Day 4

Ever tried cutting your grass with a machete? We hadn’t either until today. But from personal experience, we highly recommend that you stick with a lawnmower...
Today began like any other Honduran day - the morning birds squawking through our doors, a British wake up call from Nicola, and a savory mix of fresh fruit and eggs awaiting us at the breakfast table. Continuing with our morning routine, we sleepwalked onto the colorful bus and headed our merry way to ProNiño.
Unfortunately, we had a bit of difficulty actually entering said establishment, for it seemed as though the entrance gate was locked. After sounding the horns of our multiple cars many a time, not a person was in sight to let us in. Little did we know, we didn’t actually need their assistance. The gate wasn’t even locked. We didn’t realize this until an eight-year-old child quizzically walked our way, then opened the gate with ease. Oops. Yet, despite our rocky start, the day quickly emerged into another one we will always remember.
After saying a quick hello to the boys, we got right to work. Our strength was immediately put to the test as soon as we began our cinder block assembly line, and was further tested as we macheteed our way through the swampy vegetation. Feeling like Indiana Jones fresh out of the rain forest, we put down our makeshift grass cutters and took a much-needed break.
As always, the highlight of the day was when we got to play with the boys. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing the immediate smiles on their eager faces as soon as they see us coming their way. Always ready for a hug or a game of soccer, our time together seems to be the highlight of their day as well. Both of us, along with many others, received colorful homemade bracelets from them - including some that were even personalized with names and phrases on them.
Today another group of us took a trip to the orphanage and nutrition center. After taking a tour of the orphanage, we joined the adorable children for a snack of watermelon, then we went outside with them to play. Next, we headed to the nutrition center. We arrived during bath time and right afterwards we played with the freshly cleaned toddlers. We stayed there a little longer than planned because Nicola made fast friends with a little girl with pink shoes.
After a quick stop at Super Jugo, we returned to the hotel. We were told to meet for dinner at 6:45, even though we weren’t actually going to eat until 8:00. This mysterious time gap had us all guessing what was in store for the night. Much to our surprise, we had the delight of being the first to see the ProNiño boys’ production that they have been rehearsing for since February, which received a well- deserved standing ovation.
After the play, we went to dine at the famous “Parrilla Uruguay”, where we enjoyed a smorgasbord of various meats. Though we could clearly tell that there was chicken and beef, we refrained from eating the other unidentifiable selections on the platter. We closed our experience there with a group-wide game at the table. Finally, we headed back to the hotel, and after a brief group meeting, we headed our separate ways and bid each other goodnight. Adios amigos.

Carolina y Julia (aka Caroline and Julia)

P.S. from the chaperones – We have had the usual queasy stomachs, and fortunately they have quickly run their course!

For more pictures from day 4 click HERE