So many things have happened since I have last posted. So this will be jumbled but I will try to make sense.
Last Thursday at HML (Hogar Miguel Leon, a place for girls that come from abused families and live in a huge place that is run by nuns) we were all playing a chatting when all of a sudden we heard a lot of screaming coming from the girls. They pointed and told us that there was a huge fire and we could see it from the roof of HML. We could also see some flames from where we were standing on the cement basketball court. Okay folks, I do not know how to explain this HML place. The only word I can say to describe it is HUGE. There are courtyards and long hallways with many rooms, and back ways leading to the roof and also a hospital on one side, which is kind of a nursing home for old people. Okay, so HUGE. So we ran to the front of the place where there is a walkway that leads to the roof and we started running up. Then we were stopped by nuns who asked what was going on and the girls started all yelling at once what was happening and the nuns looked really worried. I thought the nuns told us to stop and not go any farther so I was very alarmed when a girl named Hermaña grabbed my hand and we took off. I whispered in her hear to be quiet and hurry and run so we would not get in trouble because I assumed that we would. So Hermaña and I were running in the lead of all the girls and we were running through all these large dark hallways and back passage ways. Hermaña kept trying to open several doors and they were all locked. So we tried and different back hallway and started running up a flight of stairs to the roof. I heard people behind us so I turned around to look back and saw about ten nuns running up the stairs behind Hermaña and I. At this point I was thinking that we were really in trouble and so we ran faster. This is funny, but it felt like we were running through Hogwarts either searching for something evil or running from it. It felt like such an adventure. And I was holding Hermaña´s hand who looked like a Hogwart´s student because she was still in her school uniform which is a skirt and a sweater over a button up shirt and a tie.
Anyway come to find out the nuns were not chasing us. They were also running to the roof to see what was happening. The fire was HUGE. We were all told it was a Polloria, but come to find out this week it was a home and a baby was killed in the fire.
But to finish the story we were all standing on the roof with 10 nuns, 20-30 girls and 16 volunteers. And we were watching the fire intensley because it was right next door. The nuns started chanting memorized prayers in spanish and the girls joined in after a couple of minutes. The chanted (for lack of a better word) prayers for about ten minutes before ending. And then we all started to walk back down in silence and awe at what we had just witnessed. Hermaña then said in English, ¨God speaks.¨ It was a really cool experience.
We then left HML and walked down the road to see the fire up a little bit closer. There were policia everywhere blowing whistles trying to keep the crowds away that had gathered. We didn´t stay for very long before we left to walk home.
Well. I have to go. But I will be posting about Carnival week and festivities, Inga Pirca, and the happenings here in Ecuador. Ciao!
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