We made it!

Here is a quick recap of our first day!

Saturday, August 6th
We made it! Everyone was reunited Saturday afternoon. Part of the group traveled here ahead of us and had a great 3 days before we got here. Another family traveled from New Mexico and also met us here. It was fun to see the kids and adults greeting each other and sharing their adventures.

After dropping off our stuff and cleaning up a bit from traveling, we headed into town. Luckily I remembered the route, as we were walking. I will say that carrying a heavy baby makes the walk seem a bit longer! However, Kareem loved taking in the different sights and sounds (except the motorbikes. He jumped in the carrier every time one went by!) :)

The plan was to walk into town, hit up the grovery store for some additional supplies, and then head over for some "coconut deliciousness" (a.k.a. coconut lime smoothies) at the Peruvian restaurant. Sadly, we arrived to find a Korean restaurant in its place. No coconut deliciousness to be had. :(

As a teacher, it is always good to have a "Plan B", so while folks did their shopping, Katrina and Sarah went down to my second favorite cool drink place--SabeRico--and got us a table for 21 (and a half). We were able to introduce the group to the strawberry basil smoothies and the delightful atmosphere at that restaurant. I hope to get back and have at least one more smoothie there before I leave!

Since it was already dark when we left the restaurant, we headed over to the central park to catch some taxis. There was a bit of a disagreement with the drivers on how much it should cost to get back to the campus, but we came to an agreement and piled into 6 taxis to go back to campus and relax.

Reflection was brief, as we were all tired, and we were updated on the plans for Sunday. Unfortunately our planned trip Sunday to attend Family Day at Nueva Esperanza School was cancelled due to the security situation along part of our route. It was disappointing to know I wasn't going to be able to visit my sponsor child (and neither could the other two families that sponsored a student there), but safety is very important, and everyone understands that. The plans shifted to going to the Women's Weaving Co-op in Santiago Zamora earlier in the trip (as I have done in the past). Everyone was excited to see the women and hear their stories (and support the work they do in education!). The van was set to depart at 9am, so we had an opportunity to sleep in! More about Sunday in the next post.

-Chris