Day 4

Woke up to the rooster crows this morning. For breakfast, we had a nice plate of fresh fruit. We headed for the town of Parrojas, and stopped off at Parramos to pick up Alicia. We didn´t quite make it up the hill to Parrojas, as the vans couldn´t handle the steep incline. Some of us walked the rest of the way up the hill, and , some got a ride up, and some even ran up. The view walking up the hill was amazing, mountains, volcanoes, and farmers fields, like nothing we see in Ontario. We were able to stop off at the new school being built. They were saying it will take about 8 years to be finished. The government is paying for the construction of the school, but will only give money a little bit at the time. There are some cinder blocks at the base, with rebar as supports and that´s pretty much all that has been completed so far. We made it the rest of the way up the mountain and found that it´s much easier and a better view if you walk uphill backwards. We were greeted by the people in the town as we arrived at the community center, which was a simple cinder block structure with surprisingly beautiful tiles. As we separated into our groups for the morning, some went off to the Adopt·A·Home programs, some went to help with the dental and medical clinics, and others were helping with the children´s rotations.  The rotations included crafts, hockey, soccer and games. The kids loved going to the different stations, and when they were not at a station, they were entertained with ¨Follow the leader¨ and ¨If you´re happy and you know it!¨All those who were helping truly enjoyed building relationships with the children. We helped to put on a soup kitchen for the school children. They were also given apple snacks and a loot bag. In the afternoon, we were split into different groups again, going off to work on the property, paint classrooms, mom´s workshops, and more Adopt·A·Home and Animal Programs. For the Adopt a homes, we brought furniture, linens, pots and pans, hygiene kits and clothes and games for the kids. Some of the houses were a little difficult to get to, but the families were so grateful for what they were given. In one of the homes, as soon as they put the bed in the whole family jumped on the bed, and could not be more happy. For others, as soon as they were shown what the cupboards were for, they immediately filled them with clothing and anything else that would fit! Some of the ladies were shown how to use the sewing machines, and how to create a drawstring bag. The end of the day came quickly and we made our way back to La Antigua. Some stopped at the market, and got some steals. Bonny is the person to be with if you need to bargain. Had a fabulous supper at the Oakville team´s hotel. A group of us went out in search of a good coffee shop and some ice cream and were surprised to find two in one shop. We enjoyed cappaccinos, milkshakes, ice cream and crepes. Slowly made our way back to our hotels, and enjoyed the night air.

Kathleen