Day 4 by Danny and Lucila

Day 4: 

After waking up from a night of rain and no electricity, to the sound of roosters crowing, we all got ready and refreshed for the new work day ahead of us.  Some had the extra delight of waking up at 5:30 in the morning to go bird watching with our great guide, Peter.  We then had a delicious breakfast of bread, beans, and eggs. After rushed and vigorous preparation, we walked to the school to commence a fun yet tiring morning of work.  Our group split up so that some of us taught in the class (our favorites were Reading and Math class) and some worked on the library.  During break we played tag with the kids and saw them climb trees, like cute little howler monkeys.  After running around with them, until the bell rang for class, we switched work shifts.  Painting the library was a very gratifying job and, oddly enough, it brought out the artist from within quite a few of us.  We worked until we were about to drop, then walked back to the cottages and had an amazing leadership lunch.  While having a delicious meal, we talked to many leaders of the community.  We all split up into groups of about 3 or 4 and talked to the many amazing leaders of this Mayan Center (Kitty Softpaws was also pretty intrigued; he kept us company the entire time).  Once again, we rushed and scrambled to get our things together, and headed off to the Mayan Museum.  There, we sampled the wonderful Mayan culture.  We learned about the way they live, cook, and entertain themselves.  We danced to the Mayan marimba and harp music (although we were terrible), and then we learned how to crush coffee beans and corn.  They also taught us how to make the most delicious corn tortillas in existence.  By the time we return to Houston, we’re sure many of us will be craving to make them for our dinner.  We then proceeded to pack and move into our homestay families, who were all very welcoming and nice.  We settled in and some of us even got to make tortillas again!  Then at 6 we attended the Lower School graduation ceremony at the church.  The ceremony was wonderful and very complete, with guest speakers, speeches, and a torch lighting procession.  After the ceremony, which some students claim lasted an eternity, we walked with are homestay families to their houses.  Some of us attended graduation parties while others ate and went to sleep quickly as a result of the long and tiring day.  All in all, this was an excellent day and we made many new friends!  A shout out to our parents and pets, we can’t wait to see you next week!

                                                                                                                                With love,

Lucila and Danny