Usme

Another busy week in Bogota is making this time fly by. We said goodbye to Audra on Wednesday and it was really sad to see her go. She was the first YASCer here and she really paved the way for us. I don't know what I would have done my first week in Bogota without her here to show me everything! We just called her from the office and are happy to hear that she made it back safely and is home with her family!

This week, I started going to another mission in the south, in a city called Usme. I think I'm going to spend most of my time here, while Laura-Catherine focuses on her work in Bosa. It takes a little over an hour to get to Usme by bus. The kids are wonderful and are really fun to work with. I have been teaching them some english and they are picking things up really quickly. Audra and Laura-Catherine had already taught them 'head shoulders knees and toes' and 'the hokey-pokey' and they love those songs! I'm working on the ABCs with them...and we have made it to the letter 'P'. Yesterday, I broke them into two teams (lions vs pumas--their choices), and we played a trivia/vocab game. It was great!! They were into it the entire time, and we had a lot of fun.

After eating lunch, learning some english, and working on homework, the kids get some time to go outside and play. The problem is that 'outside' is a steep road right in front of the church (see pictures), so it's difficult to get any games going...soccer is pretty much out of the question. Cars drive by really quickly, and it's just not a great environment for kids to be running around. My hope is that we can turn the grassy hill in the backyard into a flat field. Even though they make do with what they have, like playing on the side of the road in a little sand pit from construction, they really do need a safe place to play. Meanwhile, I'm planning on bringing jumpropes and other toys that they can play with in a limited amount of space. Let me know if you have any ideas!

Next week, they are going to start writing letters to the youth group back at my church in Maryland. This will help them with their english and they are very excited about their new friends from the states.

Tomorrow, I am waking up early and going to Bosa for a 'brigada'. It's basically a health fair where doctors and specialists treat people from the community all day. I'm really excited about it. I am also looking into medical opportunities in Soacha, where doctors without borders is located, and an AIDS clinic is struggling to open up. I'll keep you updated!

As I wrap up this entry, I want to take a moment to remember the people who lost their lives on September 11, 2001 and all of the people who risked their lives to save others. I want to say thank you to every member of our armed forces and pray for all of the people who lost family and friends that morning. Never forget!

Love, Kate