Fanwell and his extended family

Fanwell above with his cousins and below with his grandmother, aunt, and cousins

Fanwell's house above and his bed below

The Magoye river above and the part of town where they go to buy things below

Fanwell playing football above and playing billiards below (pretty inventive, huh?!)

Fanwell is a child that I sponsor with Mack.  We started sponsoring him after we heard of how sick he was and how he needed immediate medical attention.  He still looks ill in a lot of these photos- like he is in pain.  I hope that he will start feeling better soon!  We have paid for him to see the doctor, and we will see what the outcome of that is... Maybe he can take extra vitamin supplements. 

Anyway, he did a great job with his camera.  I like the river photo and it is cool to see what the town looks like, too.  He looks happy with his extended family, so that makes me happy =)

Mercy in Zambia

Hey, everybody!
I want to thank all of you who have contributed to buy beds for my little girl, Mercy, in Zambia. Her fundraiser has now moved from FirstGiving to Aura's House, and it is almost complete (only $80 left to go!). I won't ask for any more donations right now because it is not a Thursday, lol
I just got back photos from the Direct Package that I sent to Mercy around Christmas time. I want to share this sweet excerpt from the letter her mother wrote in response:
"Mercy is all smiles today because of the beautiful parcel she has received from you. She has promised to use them properly. She is so much in love with everything you have sent her. You have really changed my daughter's life for the better."
It makes me feel so good to hear things like this, and to know that I am making life a little happier for one child halfway across the world! I enjoy seeing Mercy's smile so much that I don't even care if she wants to use the things I sent her "improperly".
Mack
PS: The red shark that Mercy is hugging in one picture - I won it for her playing that game where you grab things with a mechanical claw. The same day, I also grabbed two stuffed hippos for Paola in Mexico to remind her of our trip to the zoo. I'm quite proud of my animal-snatching skills (but I won't mention how many game tokens I used up in the process!)

Creative Writing by Fanwell~ Feb 2011

More great writings from Fanwell =)

Letter from Fanwell

Twelve year old Fanwell is a child that I share with Mack.  He has been extremely ill but looks much better now that he has been sponsored for a few months.  I am waiting for the results of his medical exam, but he will get treatment for anything that ails him.  I am anxious to see how he improves after a year or so of sponsorship.

Kevin Bryan Christmas 2010

Here is Kevin's new photo =)  This is the child I share with Mack.  We got an updated photo not too long ago and now we just got another... But, I'm not going to complain ;)

And the Winner for Day 11 is...

Thanks for your donations to Mercy everybody! We got a great start on her fundraiser for later when her turn comes up at #47!

I'm really, really busy today (and no family members are in the raffle), so I skipped shooting a video of my Random.org visit. You'll just have to trust me (and the laws of statistics) when I announce that JOHN is the lucky winner. Hooray! John gets to choose between two quilts and a set of Dr. Suess stuffed toys!

Thanks again, everybody!

Mack

Mack's 2010 Trip #8 – Jonathan

A post by Mack:

I wasn't lonely at the park because 15-year-old Jonathan was happy to hang out with me all day, along with his 17-year-old brother, Jimi. We spent a long time playing a game I call "Tube Tag", where the person who is "It" tries to throw an inflatable ring over the head of another player. The captured player then becomes It, and must catch someone else. (See the video on LiftOne for a demonstration of the game)(which cannot be properly played while holding a camera). Another favorite game was for us to stand up on the edges of the tubes and try to knock each other off balance.

Jimi was a riot. He loved to playfully harass his little brother, and try to embarrass him. At one point, Jimi communicated to me that I should 'make' Jonathan go and play on one of the kiddie slides. Jon had a "Do I really have to?" look on his face, but Jimi pushed him into the children's area, saying something that must have translated as "Go on. If you're sponsor says you gotta do it, then you gotta do it!" Once Jon was up at the top of the slide jostling the 5-year-olds for a position in line, a grinning Jimi pointed to my camera and insisted that I capture the moment on film.

Mostly, the three of us (or four, when we dragged Wilson along) rode down the slides in one huge tube, but one of the slides required us to use individual tubes. Jonathan insisted on carrying mine up to the top of the hill for me. Jimi decided that if Jon was going to carry mine, then he really should carry his big brother's too. Jonathan looked so cute staggering blindly beneath a whole stack of tubes!

I had fun with Jonathan and his brother, but I hope that Wilson didn't see all the time that I spent with them as me playing favorites. I tried my best to lure him into our games, but he didn't seem interested in joining us. I didn't want to force my company on the kid, but I can't help fearing that he was just shy and was actually hoping to be forced a little. Anyway, Wilson seemed to have a good time at the park, regardless. When he wasn't tagging around after Darwin's sister with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, he seemed to bond best with Carlos' brother. This is strange since they live in different towns and have only met (I assume) one time before, when Victor took everybody to Zizima in January. I wonder why Wilson and Jonathan aren't better friends. They live near each other and they are in the same grade at school, plus they share an awesome sponsor, so I'd think they'd be best buddies. "Why aren't you two friends?" is the kind of personal question that you just can't ask your sponsored kids. Even if I was rude enough to ask, I probably wouldn't get an honest answer (for instance, "We belong to rival gangs at school, and we have to fight the impulse to beat each other up every time you take us somewhere together."). I think the children only tell us sponsors what they think we want to hear. Seriously, am I really expected to believe that all my kids just LOVE doing chores around the house? Someday I'd like to get a letter that says, "At home my job is to sweep the floor, but I really hate doing it because it cuts into my soccer-playing time, and besides the floor will just get dirty again in, like, five minutes. What's the point in even sweeping it, huh?"

Mack's 2010 Trip #7 and #8 – Wilson/Jonathan

These are the only photos that I have of Wilson and Jonathan together. I didn't think to have them pose for one while we were there. I also didn't think to get a picture of me with just the two of them, I never think of this stuff until it's too late! Miriam took a photo of the three of us together on CI's camera, so maybe she will send a copy to me? I don't know, cuz I only got photos from my 2009 visit (both of me and Wilson). Miriam was shocked and horrified when she heard this, so they will probably make a point of sending me a lot this year.

Mack's 2010 Trip #7 – Wilson

A post from Mack:

My sponsored child (teen) Wilson was the first to see and greet me outside of Zizima Water Park. He came over and gave me a hug, and took the bags I was carrying and loaded them into the CI van for me. That was the highlight of our day together, lol.

At fourteen, I guess Wilson considered himself too old to hang out and play with his sponsor. He wasn't too old to want his picture taken with Zizima's monkey mascot, at least, but after we entered the park, I didn't see much of Wilson. I dragged him down one waterslide with me, but he was primarily interested in being wherever Darwin's sister was. Oh well, they gotta grow up sometime, right? I showed Wilson that I approved of his relationship with the girl by taking a series of photographs with them posing together. I don't know if they'd just met that day or if they knew each other from school, since they live in the same basic area.

At lunchtime, I went over and sat down next to Wilson. I wanted to ask him about his likes and dislikes when it came to mailing him stuff. Of course, he couldn't understand my questions. I know the words, but a lot people still can't make out my meaning through my accent and bad pronunciation. So, I asked Irene to come over and translate.

I found out what music Wilson listens to and what kind of books he likes to read. Next, I asked what sort of items he'd most want to receive in packages. When he couldn't come up with an answer, I told him, "If you don't think of something, I'll just send underwear." That threat made his whole family laugh. Wilson still balked at asking for anything (why aren't American kids so content with what they already have?), so Irene said, "Okay, you'll have to send the underwear."

Mack's 2010 Trip #6 – Children's Day at Zizima

A post from Mack:
After changing into swim clothes, we started out the day playing on rings in the wave pool. I think that was the favorite activity for all of our kids, and they probably would've been happy staying there all day. The wave machine was turned on occasionally to add excitement, and about every 15 minutes, a big barrel filled with water and dumped down onto the heads of the children waiting eagerly below. (You can see it in action in the background of the photo of Victor's three boys)

Our "camp" was set up in the shade near the wave pool, where the mothers sat in chairs and guarded our stuff. We would return there for drinks, breaks from play, and (in my case) to switch out camera batteries. All was well until we tried to venture forth into other portions of the park.

I was afraid that my older kids were getting bored in the wave pool, so I petitioned the group to relocate to the slide area. Chaos ensued at that point … well, for me, anyway. I wanted to go down the water slides with my boys, but I also wanted to be on hand to document every moment of our park experience on film*. This task turned ugly, because now everyone was scattered hither and yon. Most of our group members were engaged in the cycle of zooming down a slide, then hiking back to the top to go again (happily, the lines to ride were nowhere near as bad as they get in the U.S.). But the slides were too scary for some of the younger kids, so Sam and Darwin disappeared into the kiddie area and Victor took Carlos on a float around the circular "river". Somewhere during all of this, little Wilmer was discovered missing. An immediate hunt took place, and he was quickly located playing by himself in "Laguna de los Micos". (I have looked up the Spanish translation of "micos" and have learned that it means either a long-tailed monkey or the external parts of a woman's genitals. I assume the park was aiming for the former definition, because their mascot is a monkey.)

*I should mention that I was using my scuba diving camera, so I was free to frolic in the water and take endless photos all at the same time.

We re-grouped and returned to the wave pool, while Victor went to order lunch for everyone. This was where the park's over-population problem really hit us. The line to order food was long, and the line to pick it up even longer. Eventually, though, we were all seated with our drinks and chicken boxes. Ick. At least it was inexpensive chicken, as I heard Victor saying that the bill for feeding 23 people was only $60. Sixty is the magic number at Zizima, I guess.

After lunch, I brought out about eight inflatable beach balls for the kids to toss around. First, they had to be inflated, which proved to be a difficult task. Jonathan was able to blow his up right away, and Axel eventually managed one. I'm not sure how the rest got done, but the kids had a really great time once the balls were round and ready to go! The older ones showed off their soccer moves, while the little ones just knocked 'em all over the place. At 15 cents each (on a post-summer bargain table), the beach balls were well worth the money I spent!

The kids were allowed to play for probably longer than they should've been … but all too soon, we were told it was time to leave …

To be continued …

Mack's 2010 Trip #6 – Children's Day at Zizima

A post from Mack:

Before we get started, here's a quick review of our group's Honduran sponsored kids …

I sponsor two boys: Jonathan and Wilson

Victor sponsors three boys: Axel, Carlos, and Wilmer (not to be confused with Wilmer in Guatemala).

Sam sponsors one boy: Darwin

Joining us on our day out would be a mother/relative for each child, plus a collection of siblings. I only know the names/ages of my own kids' sibs, but here's the breakdown:

Jonathan = One brother, Jimi (17)

Wilson/Axel = Two sisters, Sayda (13) and Soreli (9)

Carlos = One brother (13?)

Wilmer = One sister (7-ish) + one cousin (11-ish)

Darwin = One sister (teenager)

Our CI hostesses were Irene (the sponsor relations director) and Miriam, one of the women who accompanied us on our mall trip in 2009. Jessica, our other 2009 hostess, could not join us this year because she is expecting a baby, but I got to see her during my visit to the SPS headquarters.

We arranged to meet the CI reps and our children at the Zizima Water Park entrance at 10 am. This allowed me plenty of time in the morning to slather my entire body in ridiculous-looking white sunscreen. At about 9:30, we loaded the back of a taxi with gifts galore and headed to the park.

When we arrived, there was a line-up about a half mile long waiting to get inside. This was surprising, as the park had been practically empty when Victor took the boys in January. We'd expected a better turnout this time around, but nothing like the crowd that milled before us!

While Sam and I waited with all the stuff, Victor took a look around to see if the CI vans had arrived. They had, and he was actually able to spot our group amongst the masses. Fortunately for us, the mothers had staked out a position near the front of the queue waiting to enter the park. The only thing we lacked were our tickets, which I planned to pay for with my credit card. Irene went with me, and together we schemed to lie to the ticket agent about the number of people in our party – claiming that we had MORE, not less! We needed to purchase entry tickets for 23 people, but if we'd had 25, we would pay half-price for everyone. It wasn't entirely a lie when we told the park employee that we were a group of 25 … we simply bought tickets for the two van drivers, even though they had no desire to come with us into the park. With the discount, the total for everyone's tickets came to about $60.

To explain the crowds, Irene told us, "It's Children's Day in Honduras, of course. That's why you came today, right?"

We had to admit that we had no clue about the significance of the day we'd selected for our visit. It was complete dumb luck. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure we were lucky to be sharing the park with so many other guests. With the place so packed, it was difficult for us all to stay together and do things as a group. On the other hand, Victor thought that this second visit to Zizima was better than the one back in January. All park activities were in full swing and there was plenty to do. The other time, the staff had been reluctant to even turn on the water slides for such a small number of guests, and only one restaurant had been open.

To be continued...

Julexy K - Ecuador

This young lady is 15-year-old Julexy from Ecuador. Julexy is the
older sister of Kevin, sponsored by Heather and Mack. We asked CI to
add Julexy to the program a couple months ago and I brought her into
my sponsorship family. The mailman brought me two letters from her,
the Welcome letter and a “CP” letter. She seems very talkative; I am
looking forward to learning more about her. She writes:

“Let me tell you that my favorite fruits are strawberry and pear. The
food I like most is Chaulafan (Chinese food). I also like to play
soccer, which is what I love the most. At the weekend I play soccer
with my friends and the neighborhood. Let me tell you that I have
three brothers who are younger than me. I am the oldest and I get
along very well with them. Let me tell you that I am in 9th grade and
I love to study and learn a lot. I have good grades. One of my best
friends lives around my house and I get along very well with her. We
don’t argue. I feel very happy because I will turn 15 years old. I
feel good and happy. I hope you are doing well and take good care of
yourself.”

“Me and my family feel so happy to be writing to you. Know that I
spent a beautiful time when I turned fifteen. I had a lot of fun too.
Know that the city where I live is beautiful and big. It is very
beautiful where I live, there is a big tree near my house and it gives
us fruit every November. I am taking swimming classes every Friday
after school. I spent a nice time during my classes with my friends
and teachers. They are good people. Know that I love to draw and once
one of my friends painted for me. All my friends are really nice with
me and I love them a lot.”

Mack's 2010 Trip #5 – On to Honduras!

A post from Mack:
September 8th was Sam's 21st birthday. Instead of the traditional ritual of sleeping all day and partying all night, he did pretty much the opposite. We got up at 3:30 am to catch a "collectivo" to Copan Town, just across the Guatemalan border. I spent several days in the town last year, so I wanted to briefly show Sam the sights before we moved on to San Pedro Sula.

On the (short) road between the border post and Copan Town, we drove past CI's relatively new Western Honduras community center. I knew they had established a program in Copan, but I didn't know exactly where. Later, I learned that they've got about 1,000 sponsored kids in the area, but their goal is to be able to accommodate 3,000.

It was about 10:30am when our van arrived in town. Since we were still burdened with suitcases full of heavy gifts, we hired a tuk-tuk taxi* to take us to our hostel.

*Just as a note of interest, tuk-tuks are small "auto rickshaws" used for short distance transportation. The name originated in Asia (probably Bangkok), and I find it odd that other countries – such as Honduras and The Netherlands – have adopted both the vehicles and the term "tuk-tuk". I would expect them to come up with more culturally fitting names for their versions.

Our day started out badly, when halfway to the hostel Sam realized he'd left one of his bags behind. Our 'guide' took him on a mad dash back to the bus station, and eventually they tracked the suitcase down at a different hostel with some of our fellow collectivo passengers. We were now indebted to this man and his tuk-tuk, and he welded himself to us for the remainder of the day (and night).

I took Sam on a zip-line canopy tour, and to see the Mayan ruins. I had a grandiose plan that we would float down the river to the ruins on inflatable tubes. This scheme was thwarted by two insurmountable obstacles:

1. Sam forgot to bring his tube.

2. The river flows in the opposite direction of the ruins.

We had to take our friend's tuk-tuk to the entrance.

When it was time to return to town, I wanted to share one tube and float BACK on the river. No dice. We discovered that there is a high fence built around the ruins, with strands of barbed wire along the top. This is presumably to keep tourists from sneaking into the ruins without paying the $15 entrance fee, not to prevent honest ticket holders from accessing the river afterward.

We pre-paid our tuk-tuk driver to pick us up at 5:30 the next morning to catch a 6am bus to San Pedro Sula. Hint: Don't do that. When our driver had not appeared by 5:45, we jogged to the main square in search of alternate transport. Nope, none around so early. When we eventually flagged someone down, it was our apologetic driver out looking for us. We loaded the tuk-tuk, and he got us to the station just in time to see our bus disappear over the bridge. Fortunately, we had planned for such a contingency. Really, we were aiming to take the 7am bus!

Arriving in San Pedro Sula around 10:30am (again), we took a taxi from the bus depot to the hotel where we would be meeting Victor later in the day. I didn't want to admit the name of our hotel to the taxi driver … but there was no other option. I was hesitant for good reason, because when the man found out that his filthy backpacker passengers were staying at one of the best hotels in the city, he quoted us $40 for the ride into town. When we pulled up to our hotel, I 'tattled' to the bell boy. He approached the taxi driver on our behalf and politely informed him that we would be paying the usual rate of $5, instead of the 'rich, dumb tourist' fare.

Unless you are insistent upon opening doors for yourself, there's nothing bad to be said about the Real Intercontinental Hotel of San Pedro Sula. They will treat you like royalty, and your stay will be completely comfortable. The restaurant is good, and the swimming pool will cool you down at the end of a long, hot day. The hotel is located directly next door to a modern shopping mall, providing you with easy access to a movie theater and food court. Of course, you could sponsor a child for 6 months for the price of one night's stay at Intercontinental.

Alternatively, try staying at Dos Molinos B&B, only 300 meters away from the Intercontinental. Basic rooms for two rent out at $25 per night, plus you get to eat breakfast with the family in the morning. Luis, the proprietor, will pick you up from or drive you to the bus station/airport. My dad and I stayed at Dos Molinos last February, and we were quite satisfied.

But, since Victor was willing to share the extra bed in his room, Sam and I dumped our bags at the Intercontinental and grabbed one of their honest taxis. Our destination was CI's new central office … which the taxi driver couldn't find.

After stopping for directions, we arrived at the CI office, where we were greeted warmly. We enjoyed a tour, and I was reunited with my friends Miriam and Jessica, our hostesses from last year's visit.

The new office is truly astounding! It is beautiful, modern, and air-conditioned – a vast improvement from the previous office. The best part is that CI owns the land and the building, whereas they were renting at the other location. Much of the construction material was donated, and by using local labor, the office was affordable to build.

Now for the downside … the office is not located in a very "nice" area of the city. In fact, it's way off the edge of the tourist map that Intercontinental gives its guests. Obviously, real estate in the more central parts of town comes at a premium that CI doesn't want to pay. Unfortunately, some problems with crime occurred, and CI has been forced to hire a 24-hour guard for the building. His gun is HUGE.

(Don't worry, this is not a building where any of the children come. It's exclusively offices for program administrators and letter translators.)

Nothing much else happened that day. We shopped (read other post), saw a movie, and connected with Victor after he finally arrived. We spent the evening at the mall buying even MORE stuff to give to our boys the next day.

Mack's 2010 Trip #4 – No Greasy Chicken!

A post from Mack:

When we finished shopping, we drove to the central park to meet up with the families of Steve's child, Blanca, and Robyn's child, Wilmer. This get-together had been postponed back in January, and finally the kids were having their day out.

I thought the plan was to eat lunch in the park, but the sky started to sprinkle as we pulled up. Gladys jumped out and located the kids, then herded both families into our van. It was a tight fit to squeeze everyone inside, but nobody minded lap-sitting. The newcomers were: Blanca, her mother, and her two sisters + Wilmer, his mother, his 5-year-old brother, and his infant sister.

I was surprised when James dropped us off in front of an expansive McDonald's restaurant. No greasy chicken for us, Steve – so, HA!

The McDonald's had a nice courtyard with a fountain. The sky had cleared, so we began moving tables together so we could sit outside. Just as we'd secured the correct number of chairs, the rain started back up. We retreated to the covered patio, and again began pushing together tables and chairs.

It was decided that we would go inside to order our food in family groups, starting with Wilmer's. While the boys were gone, I passed out gift bags to keep the girls entertained. When Wilmer and his brother returned, they received their soccer-themed bags. In exchange, both Blanca and Wilmer gave me the "Thank You" cards they had made earlier on the expectation that we would have a fun day together. It's a good thing we DID have fun, or it would have been a tragic waste of glitter!

The annoyingly indecisive sun popped out again, so I herded those who had finished eating (or who had not yet ordered) back out into the courtyard to take photos in front of the fountain, and also with a plastic replica of Ronald the Clown. Everyone enjoyed posing, and they all brought out their cell phones to snap their own sets of pictures. I felt a little jealous that not only did the sponsored families have better phones than mine, but they also know how to use the features! Seriously, though, I'm glad they have a way to stay connected from their remote homes, but I really hope that the service plans in Guatemala are cheaper than ours are in the States. Otherwise, having a phone could easily use up a third of the family's monthly income.

Sam was quite popular with the ladies – all of the mothers wanted to be photographed with him … then Blanca and her sisters … then the CI staff members (except for James).

Once the Big Macs and McFlurries were all eaten, I passed out the bubble wands I'd brought for each of the kids. We had a bubbly good time playing outside (check out the videos on LiftOne later) … until the rain returned once more. Hurray for the indoor McDonald's Play Place! Double hurray for age limits that weren't enforced!

Wilmer was the life of the party with his crazy antics. In an early photo session, a CI staff member made the mistake of telling him to say "whiskey" (instead of "cheese"). For the rest of the day, the boy would randomly shout out "Whiskey!" at regular intervals – whether or not a camera was pointed in his direction. Wilmer was full of high spirits and funny dances. Everybody laughed when he took a drink straight out of the fountain, and when he tied his seat belt around his neck like a noose. Yes, as far as I know, Wilmer survived our day out … but possibly with a stomachache later from the unpurified water.

Blanca and her siblings get along better than any set of sisters I've ever met before. I don't know what the situation is like in the privacy of their home, but all I saw was love and happiness among the family. And they were constantly laughing about something … although most of the time I wasn't sure what was so funny (probably my ridiculous-looking sunscreen!). I do know that the sisters thought it was hilarious when one of them asked how long it takes to get from the United States to Guatemala, and I answered "Four hours by plane, or three weeks riding horses." That's assuming the horses are strong swimmers.

The kids were allowed to play for a long time, and 3 o'clock (the hour I was told we'd be taken back to our hostel) came and went. Eventually, the CI staff decided they'd better wrap things up if they wanted to get home before dark. Most of them needed to return all the way back to Guatemala City! I really appreciate the personal sacrifices the CI staff members always make to ensure that sponsors have plenty of time with their kids.

We dropped off Nicty and her family first, and I said my sorrowful farewells (with promises to return someday). Next, we drove to Wilmer's town, and then to Blanca's. In both cases, we did not go to the kids' actual homes, but dropped them off somewhere within walking distance. Finally, the staff got rid of me and Sam so they could get on with their own lives (hopefully clocking overtime hours?). Sam and I arranged our bus tickets for the next day, then went out to eat. I'd only ordered a pie at McDonald's because I didn't want to be distracted from my picture-taking by food consumption. After dinner, we tried to find our way back to our hostel in the dark. We wandered for a couple of hours – covering pretty much the whole city of Antigua – before we gave in and flagged down a taxi.

Mack's 2010 Trip #3 – The Antigua Shopping Expedition

A post by Mack:

Antigua is definitely the place to sponsor a kid, because the city has NO BIG MALLS! On the one hand, it's fun for the children to visit a modern shopping complex, where they probably don't often buy things, but money goes SO much further in the local marketplaces.

First, I asked that we stop at a grocery store. I had brought Nicty many "fun" items, and wanted to invest some money into useful life necessities. Our driver, James, pulled us up to the back entrance of a supermarket, and as we entered, Sam and I recognized it as the same place where we had bought our dinner (peanut butter, jelly, and bread) the night before. This was good, because we already knew our way around + what cool stuff was on sale.

I lifted Nicty up into the shopping cart so I could push her around the jam-packed aisles. It was very hard to maneuver as a group in the crowded supermarket, so we all scattered in different directions to collect the things Nicty's family needed. We filled up the cart with beans, pasta, rice, sugar, cereal, powdered milk, laundry soap, diapers, toilet paper, etc. Nicty was pretty much buried alive by the time we were done!

At the end, I wanted to hit the cookie and candy aisles for some treats, but it was difficult to convince Nicty to choose anything sugary and fun. I don't know if she felt overwhelmed by the options, or if she simply couldn't breathe underneath all of the other groceries! Heidy helped me find a few things that she knew her sister would like.

We headed for the check-out counter, where I was able to pay with a credit card and save my cash-on-hand. The total for all of the groceries and supplies came out to just slightly more than I paid last year to buy each of my two boys a single pair of shoes at the mall in Honduras.

James pulled the van up to the front of the store, so that we could load the boxes and climb inside. We started off, then stopped aburptly because the women realized that they had forgotten their purses at the bag check counter at the other side of the store!

Next, I wanted to visit the sprawling local marketplace to find some clothes for Brian and Heidy. I'd brought numerous outfits for Nicty already, and I was surprised at how well they all fit her. I bought her size 6 (because she is almost six) on the advice of an employee at Wal-Mart … but I was very dubious. The clothes were so tiny, and I just couldn't imagine a person being that small! Shows how much I know about kids.

We entered through the artisans market, where locally made crafts are sold to tourists. What a coincidence, the mother of one of my CI hostesses was the proprietor of a booth in the main square! After we were introduced, I said I would buy some goods from her stand (I wasn't asked to do this, just to make it clear that the CI staff aren't coercing visitors to support their family members!). I thought it was cool that the woman (sorry, I can't remember her name!) was able to visit with her mom in the middle of a work day. The only problem was that the booth only sold touristy stuff, and the last thing I needed was souvenirs to add to my overloaded duffel bag. Fortunately, Nicty's family was able to find some things that they could use … Heidy got red earrings to match the Zoo York t-shirt I had brought her (which she was wearing), Nicty fell in love with a backpack shaped like a turtle, and I bought Brian a toy drum to bang on. Brian, by the way, loves to make noise. Every time we got back into the van after a stop, he would scream his silly little head off!

We wandered away from the "touristy" part of the marketplace, into the area where the citizens of Antigua buy their clothes and such. We shopped for Brian first, and then for Heidy. At one stall, Nicty found a pair of jeans that she really, really wanted. According to her mother, the pants cost too much, and she wouldn't allow me to buy them. Nicty refused to give up the jeans, until Gladys told her about the surprise that I had planned – I was going to let her pick out a piñata for her 6th birthday party the next month. Gladys told Nicty (paraphrased): "Hand over those jeans, or no piñata for you, young lady!" The choice was easy for Nicty, and we departed in search of piñatas.

I guess beating cute animals with sticks is a huge deal in Central America, because the piñata selection was plentiful and impressive! I steered Nicty away from the ones that were twice her size (who needs THAT much candy?) and encouraged her to choose one only 2/3rds her height. She spent the rest of the shopping trip 'bonding' with this giant yellow rabbit. I wonder if she will have the heart to bash in her new friend's head with a stick when her birthday arrives? I also wonder if the kids will be able to resist eating the filler candy before October 6?

Next, we meet up with Steve's child, Blanca, and Robyn's child, Wilmer …