This morning was pretty typical again, aside from having to get a picture of the clouds settling on the mountains in the background. I think just about all of my children (especially Kaylyn) have said that they like waking up to the views here because it is absolutely beautiful! Being Friday, and with me leaving on Tuesday, this was my last "big circle". They decided to go back indoors again, so last week was my only true big circle. We were in the Comedor and the Grandecitas recited their verses, then the man that leads the Alabama team that is here is named Rick. He talked about the meaning of Emmanuel...God with us. And then talked about Adam and Eve, Noah, Daniel, and the 3 men in the lion's den (Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego) and how God was with them every step of the way. The team handed out blue "glow in the dark" bracelets that had Honduras written on one side and Emmanuel written on the other. They are a really beautiful color when they glow!
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| Morning view with clouds settling on the mountains |
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| Grandecitas reciting their verses |
I headed to the Toddler House, but when I got to the area outside where they wash socks and other things in a cement tub-like structure that has a built-in washboard (I should really take a picture of this), one of the big girls asked if I could carry the huge pot of spaghetti with her to the Panaderia so they could put it in the fridge and save it until lunch. I believe this is left over Team House food that they pass on to either the babies (and their moms) or the Toddler House to use for lunch the next day. So we walked this super-sized pot filled with spaghetti and sauce to the Panaderia. Lourdes was there and making tortillas, so I naturally asked her what they were for and she said she would be making burritos to sell later. So I ordered two - one for me, and one for Noah.
Then I walked back to the Toddler House. I had downloaded the Emoji movie earlier in the week from Netflix and let the bigger girls know that I would be mirroring my phone to the TV for the kiddos to watch, because they have a limited amount of movies to watch on their TV. So we enjoyed that for the length of the show and when it was over, Noah arrived just in time to hand me one of the burritos. We walked back together because I needed to get back to my math lessons. Actually I had finished the chapter lessons yesterday and just now need to make an answer key for all of the homework problems. I worked on math for about an hour and then used the rest of the time before lunch to cut up the tomatoes and cilantro so it would be ready for the guacamole this afternoon. I finished just in time to head to the Comedor, where they were serving potatoes with vegetables and a freshly made bun.
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| Burrito made by Lourdes |
After lunch, I came back and worked on more math answer keys (I will be done before Monday) and then had to cut the avocados. That is when my accident happened. I had set the knife down (which was VERY sharp by the way), and it began to wobble on the edge of the cutting board. I went to grab the handle and as my hands began to close around the knife, it tipped upward and fell, cutting my pinky finger pretty well (since my hand was in the process of closing around the knife) as it dropped to the floor. Instant blood. I grabbed the towel to put pressure on it, picked up the knife and put it in the sink and then headed to my room for the triple antibiotic and my bandaids. Thankfully I have learned what all should get packed into my suitcase over the years for this trip! As I came back into the kitchen, the entire time putting pressure on my finger with the towel, I saw quite a few drips of blood...oh boy. I kept pressure on a bit longer as I opened the bandaid and got the antibiotic ready. Then I turned the kitchen sink water on, ran my finger under it (more blood) and applied more pressure while drying the wound. The next steps had to be done as quickly as possible. Put the antibiotic on, and get the bandaid on with the same amount of pressure the towel was on (more blood). When that was done, I realized that I needed a 2nd bandaid because the first was a bit "gooey" from the antibiotic and might not stick very well...so I got the 2nd bandaid. I could see the blood soaking into the bandaid, but at some point it seemed to stop. And thankfully no throbbing of the wound. I will check it out tomorrow morning if the bandaids last that long.
I finished cutting the avocados and mixed in all the other ingredients. It didn't have as many tomatoes as I wanted it to have and it had way more white onions than I was ready for, but it turned out pretty well and at supper time, it was "Noah approved". I normally make guacamole for the kitchen staff as a thank you for all the meals they have served me while I have been here. Noah also asked if I could serve it to the big boys and him as well, so I made a little extra. I took it down to Oscar, who got pretty excited. There were 4 girls there who were going to help serve all the bowls and they asked what smelled so good, so I served them a teaspoon size portion into their hands to try it. They all really liked it. Normally most kids don't like veggies, and raw veggies even less...so that was a nice surprise that they all liked it.
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| Chopping avocadoes (before the accident) |
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| Guacamole |
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| Big Boys serving |
I headed to the Tienda to wait for the toddlers to come through to the Comedor (since they pass right by the Tienda on their way). When Brithany came by, she came up by me to give me a hug. I took her to the Tienda window and ordered some blue Chokis (cookies like ChipsAhoy) for her to eat only AFTER she finished her supper. I let her know that if she didn't finish her supper, they would be given to someone else. I headed into the Comedor for a little bit. All the big boys were excited about the guacamole and said Thank You. Then I headed to the house to do an unexpected load of laundry (due to the knife incident). Noah stopped by after supper to drop off some flashlights, a solar charging block, and the huge water filter I had brought down in April. He leaves tomorrow, so would most likely be busy all morning distributing a bunch of his things that he will be leaving down here as well as saying some good-byes.
Nora and I and a few others (but not all staff, as they are spreading that out over the days the team is here) were invited to the Team House for dinner tonight. This will be my last team dinner for 2024. It was good, and we chatted a bit. On the way back to the Volunteer House, Nora just about stepped on a huge toad, so she shrieked and grabbed me, and when I saw it I jumped a little bit...but would have jumped moreso had it been a tarantula or a snake. And we laughed back to the house. We chatted for a bit there before calling it a night. My days here are winding down fast, so I will need to make sure I am taking each one in and making the best of it from here on out.
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| Typical Team House dinner |
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