Friday: Valle de Angeles and Pizza!!!

This week has just flown by. It feels like yesterday we stepped out of the plane and into the van with Don Raul.

Today we went to Valle de Angeles around 10, and stayed there until 3. We drove up into the mountains, and then back down into another valley. It was an incredible place. There were so many stores and shops and restaurants. We all had people back home to buy things for and were eager to explore the area, so we decided to start with lunch. I think by now we were all sick of beans and cheese and rice, so most of us got spaghetti or some kind of steak. The restaurant was right next to the main square, which was playing christmas music with marimbas. After lunch, I enjoyed a nice café mocha from Esspresso Americano. It only cost 19 Lempira, which is about 1 dollar. Some of us stayed in groups to go shopping, while others wandered alone. There were many wood carvings: boxes, sculptures, instruments, etc. There was also jewelry, shirts and other clothing, food, machetes, coffee, and much more. We had to leave around 3 to be back in time for the pizza party and stopped at a fruit stand to buy some mangos, oranges, and pineapple.

When we got back, we went to Ming Wong´s market to buy 12 sodas for the boys and girls. The pizza was already on its way. We served them pizza and drinks as they came in to the cafeteria in groups. After the children ate, we sat down and ate what we could. We were afraid that we wouldn´t have enough, bu there was plenty left over.

After dinner, we decided to make a bunch of balloon swords ahead of time for the boys. We walked out with our piles of balloons, and all the boys came running. Through all the yelling, stomping of feet, and popping of balloons, I think about half the balloon swords survived. Then the boys ran up asking us to turn the swords into perritos, or little dogs. Eventually a game of hide and seek started up. There was very little hiding or seeking... mostly yelling and running... Being tagged means virtually nothing, except that you get to sit in jail for a few seconds, until another boy runs up and tells you to keep running. We all bought El Hogar t shirts, and some of us had the boys sign our shirts. At 7, the boys were called in for bedtime, and we headed back to the house for a night of catchphrase and prayer.

We are all going to miss this place dearly. I know that the boys have left a lasting impression on all of us, and I hope that we have served El Hogar well this week. We are dreading the immensely long travel day tomorrow, but are eager to be home with our families and friends. Please keep us in your prayers as we make our way back home.

Hasta mañana!
Joe