Aldea Yanapay

It's been a while- Sorry Mom!

This was my first week volunteering four hours a day, five days a week for Aldea Yanapay and getting trained to teach yoga every morning. So I've been busy.. I spend the time I have in between writing, eating, reading and when I come home I've been knitting and watching films. Aldea Yanapay- what a place. When I first arrived it was pretty overwhelming since we had half the volunteers they usually do and the kids are cray. I was assigned to teach art and care for the youngest children, the two most difficult jobs there are. I was pretty nervous and overwhelmed by the kids themselves and on top of that I can be shy when I first meet people so it was kinda tough.. BUT I'm settling into the program, making friends with the other volunteers and am excited to start teaching yoga. Lucky me- they are are gonna let me volunteer for only 2 hours a day so I can teach my 6pm yoga class. YIPPEE!

 Pictures from Friday's show

As I've mentioned, I've been knitting a lot and watching great movies that I've always wanted to see and never have or that I saw when I was young and don't remember well. I was on a major Tom Hanks kick watching Apollo 13 and Philadephia (and Forrest Gump with Sakira before I left). I've also watched Sylvia, The Invention of Lying by Ricky Gervais, Frida, A Serious Man, A Single Man and lots more..  A Single Man is by far my new favorite movie, a complete inspiration. It's nice having the time to do these things, especially because I have so many irons in the fire employment wise so I don't feel like I'm wasting time.

I do feel incredibley shy though. I've always had the tendency to observe more than speak, to try to be accommodating and out of the way doing what's asked of me rather than making judgments and jumping in to help. While this quality is nice in some senses, it's also quite troubling in others. I guess I just have to trust myself and have faith and confidence in being inside the present moment, acting when I feel I should act and being of service as much as I can. 

Saying things and doing them are two completely seperate things, but they are steps on the way...

“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”

-Ghandi