Heading
Today, after a lovely breakfast, we all piled in the van and headed back to Vasca. On the way, we stopped at a store to get Lauri a SIM card, and while they were waiting, some of us took the opportunity to go check out a beautiful church.
As we drove, the sky became darker and darker, and as we came to the end of the dirt road leading into Vasca, the skies opened up. We raced inside to find the room full of young people participating in the Crecor program, where they learn English, and many other practical life skills. We had an opportunity to spend some time with the children. Upon asking them about their aspirations for the future, I found that the table I was sitting at had an upcoming pilot, flight attendant, lawyer, veterinarian, and writer. This opened up the opportunity to speak about the importance of trying hard in school and doing well.
We then went outside to play a very competitive game of “Grab the Bottle”, which ended in some pretty serious arguments between some pairs. In this game you stand across from your partner with a bottle on the ground between you, and the leader calls out different body parts in English. As the names are called out, you touch that body part- hair, nose, eyes, knees…and then when he calls the word bottle, you race your partner to grab the bottle. As we finished a round, the rain began to fall again- in earnest this time. The sound of the rain on the tin roof is so deafening that you cannot hear the person shouting beside you. That said, they are very thankful for the rain and it has been an answer to prayer for the locals, even though us Wet Coasters would rather see sun.
We also spent some time in the church building practicing some songs losing in church tomorrow. As we practiced, the rain continued to fall, and the call was made to head back to Obispo: the road is dirt and would get very slippery with the rain, so we all piled in the van and headed home.
Carlos took us to the mall so that Sadie would be able to buy a watch. This watch was the source of much frustration. It took 3 men quite some time to remove some links in order for it to fit Sadie- they are currently still working on it as I write. There is much laughter and joking going on and the camaraderie amongst the team members is wonderful.
We were treated to a delicious supper of chicken lasagne, rice and beans, and Swiss steak, with ice cream for dessert. After some rounds of Crowns, and debrief, I think its safe to say that everyone is satisfied and probably ready for bed at a somewhat early hour tonight: everyone is still feeling the effects of getting up very early Thursday and then missing most of the following night, along with the time change.
