El Basurero, Zoologico, y La Limonada

Woo! Our longest day yet. We started today returning to El Basurero to pick up the students at the school who were chosen to go on our trip to the zoo. Each student got to pick who they wanted to be their amigo, and I got the luck of the draw with Selvin--the cutest little, angelic 4-year-old ever. We piled into our van-a child in each of our laps-and we spent 3 or 4 hours having a blast at the zoo which had all your basic animal favorites. Many of the children fell asleep on the way back from the fun. When we returned to the dump, we did some work together moving furniture in the school then broke up painting, continuing to work on the mosaic (Katie=master mosaic-er), and trying to prevent the children from killing each other on the playground. Katie and my mosaic work ended early when the sky opened up and the dump transformed into a river. The others finished up their work inside and the rain let up just enough to allow us to run to the car dodging puddles. 

After a much needed shower back at the house, we headed back to the ghetto to meet with the 12 students currently under a scholarship with HRI to get an education. We ate pizza and the students shared their work with us. It was encouraging to hear how, as adults many of whom did not know how to read, have chosen to further themselves and are succeeding.

The highlight of my day personally came while waiting for the students to go to the  zoo. A little girl was peaking out the door of her house next to the school so I came  up to her to talk. A few of her other siblings appeared and they gave me gifts of a few twist ties, a comb, and part of a lanyard. It is rude to refuse gifts so

I took them happily. I walked back into the school and a few minutes later the youngest sibling, no older than 2, appeared at the door with a bucket of melted ice cream for me.  A few minutes after that, she returned with a Hello Kitty jumper.  It was so crazy to see firsthand the impulse of children so young to be generous with their things. Super cute!

Tomorrow, we leave bright and early for Panajachel and Santiago-towns a few hours away-for some "rest and relaxation". 

¡Nos vemos!