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.
