is very common here and occasionally quinoa as a side to the segundos.  The dessert is most often a little dish of flan or jelly, or a small piece of sweet chocolate or orange flavoured cake.

Kaqchi de Habas

I'm looking forward to learning to make some of these recipes, or making my own variations.  It's been a few months since I've cooked anything!  Apparently, cooking and baking in the Andes takes some adjusting to that of at sea-level.  Because of different atmospheric pressure, water boils at a different temperature.  Apparently, things like rice can be tricky, eggs take a bit longer to cook (because they have more water in them), and baking powder or soda have more rising power.  From American missionaries I've met, it can take some experimenting and practice.

More Bambinos!

Well, since my last post, the activity at the Casa has not stopped.  The week after Bambino, now called Lucas, arrived, two more little babies came to us.  I had the opportunity to go with another house mother and the orphanage director to a Clinic where the babies were checked out..  Marleni is a cleft-palate lip baby and was about 10 days old when she arrived.  Carlos is about 3 1/2 months old, but the size of the other two newborns.  The Doctor believed he heard a heart murmer, which is likely the reason for his small size. The two both checked out at around 2.2 kgs- each under 5 lbs.
Carlos is having feeding problems, and seems to be uncomfortable alot of the time.  He has the softest cry and his little cheeks vibrate when he's really unhappy. 

We have a specialized feeding bottle for Marleni and thankfully she is feeding really well and is a very relaxed baby.  She needs to be at least 10 lbs before any operations can be performed for lip and palate construction.

Yesterday, we got another little one!  He's around 2 years old, and named Adriano.  He has a tendency to hit and scratch the other kids, but his tenderness and need for love is so evident when he just wants to walk around the room holding onto my hand.

All of their background stories are heartbreaking; it's great to have each one at the house.

This week has mostly been about feeding and holding babies, but I did get the chance to work with Hilda for an hour and a half.  She is in pre-school and needs extra help with her numbers.  She is eager to learn and to keep trying when she doesn't get it right.

Next week we want to get some photos of the kids for upcoming Christmas cards, so that should be fun!