The Orphangae and La Salsa!

On Wednesday morning, we visited a local orpanage to play with the children. The orpanage was a ten minute walk from the school and was very clean with staff that seemed very interested in the children. We waited in a courtyard and then met the children and went out to their playground that was surrounded by fifteen feet tall concrete walls with razor wire on top...presumably to keep any bad guys out. The playground itself had one of the newest and best climbing structures I have ever seen. Bigger than any I have seen at elementary schools in Charlottesville although it had only one, new, large one in bright, primary colors with tube slides and tic tac toe and many platforms. At first, we talked to the children and both parties were shy. However, within ten minutes a wild soccer game was going on, screaming games of tag, quiet card games and drawing games where several students sat and drew pictures with children. After two hours in the sun on that playground, we were exhausted and it was time for the children's lunch. The best example of the quick intimacy gained is the experience of one of our high school girls who had her little friend climb into her lap and, as she talked to her, the little girl spied gum in the high schooler's mouth and yelled, '' Chiclet'', immediately thrust her fingers in the high schooler's mouth, retrived the gum and popped it into her own mouth. ''Aaaa, bay, say gum I guess.''

On Thursday morning, our activity was salsa lessons. We walked through the cobblestone streets to the studio. In order to get there, we walked through a different market place, one for locals, a food market, where goats were led by and several butchers had raw carcasses hanging in their windows. Be aware that the sidewalks are exactemente 15 inches wide''Jump up on the sidewalk here comes a car! Lean back on the stucco wall of the building behind you or the side mirror may get you! Our teachers lined us up and we began our salsa lesson in a small room with open doorway onto the street, '' Uno, dos, tres.'' '' Uno, dos, tres.'' Once we got the hang of it, we were paired up and bam! La Salsa chicos y chicas??'' Uno, dos, tres.'' '' Uno, dos, tres.''

Our home meals have been good. Breakfasts I have yogurt, granola, fresh papaya or banana, lots of orange juice that is actually something like Sunny D, the boys have Frosted Flakes, Coco Flakes, Lupos de Frutos, and huevos...scrambled eggs. Lunch is the big meal of the day and we have had the following...arroz con pollo...rice and chicken, carne con pollo...rice and beef....stir fry with chicken and vegtables....spaghetti with meat and tomato sauce...dinners are smaller, twice we have had fried plantains with fresh, thick cream and refried beans, fried tortillas with refried beans or salsa and cheese.

Some views of the city in which we are living--Quetzaltenango or Xela (Shay-la).