La Shakira and lo demas

I am nestling down for a long, cold night. And by nestling down, I mean NESTLEing down with a "Princesa" chocolate bar, often my vice abroad.

Today was jam packed! I had a meeting with the director of Abrazos, a quick lunch, then headed to the home of Shakira, another former student. I was thrilled to see the progress my girl, Shakira, has made. She is growing rapidly, hitting puberty head on, and dealing with in quite well.

What most impressed me about Shakira was her improvement in communication. She brings a cup when she needs water, shows mom a plate when she is hungry, but is even starting to speak! She has vocal immitation skills, and while she has been non-verbal until recently, she has started to associate mama, papa, and profa with the people around her, and call them by name! This is indescribably cool to see.


Another thing that definitely caught me off guard was Shakira's functional skills. Many of the children I know from Cuzco have acquried stellar survival skills... how to get money from a restaurant by taking out their trash, how to peel a potato. How to peel a potato! I couldn't believe it when Shakira grabbed a big knife and little by little, took the skin off of the potato... and then another! She continued to peel the potatoes until she was interrupted with another task. I told her mom that see, there is hope, that Shakira can work and be of value to the family.

I realize I am just a sounding gong and a repeated sentiment, but I am taken so aback by the attitudes towards autism that I have encountered in Cuzco. Today Shakira's father told me that black magic plays a part in autism. The devil, evil, black magic, it is all real, and all manifested in Shakira. I desperately wanted to shake him and sing, "Who says?!" but then I thought better and listened and desperately tried to understand his perspective.

That's the thing, you see, regardless of how you see things... there will always be a more subjective side, a misunderstood side, that perhaps you would take if your circumstances had been different.

Who are you gringa, and what do you think you're doing?

Tomorrow's agenda:

• Meeting with co-founder/ director of Camino Nuevo/ Manos Unidas
• Meetings with friends of Marianela, possibly including the director of special education for the city of Cuzco!