Shopping, soccer, and sparkles

Today our day was action packed and fun filled. We started it off by piling into the bus and driving to the local market.  However, This was not like your average "farmers market". There was raw meat everywhere which wouldn't have been so bad, except there are no refrigerators to speak of. To add to the experience, it was pouring cats and dogs. Which wouldn't have been that bad because the market stores were covered in tarps. Yet, somehow, me and all my 5'5 glory kept managing to hit my head on the tarps and thus, become soaked. The fruit and vegetables were really interesting as well but (seeing as Im a foodie) it would take paragraphs to describe, so I'll spare you.

After exploring the market, we met at a whole sale food shop where we were going to buy large bags of rice, sugar, and beans to package into small bags later. At that moment, however, Nicaragua decided to attack and we were presented with the news that our bus had broken down. This led to all of us being transported back to the orphanage in the back of a Toyota truck, which was quite a sight to see. Following lunch, we were able to pack all the beans and rice and sugar into over 200 care packages for families. 

Then came the part of the day where we headed up to the orphanage to do crafts and games with the kids. What started off as decorating foam visors, quickly turned into a soccer game between the Maskito boys and the dads/younger boys of the Nicateam. To set the scene, it had been raining all day and there were puddles and pools of mud everywhere! Let's just say, no one came out of that game clean. They had to hose off before the moms even thought about letting them into the rooms to shower!

We all got a small respite from playing when we had dinner. But it soon ended, as the boys went off to wrestle and play games while the girls set up for girl night. Girls night consisted of painted nails, straightened hair, and lots of dancing (including the Cupid shuffle). As the day drew to an end, everyone returned to their rooms tired, but looking forward to tomorrows adventures.

- Amanda Magaldi