Finding our Stride

Yesterday was still a bit of an adjustment as we took in our new surroundings and all that make up Antigua. We pretty much walked the whole city (at least the main part of it) and while lunch was a success it took us way too long to find the supermarket where SIM cards could be purchased. Ironically it turned out that it is quite close to our current home. After struggling to grasp Spanish and not enough clarity on what we were buying, we walked out with two SIM cards and local number for Q100 (about $13). Mission accomplished!

Then we checked out places to take Spanish lessons as there are over 20 in Antigua. We chatted with a few and then ultimately picked one which we felt was a good fit - we start Saturday. After that we went back for dinner and pretty much crashed - though not all got a good sleep as SJ was up for most of the night and mom bore the brunt of the effect.

This morning we reported to the project and helped hand out food to some of the moms of students. Only the poorest of the poor attend this school and the entire operation is funded by donation and sponsors. It really is an impressive operation and somewhat famous in Antigua we have learned as we have yet to find someone who is not familiar with the organization. This was hard work but very enjoyable as the women receiving the food were so appreciative and friendly. We loaded up very sketchy bags which the women brought for about 90 minutes and were all a bit sweaty when done. One of the employees said at times he does it alone so he was most appreciative too. We didn't get any really great photos of the whole thing because we were all busy but here are a few. After this we hung around for a little while meeting a few others but then decided to go do something as our time next week is pretty much booked between volunteering and Spanish lessons. What we did though (hike a volcano) will have to be another post as the internet speed makes this a bit of a chore, it was too amazing to highlight quickly, and it's late.