Sunday: A Dios Le Pido (To God I Ask)

I went to mass this morning at Santa Ana (Saint Ann) with my host mom Lilian. The church was pretty large and modern looking on the outside, but felt more personable and historically quaint on the inside with a really beautiful altar...flowers, an ornate monstrance and very detailed woven banners and altar cloths. The lyrics to all the music were projected onto a screen for all to sing from...felt a little like sing-a-long Disney, but I am not complaining since I otherwise had no way of verbally participating in Spanish mass! They must start the altar servers really young here...I think one of the boys on the altar this morning was six or so! (He was quite the character....literally springing across the altar to fetch the microphone/Sacramentry for the priest at one moment and then twirling the cross around his neck in the next.) The mass ended with adoration of the Eucharist....adoration happens much more frequently here than in the States it seems.

Later this afternoon I went with Connie and Olivia (other language school students) to one of Amanecer's orphanages. I was prepared to witness poverty: overcrowding, outdated facilities, etc. but I was really blown away by the enormity of need that I saw. (Mind you, this is only one of MANY orphanages here in Cochabamba.) The building that we were in housed newborns through the age of 5. Kids were divided into rooms by age with approximately 40 of each age group in a room. That is, there were 40 infants in one room, 40 one-year olds in another, 40 two-year olds, etc. The ratio of staff was 2-to-40...unbelievably problematic. The women working were certainly working hard and as efficiently as possible, although a small army would be needed to adequately care for the number of children at the orphanage. I stayed with the 2 year olds who wanted to be held constantly....they all wanted individual attention (impossible) and stopped crying the moment you picked them up (and screamed the second that you put them down.) Imagine how much screaming there was since 2 people (4 counting me and Olivia) could only really hold 2 kids at a time. Efficiency seemed to be the key word of the day...how to quickly and effectively get 40 kids fed, washed, "pottied," and "medicined" all that before even considering personalized attention, playing, reading, etc. The kids ate this mush-like gray food for dinner (it had rice, fruit, vegetables, etc. all mixed into it) with bread...they all wolfed it down in minutes and then yelled "MAS!" I feel very speechless about my visit there today and images of tiny arms reaching out to me will be in my head as I fall asleep tonight.

I have become rather good friends with the 3 year old grandson of Teddy and Lilian. Mateo (Matthew) comes over to the house every day and often times spends the night. He has taken a liking to me and my room and when he is here he is pretty much on my bed or sitting at my feet. He is obsessed with "Patito Feo" (The Ugly Duckling) and likes to call me this when I put on my glasses at night. (Apparently in the version of the story that he has read the Ugly Duckling wears glasses!) Haha! So my first Spanish nickname is Patito Feo! By the way Rose, Mateo saw a photo of you in my photo album and calls you Patito Feo also...:)

One of my teachers wants me to bring in the lyrics to some Spanish music that I like so that we can study the vocab, the grammar, etc. So I leave you with the lyrics to A Dios Le Pido by Juanes that I am translating: (I LOVE this song but never really knew all the words...Rach H.: the first time I heard this song it was while we were watching ALIAS on the Rez.!)

A Dios le pido
I ask from God

Que mis ojos se despierten
My eyes wake up
con la luz de tu mirada
With the light of your glance
yo a Dios le pido
I ask from God
que mi madre no se muera
That my mother not die
y que mi padre me recuerde
And my father to remember me
a Dios le pido
I ask from God

Que te quedes a mi lado
To stay beside me
y que más nunca te me vayas mi vida
And never leave me, my life
a Dios le pido
I ask from God
que mi alma no descanse
My soul does not have rest
cuando de amarte se trate mi cielo
When loving you it has to do with my sky/heaven
a Dios le pido
I ask from God

Por los días que me quedan
For the days that I have left
y las noches que aun no llegan
And the nights that still haven’t come
yo a Dios le pido
I ask from God
por los hijos de mis hijos
For the kids of my kids
y los hijos de tus hijos
And the kids of your kids
a Dios le pido
I ask from God

Que mi pueblo no derrame tanta sangre
My village not to spill so much blood
y se levante mi gente
And to wake up my people
a Dios le pido
I ask from God
que mi alma no descanse
My soul not to have a rest
cuando de amarte se trate mi cielo
When loving you it has to do with my sky/heaven
a Dios le pido
I ask from God

Un segundo mas de vida para darte
One more second of life to give you
y mi corazón entero entregarte
And my entire heart to give you
un segundo mas de vida para darte
One more second of life to give you
y a tu lado para siempre yo quedarme
And beside you to stay for ever
un segundo mas de vida
One more second of life
yo a Dios le pido
I ask from God

Que si me muero sea de amor
That if I die to be from love
y si me enamoro sea de vos
And if I fall in love to be with you
y que de tu voz sea este corazón
And from your voice to be this heart
todos los días a Dios le pido
All the days I ask from God
que si me muero sea de amor
That if I die to be from love
y si me enamoro sea de vos
And if I fall in love to be with you
y que de tu voz sea este corazón
y que de tu voz sea este corazón
todos los días a Dios le pido
All the days I ask from God
a Dios le pido
I ask from God