It's exciting but saddening at the same time. I am excited because I want to see my family and friends but am also sad because I love it here and love the kids and will miss them terribly. But why am I talking about this right now?! I still have a little over 3 weeks! :)
So today was a good day, like all of the days have been so far. So this morning we went to the mall at sometime around 10am to meet up with Sonia and Ninoska(aka Nino). Today is Nino's birthday she is 22 and Sonia's birthday is later on this week and she is 18. We picked them up and headed to the bus. The girls were excited to see us and excited to go shopping for their birthday. We got on the bus to a market, now this market is different than the tourist one that we went to a few days ago. This is a non-tourist market so to see 'gringos' made us stand out even more. The girls kept us close to them which was nice because it was a little nerve racking going to an area where all locals are and where they aren't used to white people. The guys at each store would grab you by the arm and try to get you to go into the store but Brad would stare them down and the girls would keep us even closer which was nice and there were only a few incidents where that happened but Brad's stern look and the girls made Jessie and I feel a lot more comfortable and definitely made the guys keep their distance.
Sonia, myself, Ninoska, and Jessie waiting for the bus
It's not easy being an American and traveling to these foreign countries where you look different than the locals but it definitely is interesting and I can see myself traveling like this for the rest of my life, but I wouldn't want to go alone that's for sure. Maybe I wouldn't mind going to Spain by myself but still I would rather have at least one person with me and I know my dad would volunteer to be that one person in a heart beat! :) It definitely helps to speak the language but it would be better for me if I was fluent in it. But it just comes with time and practice and continually using it. I definitely plan to use my spanish all the time when I get back to the States!
Anyways, so the girls found a store they wanted to go in, I say store but in these markets they aren't stores you would think of in the States or at a mall but a little area divided by a curtain or some makeshift wall. They both were given 20$ to spend however they wanted. They were able to buy a pair of pants, a cute top, and some food as well. They said they really enjoyed their time with us and were thankful that we came with them and could celebrate this day with them. It was fun and definitely an interesting experience and I enjoyed being with the girls.
Ninoska and Sonia birthday shopping
So after we dropped the girls off at the bus station, we had a meeting with the lady who we will be renting space from. We signed the contract today and will hopefully be using it sometime at the end of next week. On monday we will be going to buy items for the office space and tables for the open area to work with the kids. We also got to see the kid's psychologist again today which was nice she is very sweet. She will now be working for VISEDAL, just to give the kids someone to talk to. So it was pretty exciting to be here while all of these changes occur. I am so excited to see how this organization is going to grow and is already growing. Just pray, there is this one building VISEDAL wants to buy, so pray that the funds come in and that the people selling are willing to work with them. But for now we will rent this space and just keep believing for this other building.
After the meeting we came back to the hostel to make dinner. I am telling you we are getting better and better at cooking in this small and hard to use kitchen with little ingredients. Tonight we had what seemed like a feast! We made fried rice with broccoli, tomatoes, carrots, green peppers, and onions with a fried egg on top. Also Brad and I made spaghetti pasta and cooked some tomatoes and onions as a sauce and mixed that in with the pasta. It was so delicious! I could eat more of it right now! It's a lot of fun working with Brad and Jessie and even spending time in the kitchen with them laughing and enjoying each others' company.
I am loving each day and enjoying myself here and loving the time with the kids! I am so thankful to have been given this opportunity and pray that God will use me in a mighty way! :)
Until next time, buenas noches
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