Monday - Lunchtime and Afternoon Activities

It is a great honor for families to host teams like us for lunch in their home, so on Monday they split us into two groups of six to be able to eat in two homes.  One group had the translator, and the other group had Aron Martino and Gail Dean (who has been studying Spanish using Duolingo) to piece together the conversation like a funny puzzle.  When they return to Pittsburgh - ask them about that lunch!  

After lunch, we went to the school house for the afternoon activities.  Kyra Carlson kicked off a game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" using Spanish words, and it was a huge hit!  The kids played for almost 30 minutes with lots of laughter and screams of joy coming from that room, while all the parents watched and laughed as well.

We then switched activities to the crafts.  Some of us painted nails for the kids and the women.

While a large group of us engaged in showing everyone how to make a necklace name tag with beads.  This activity was a little chaotic because everyone in the village wanted to make this necklace: men, women, and children of all ages - so there were a lot of people in a very small school room!  

Little simple beads are something we take for granted that they absolutely loved.  The craft was a hit and at the end of the hour there was nothing left of the supplies!

Some of the team were brave enough to run around in the 90 degree heat and engage in a fun game of "football" or what we call soccer.  

Oleg had some serious soccer moves and we were able to score some goals with great passing and team work by Leah, Kai, and Brooke.

The interaction between their children and ours allows our team to bond with this village so much faster than if we only brought adults.