We stopped next at another community center – the one near Jon and Wilson's houses. It was a much nicer looking place, at least from the outside. This one even had a playground. We did not get a tour of the inside, as we were anxious to take the kids shopping. In the back of my mind, I assumed that we would return there later, but we didn't. Next time I visit, I will definitely make sure to see the inside of the center!
Everybody was waiting in a large covered play area for our arrival: Jonathan and his mother + Wilson, Axel, and their mother + another CI representative.
We all greeted each other and posed for pictures before getting back into the cars and heading out. Both CI ladies came with us – I assume it was one from each project area? Or was it a group leader + a translator, like had been talked about in the visitor's brochure?
I kind of regret not paying more attention to the who's and why's of the representatives. I was too focused on the kids. Both women spoke English in addition to Spanish, so they were interchangeable as interpreters. Both were very friendly and accommodating. The reps seemed just as happy and excited about the visit as the kids and their families were! They were good (maybe a little TOO good, lol) at pushing the sponsors and children together, and making sure we were interacting with each other to the fullest degree.
The only slight complaint I have about our representatives was that they were sometimes discouraging about the extravagant purchases that we were making. I can see their point – kids whose families are hurting for food and other necessities really don't need a $35 toy! But what else were we supposed to do? I'm sure that visiting the modern mall was a lot of fun for children who seldom get to go to such places, but it was hardly an economical place to shop! We were paying only slightly less for things than we would have in the United States, when we would have been better off making our money stretch further for the family. I will have to think about a way to fix this problem next time. I have some ideas along those lines.
In any case, I thought that overall the CI representatives did an excellent job of organizing our group and moving us from one step to the next without being "bossy" or taking control away from the sponsors and what we wanted to do … if that makes any sense?
Victor's Thoughts: The second CI center (in El Progresso) was much nicer. I suspect it was a combination of being in a larger city and the result of some specific sponsor's generous gift. At the time I was much more focused on the kids and getting a move on than looking at the center. A large portion of the day was spent driving - this couldn't be helped because we wanted to see the kids' actual homes, so that meant two center visits, three home visits and then going back later to the three homes to drop the kids off at the end of the day. Because we were a group of five, we were in our own car. If I was there with just myself and perhaps one other person, I would see if I could ride in the CI van with the kids and the translators so I could spend more time with them. Also, for my next trip, I probably wouldn't feel the need to visit them at their houses again so more of the day could be spend doing some other activity given that time is limited.
The translators were very good at their job - with the size of the group it was very useful to have them both. I also had to fight the urge to flirt with one of them as she was quite pretty! They were very organized and I was quite impressed with how they handled the group.
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