Final Work Day

Day five was hard for me; I didn't want to leave. Wilson and I and the other guys had become friends and I wanted to hang out with them more. The language barriar was frustrating--I know a bunch of spanish words, but can only conjugate two verbs (to have and to talk).

I did manage to string together a few "conversations" and understand a bit of what was said to me--mostly declarations of admiration, questions about Sienna, and comments about our blue eyes. Wilson really wants to learn English and I hope that he is able to one day.

THere wasn't much work for us to do on Friday--I tied some rebar and mostly hung around with the girls. We had discovered the day before that we could do hand clapping games together and the kids loved to laugh when I totally messed up because I didn't do the pattern correctly. I also learned that rock, paper, sicssors is the same in English and Spanish.

Yeimi, Yeni, Yohanna and Dixi constantly were hugging me and followed me around the site wanting to sit in the shade and have their picture taken. Whenever I took a picture all the kids--even the teenagers wanted to seee the photo on the camera. We found a hibicus tree (or something like that) and put flowers behind out ears. Que bonita!

THursday I found out that the teenagers were taking pictures of us! On thier cell phones! Yes these guys have cell phones and Jim and I do not.

It was hard to say goodbye. After a group photo, some handshakes and some hugs we left. Just like that. It was such a strange feeling to just go and not know anything about these folks and yet feel connected to them and their community. How bizarre to just descend for a week, pack up all our tools and be on our way.

What will happen to these folks--all the ones who are sick and swarmed the doctors when they arrived, the kids who go to the school, the guys who built it, Julia the teacher, the old woman whose volunteers kept on visiting? Will Wilson ever learn English? Will Will's cute infant son grow up to have rotten teeth like so many of the other kids? What is really needed in the community?