Michelle writes:
Yesterday, while studying my Spanish flash cards and sitting in the plaza, I watched three children playing on the bit of grass. The oldest child--a girl about 8 or 9--climbed up on the fountain's wall to fill an empty Coke bottle with water. On the other side of the fountain, a man was wringing out his shirt and washing his face. Leaves and clippings were floating in the water. I watched to see if the children would drink this less-than appetizing-water.
No, the girl washed off the little boy's feet and poured some water on his head--the usual kid stuff. Then the children noticed me and came over to see what I was doing besides drinking a Coke. The little boy really wanted a drink. I asked him if he had a vaso ( cup), and later, he did find an empty water bottle.
The older girl knew her business: she talked to me, telling me her name and those of her siblings or friends. I asked if I could take their picture. When I did, she wanted the camera next, so I let her take a picture as well, before putting it away, because now they all wanted the camera.
The girl disappeared, but she was back in minutes with shawls woven by her mother, telling me there are more colors and aren't they pretty? I ended up walking over to where her mom was in the central area to check out their wares. Of course, I bought. How can you turn down these sweet children?
It was nice to have this morning when the air was cool. I plan to bring shawls back from Santiago Ixcan to support their project, and coffee from God's Child Project, one of their money makers.
Speaking of fund-raising, The Scheel Center (see earlier blog post: Part 12) is in the process of raising $10, 000 to fund their school here. Their deadline is Easter Sunday, April 24th, and they've already raised $4,000. If you want to contribute, please go to www.globalgiving.org. Type "Scheel Center" into the website's search box, and you'll find donation options that will benefit The Scheel Center.
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