The last two days have been full but great days. Yesterday the group split again with Alisha, Rosie, Liz, and Katie staying back at El Faro and having a very full day. 7 am was P.E. with 2nd graders from the nearby village. They did jump rope, limbo, and many other fun games. After breakfast they helped Gavin, the El Faro soccer guy, run a soccer camp in the morning for teen guys and then teen girls. After that the girls helped in the kitchen with lunch prep and cleaned some of the biggest carrots they had ever seen for the lunch soup. After lunch the girls split and some helped with an afternoon soccer camp and some helped with English class to Jr. high age kids.
Mr and Mrs. Dean went out to the village across the bay again with Hannah, Alexis, and Ellen. Mrs. Dean was with Rosie the dentist again and had LOTS of cleanings, 3 extractions, and one filling. Hannah and Alexis were helping with the clinic and cleaned dental instruments. They got to see some freshly pulled teeth which was a new experience for them! Ellen helped with the children and face painting, frisbee toss, pictures, and cleaning up the beach. There were not as many children as the previous day but still plenty to do.
After returning from the village and having lunch, all the girls joined in with some of the camp staff, Guatemalan kids, and the Portage team for a fast and fun game of soccer. Dennis, one of the Guatemalan dentists, has his whole family here-wife, two sons, daughter, and nephew- and his children have become our fast friends. (and they are good soccer players) There has been lots of sharing of facebook accounts and some lasting friendships have been made.
Before dinner we all joined in to help with the 6-7pm English class. This was teenage students and they were working on conversational skills although they ended the evening singing head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
After a late dinner last night and the girls all helping the kitchen staff with dish washing and cleaning up the kitchen, we gathered for a movie about Guatemala. It told the history of Guatemala and the 36 year civil war that ended in 1996 and all the struggles this country has had. It also showed some of the people who are trying to make a positive impact on the country of Guatemala and explained the micro loan process. It was a good informational movie and gave a good backdrop for understanding the country. Everyone was pretty tired after the movie and headed straight for bed......hense no blog last night.
Today was a full day but pretty much a fun day! We took a day off from the routine and went out by boat to a hot spring at Villa Paraiso. It was well over an hour boat ride. On the way we stopped at a village that the Portage team has worked with before. It was a quick visit but it was interesting walking through the jungle to the village and seeing the village school in session and the church the Portage team helped roof on a previous visit.
At the lakeshore by Villa Paraiso we had a ride on a flatbed pulled by a tractor up to a path to the hot springs. After a short hike we came to a beautiful waterfall that was fed by a hot springs. There was a big natural pool at the bottom of the waterfall you could swim in and everyone loved going for a swim there. The water was pretty cool until you went right under the falls and it was HOT water coming over the waterfall. Some swam under the waterfall in a small cave like area and it felt like a sauna. There was a trail that lead up to the top of the waterfall and some went up to the top and saw the source of the hot springs and enjoyed rubbing mud on themselves and washing it off back in the falls pool.
After our swim we ate lunch at a restaurant on the lake. We then headed back to camp but stopped at a Spanish fort that we passed on our way to the hot springs. We got back to camp just in time to run to the high school English lesson from 6-7pm. The CHS team did an activity we had done in Spanish class with CHS teachers. We had a bag of clothes with different items and colors and did a rely race with the kids putting on the clothes and saying the name and color of the item in English. The village students loved the activity and had a lot of fun with it.
After dinner and a team time we enjoyed playing Chinese telephone pictionary with each other and some of our new Guatemalan friends. It has been a packed day but another great one!
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