The Niños returned from their trip to Lima last night. They left at 1 in the morning, drove 16 hours over the mountains, and arrived home exhausted. But when we asked them if they would like to send thank-you notes to the donors who made their trip possible, they jumped at the chance.
Of course, they talked about how much they loved seeing the zoo, the Nazca lines, and the coast. They also touched on the bonding that happens when the whole family travels together. That bonding is so important, as these teenagers move towards adult life and need all the support they can get.
The kids did not articulate some of what we know as adults — that their world is suddenly bigger, the way they see their place in it is stronger, and new possibilities are open for their futures that were never open before. For all that, we, the adults, thank you!
We’re so grateful to our new volunteer, Kiva Celeste, and our Global Family members Dylan and Henry
There’s an album filled with pictures (and a few brief videos) from the trip at this link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/UZLXBDy7EHP4Ddd36
Here are some of the messages from the kids, in their own words and then translated into English:
Ada
Yo estoy muy agradecida por todo el apoyo que nos pudieron brindar, fue una paseo inolvidable, gracias a todos ustedes pude agrandar más mis sueños, me divertí mucho con todos mis hermanos que nos vimos de mucho tiempo, empezar una año de esa manera fue algo grandioso. *Ada*
I was very grateful for all of the support that was granted to us, it was an unforgettable trip, thank you to all who granted my dreams, I had a wonderful time with all of my siblings whom I’d seen for a long time, beginning the year this way was great * Ada *
Luis
Ami me gustó muchísimo el paseo porque fuimos al parque de las leyendas ,parque del agua y fue muy hermoso porque toda la familia estaba en ahi y gracias por todo el apoyo q nos brindaste *Luis*
I loved the trip because we went to the Park of the Legends (zoo), water park and it was beautiful because the whole family was there, thank you so much for the gift of your support * Luis *
Rusbel
A mí me gustó la playa y las líneas de Nazca *Rusbel*
I enjoyed the beach and Nazca lines * Rusbel *
Lisbet
Gracias. Por el viaje. Estubo muy bonita experiencia con la familia. Fuimos al parque de las leyendas donde conocí muchos animales que solo vería en imágenes como jirafa, hipopótamo;tigre y monitos pequeñitos .Gracias a todos ustedes pudimos tener una bonita experiencia. *Lisbet*
Thank you for the trip, it was a beautiful experience with the family. We went to the park of the legends where I met many animals that I had only seen in imagination like the giraffes, hippos, tigers and tiny monkeys. Thank you to you for the beautiful experience * Lisbet *
Soraida
Gracias por la bonita experiencia y por el apoyo brindado ,este viaje fue vivir nuevamente y sentir una familia ,bueno en este viaje conocí muchos lugares y aprendí mucho y en este viaje a Lima el sonido del mar unico el tráfico molesto visítamos el parque de las leyendas , parque de las aguas ,plaza principal de lima ,casa de la literatura,las catacumbas y lo más importante fue ver que los niños maduraron y crecieron como personas y ver el apoyo entre ellos gracias por todo. *Soraida*
Thank you for the beautiful experience, and for the gift of support, this was a trip where I relived and felt like a family. Well, in this trip I experienced many places and learned a lot in this trip to Lima with the uniquely oceanic sound of angry traffic we visited the park of the legends, water park, the main square of Lima, house of literature, the catacombs and the most important part was to see the children mature and grow as persons as well as to experience their mutual support, thank you all * Soraida *
Doris
Yo estoy agradecida por la oportunidad de haber ido de vacaciones con mi familia a conocer un poco más de mí país me gustó más el zoológico del parque de las leyendas pero me dio pena verlos ahí encerrados me gustó también cuando fuimos a ver las líneas de Nasca fue increíble que esas líneas no se borren y sigan intactas como hace 2000 años atrás me sorprendió ver cómo es el centro sobre cómo el gobierno teme a la gente del pueblo y pone tanta seguridad también me gustó la playa y la piscina gracias por esta oportunidad *Doris*
I’m grateful for the opportunity to vacation with my family and to learn a little more about my country. I enjoyed the zoo of the park of legends most, but I was sad to see [animals] them caged, I also enjoyed the Nasca lines, those lines incredibly were never and have been intact over 2000 years. I was surprised to see how the government fears the country people and how a
Zenobia
Muchas gracias por hacer posible este viaje está experiencia fue nuevavpara mi …me gustó mucho ir a todos los lugares que visitamos no nos faltó nada….. Teníamos todo muchas gracias por el apoyo ….. Está experiencia me gustó muchisimo todos estuvimos más unidos y contentos muchas gracias ….. Conocimos muchos lugares *Zenobia*
Many thanks for making this trip possible, this was a new experience for me, I very much enjoyed going to all of the places that we visited, we lacked for nothing, we had everything, thank you so much for your support. I enjoyed this experience very much, we were all so close and happy, thank you so much. We got to know so many places *Zenobia*
Thank you for your ongoing support of Niños Del Sol. With your help, the kids are thriving and growing into healthy, happy, young people with the power to do beautiful things in the world.
