Day 2!

Today we woke up and had some awesome, fredh, tropical fruit for breakfast. It was great to try new things like (what I think was mango juice) [editor's note: it was passionfruit juice!] and papaya. After that we headed to Duran, an area right outside the city if Guayaquil, for church. We did a silent bus ride exercise, and it was eye-opening to see the transition from the stone/brick buildings of the city to the cane houses of the outer land.

Church was amazing. There was so much energy in the open-air room that was the church; kids running up and down the aisles and vibrant clapping to the songs. Afterward, one of Beth's volunteer friends, Molly, came over to chat with us about the area we were in. 15 years ago the area called Arbolito didn't really exist, now there are over 200 people at each of the two Masses on Sundays! Then, the priest Fr Juan Pablo came over to talk to us about his story. 

Then came the moment we were all waiting for...we headed to Damien House! We first ate lunch-- lentils, rice, plantains, and chicken (but no chicken for me, Beth or Sister Annie!). Lunch was ANAZING, the food was so good, and the conversation was great. I personally talked to Jocelyn, a 17 yr old girl who volunteers at Damien House, and who just found out she was accepted to be a Youth Ambassador to the US from Ecuador (1 of 12). 

After lunch we unpacked, organized and bagged all of the donations we brought in our suitcases. Marissa and I were dubbed "Team Hot Mess (THM)" because of our overwhelming failure with what started out as "women's tops" and what ended up as "women's sweaters/pajamas."

After that, which proved to be quite an exhausting feat, we were sent to hang out with the patients. First, I went and played Chinese checkers with a woman named Ester (she won) and then I went to play Dominoes with some of the men (I swept with five straight wins). 

After that, it was time to say goodbye and head back to Tangara, where I am currently awaiting dinner cooked by the collaborative efforts of Emma and Ryan. 

All in all it's been an eventful first day, and though we can't wait to see what the rest of the week has in store, we are practicing being present in each moment, and letting tomorrow come when it does.

¡Hasta luego! -Marissa V.