7/7/12
Today was our first day in Flor de
la Bastion. First, the whole family went to the apartment that Martin and I are
staying in. We got a ride to Flor de Bastion. He dropped us off where the motor taxis are and
we were able to take that most of the way to where the scholars are. The cost
of the motor taxi was only a quarter each, which I thought was awesome. When we
arrived to the houses the kids were overjoyed to see Martin and meet our
family. We were invited inside by Samantha’s aunt; she offered us watermelon
and something to drink. The house was not built to the same standards I am used to. It didn’t have a roof or
shower, but did have a little fridge and stove in the living room, cardboard for cover, and
one bed. This reminded me of all that I should be thankful for. Although these
people live in small homes and don't have much money, but they find a way to
be happy, thrive, and prosper. We rounded up all the kids then went to the
place where we are able to play with them since it is a weekend and they didn’t
have school. I may not know the language, but there is a universal language
that worked to my advantage: playing. My brothers and I were kicking the ball
around with Christian while my mom showed the rest of the kids how to play the
games we brought. We took Connect 4 and Uno with us to give to the kids. They
loved the games and by the end of the day they were already proficient in
playing both games. They were all shouting with my mom “Comé! Comé! Comé!”
when they had to pick up cards from the deck. It reminded me of what we used to
do as kids which was heartwarming. I can’t wait to see the kids again! The
mother of Lily lives across from the lot we were using so she invited us inside
to eat, but I didn’t want to impose. We had already had a close relationship
with Lily, her mother and Christian because they were there when we landed to
see Martin. They made us feel at home and gave what they had to feed us. Only
my mother, father and brother ate because I truly wasn’t that hungry at the
time. My family wasn’t going to eat there but the mother insisted and had
already prepared the food. She did pour me and my other brother a glass of
homemade orange juice which is probably the best I have ever tasted. We said
our goodbyes, but they surprised us further by walking us all the way back to
the main street to catch the motor taxi. The smallest boy, lily’s little
brother, was running to try to beat us but tired himself out so I picked him up
and put him on my shoulder. The little rascal then started calling me
“Caballo”, which is a horse, and whipped my shoulder to make me go faster so I
pretended to trot then he was saying crazy horse. All in all a great day with
the kids and I can’t believe how awesome some of these families are.
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