End of first week

Hey everyone

So i have just finished my first work week at Casa Guatemala. It was really awesome, but I have to admit I am a wee bit homesick. I actually considered giving up and coming home way early, but i thought I should stick it out. Anywhoo we have worked for only three days and are utterly exhausted. The first day we only painted but we painted in a small enclosed room for 4 hours. Not only were we painting in the small room, where the paint got to our head and we made silly songs, but we were painting planks of wood that would become the ceiling. It was so incredibly monotonous, but the other girls were with me wich made it bearable. The next day Cat and I got to start putting up the boards and make a small part of the ceiling. It was really hard to hammer the nails upwards, and also we had to hand saw all the peices. Today was my favourite work day. Most of the girls were put on the task of putting in the walls to the bathroom in the medical clinic. We also finally got electricity routed to the clinic so we didnt need to hand saw anymore; thank god! it was really hard work, but time went by really fast. we are working with two really funny guys named Hector and Ermando. there is quite a big language barrier, but they are funny. When we were painting they were working underneath the clinica and we could hear them making fun of us talking andgigling in really high pitched voices. It was hilarious.

As for the Casa, the kids are really cute. There is one girl Diana that came and tucked ME into bed last night because she knew i was tired. She is six years old, but can already speak a little english. The other kids are great also. We are sleeping in the same building as the girls, which kinda sucks becasue they get up at 4 in the morning. It isnt so bad though becasue breakfast is at 6 and we start work by 7. The other hard part at being at the orphanage is that we have some kinds of bugs, we think gnats, that live in out beds with us. They dnt bite, but they hop around all night which gets kinda annoying. Also the electricity goes off at 8:30 so everything after that is by candelight... ARGH. But other than that it is great. There are monkeys that live around the orphanage, which sound like rabid dogs, it was kinda scary the first night. We saw some today and one peed on kaya! It was funny.

Another thing i have found quite odd is how much Casa G reminds me of Keats. The kids line up for breakfast every meal and are let in, and the whole place is run kind of like a summer camp. There is a little tienda that is like the mariners in, and the kids live in bunk beds and have one volunteer that works with them. The whole atmosphere of the place is much like keats.

I have also managed not to get sick yet...YAY

Miss home lots,
Char