A quick update

Things are going great here. Life is really starting to pick up. We´ve been at the Finca (Farm) for just about a month and are starting to take on more and more responsibilities. Starting Monday I have ëscualita (the equivalent of summer school for kids that need reinforcement) for an hour in the morning with the kids going into 1st and 2nd grade. I´ll have 7 kids for that. Most of them are from the surrounding community, but also a couple of the kids who live at The Finca. Then from 9:30 to 12:30 we have Winter School (for the younger kids) which is basically like summer camp since they don´t have school from November to February because it´s often too rainy. Winter school is just for our kids at The Finca. In the afternoon I am in charge of activities for the teenagers who in the morning are doing different jobs around The Finca. Some learn maintenance, some are shadowing in the clinic, some will help with winter school. It´s a lot to organize, but I´m enjoying it.

The language barrier is still tough, but getting better slowly. The other day I was in charge of watching the House 1 girls (6 girls all under the age 8) and none of them wanted to listen... then again my Spanish is terrible for trying to tell them things or understand what was being said. Either way though it was good because it was another chance to spend time with them and just get to know them better.

As I mentioned before it rains a lot right now. Usually a few times a day and is just always damp. Clothes take days to dry even when under an overhang. Keeping my feet dry is now a distant memory. Drying off from a shower is usually with a damp towel because it didn´t dry yet from 2 days ago. I say 2 days ago because taking a cold shower every day when everything is already damp and slightly chilly isn´t appealing. It does however give us plenty of chances to run in the rain and splash in puddles. Which can be fun when we just let go of being adults.

Yesterday we got a large semi trailer donation of desks and tables for the school, new mattresses for the kids (right now we all just have thick foam ¨mattresses¨), and a bunch of tile that will hopefully be used soon for various projects at The Finca.

It is strange to think of all the events like that or even the election which I am missing back in the states, but at the same time it is so relaxing to be quite removed and just know the minimum. For now though I should sign off since our ride will be leaving town in a half hour. You are all in my prayers and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Love,

Kit