Day 6

Slowly, little by little, our dirt pile is getting smaller. After two days of work we have hauled about 4/5 of it up the steep slope to the Jungle School. They have started mixing the concrete for the foundation, made the steel frames for the corners of the classroom, but we still have more dirt to haul up the hill. It is the pile that never ends. After the dirt, we have a pile of probably 250 bricks that need to go up. And the work is not easy. I don't think I have ever been dirtier in my life, from pure sweat and dirt that is rubbed under the sunscreen. We basically sweat out everything we drink, hauling dirt bags up the hill. It will feel so good once we are done.

We were counting the minutes until lunch, and waiting for Nicolas to arrive. Those were some of the longest minutes I've felt. Lunch tasted that much better for all our work. Chicken, rice, watermelon, and assorted veggies (i'm not quite sure what they were)- delcious. A few extremely emancipated dogs hung around the work site and we gave them some leftovers. One jumped into the trashcan to eat the chicken bones. It is the small things like that which really remind you that you are in Honduras.

The school was in session while we were working, and it was amazing seeing all of the kids in their uniforms, with their school books. It showed what good work HHK is doing in Honduras. There were so many kids packed into the two classrooms, but you could see how focused they were and happy to be there. Well most of them at least, discounting the two cutest four year old boys who ditched class to work with the big boys hauling dirt up the hill. When we asked why they weren't in class, they said with attitude "estamos trabajando!". But how can you get mad at that? The kids left school at 12:30 and as they piled into the bus and drove away they stuck their heads out at us and waved and yelled our names.

As 2 o'clock rolled around, all of us piled into our own bus, sweaty and dirty. Showers were in order back at the hotel, and we rubbed layers of dirt off of ourselves. A short rest and some shopping, in which the boys picked up their machetes, and we left for the Hogar. As always the kids were waiting at the gate as we arrived, waving and smiling their adorable smiles. Alexis brought her crafts, and we pulled out the hand puppets to make. Each of them loved to draw on theirs and make the tongues and eyes. A huge hit (Thank you Pam!). Rachel had a notebook in which each of the kids wrote things down and some of the things they said were absolutely adorable and so cute. We went onto facebook and showed them photos of our families and friends (and novios, which they love to hear about) and their faces were so cute as they looked at how we live. All of the kids are convinced that Danny is Caitlin's novio, because that's what she told them, and every picture of him with another girl they called him a cheater. As we left I felt overwhelmed because on Wednesday when we have to say goodbye it is going to be so difficult. But not thinking about that now....

Dinner at El Gordo's and I definitely feel like el gordo now. Piles of meet, I don't even know what, and plenty of leftovers. Rachel and Britta sampled the liver on accident. We stopped at a Baskin Robins / Dunkin Donuts for dessert and are now at the hotel, ready for bed and an exhausting hike tomorrow. Till then. Goodnight.