Cachupa Kids

Hanging out with the Chilluns...

While we have a ton of kids to hang out with and get to know at the congregation of Monte Sion, we don't get to hang out with them daily. While in Huanuco, we get lots of kid time. 

The main group we hang out with is Eynor, Fabrizio, Estefany, and Josef. 

Eynor

Eynor is Orlando and Carolina's youngest son. He is 11 years old. He likes to invent and create things. He made me a jewelry thing out of popsicle sticks, but unfortunately the dogs destroyed it. He likes to share songs and dances with us during church. He is also very competitive at games - he enjoys playing with marbles, pogs, and spinning tops. 

Fabrizio is Melanie's son and Eynor's cousin. He is 7 years old. He is very very very talkative. He loves to tell stories that typically start out with a grain of truth, but as they get longer and more involved, they get more fantastic. He likes to sing - he knows pretty much all of the songs on the radio and from commercials. He is an aggressive, but playful, type. 

Estefany

Estefany and Josef are sister and brother and live next door to us here on Huancachupa. Estefany is 12 years old. She is our resident Hermione Granger, know-it-all. She loves to learn and enjoys making sure everyone else knows what she knows/plays by the rules. She is a very enthusiastic and curious girl. Josef is 10 years old. He is also very smart, but very quiet. He also likes to play games and is the unsuspecting champion. 

Since we've returned, they have been catching us up on the popular games of the time. 

First, they attempted to teach us how to play marbles ("bolas"). I'm not sure I understand completely. The rules are something like this: 1) throw your marble at the "tunnel" (2 parallel sticks) and whoever is closest gets to go first and so on, 2) in order, you flick your marble and try to get it through the tunnel, if you didn't succeed on the first throw, 3) once you are through the tunnel you want to hit the other marbles and if you do, you win that marble. The person with all the marbles wins. 

Second, we are trying to learn how to spin tops (I think that's the right name - they are called "trampas" in Spanish). It is the top shaped thing that you wrap a string around and then throw it to make it spin. It's not easy. Eynor and Josef are pretty good at it, so maybe with some practice with our teachers, we'll catch on. I especially want to learn how to get it spinning and then pick it up and get it to keep spinning while in your palm. Little victories. 

We have yet to play pogs here, but I'll let you know if the rules are any different if we do play. 

We also play a good amount of card games. Golpeado seems to be the favorite. I can never seem to remember the rules, so I'll have to write them down or something so I can play when I get back to the States. I want to teach Eynor how to play Spoons, I think he'd like it. We also play Go Fish, War, Crazy 8, Old Maid... 

We have so many card games like Apples to Apples or electronic games like Xbox and such that we don't really play the traditional anymore. It's fun to get the throw back and learn some of the things that just weren't popular while we were younger here. 

Plus, these guys love to teach us how to play, so we can spend time with them. Lots of spirit and enthusiasm, it's hard to say no. 

We asked them if they wanted to continue English classes and they said yes, so we'll start those lessons up again tomorrow. Gotta figure out how to incorporate more games into teaching English (suggestions welcome). :D 

~nos vemos~