We began our day today back at La Lima. Most of the men finished painting the outside of the shelter in two shades of blue. Adam played soccer with many of the boys off and on all morning but only after he and I discovered that neither one of us can make a God's Eye - a relatively simply craft involving two popsicle sticks and a few yards of yarn. Rebecca and Caitlin excelled at this craft, though, so Adam and I could slink off to other things without too much guilt.
There were more children there this morning than usual. Apparently, many of those who would normally be in school in the morning decided they would rather stay at the shelter and play with us. So play we did. We played Sevens again and did a few rounds of the Hokey Pokey. Then the children showed us how to play two different games that start out like "ring around the rosey" but end differently. In one, everyone freezes in a pose and has to hold it or be called out. The other requires a person in the middle to close their eyes and spin around before pointing to the next person to take their place. There are songs with both of these games but I didn't understand a single word. There was another circle game too but I honestly don't think I can describe it.
After lunch, we went to the Jesus Rivera shelter where we only had time for them to sing to us and for us to play the ubiquitous Sevens. It was the first time our painters had a chance to play. Then we drove through the neighborhood and down to the river where most of the people live in shacks made of cardboard or plastic with tin roofs. They run their own power lines in, however, so most of them have television and internet even though they do not have running water or plumbing. Life is strange.
Then we visited Villa Nuria which is a shelter run by the Iglesia Episcopal. We did some crafts, Betty and Caitlin painted faces and we did balloon animals and swords. And yes, we played Sevens one more time. I think that may be our trademark game.
Our weather probably was cooler than Kingsport today and the humidity was less during the day. That doesn't mean we weren't feeling the heat, drinking lots of water and wrapping wet bandanas around our necks or heads all day long. We came home to a wonderful breeze at poolside. Dinner was at a local "American" restaurant with a few typical dishes on the menu as well. They were out of beer and wine so most of us drank water, bottled of course.
Tomorrow, we will start out early as it is a long way to the Santa Cruz shelter.
One thing I have noticed here: we are used to seeing pictures of dogs and cats, maybe a bird, on signs for veterinarians. There is a veterinaria not far from our hotel and the sign features a chicken, a pig and a cow! We have not seen any cats on our wandering but quite a few dogs. All of them are very thin. So are the horses and cows we have seen by the side of the road. There are many people who drive carts pulled by horses, usually on the side of the road.
And with that, I believe it is time for me to go to bed. We have all found that the heat saps our strength and we are glad to go to bed early.
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