Los Toros

Apparently all of this talk about rainy season is just hype (we'll regret these words later). The month of July has been beautiful here, we have hardly seen any rain at all. Even better, it is slightly cooler with the clouds, so it is even better for outdoor activities. Nick came to visit for a week and may be more accustomed to the heat than we are since he´s been in Texas for the past few years. The first night we took him to a friend´s house where we decided to get a poker game going. Three sets of pocket kings later (one of which matched extra nicely with the pair of kings that appeared during the flop), Nick had put everyone to shame and raked in about $60. Great way to start a vacation!

During the week it was really busy here because we also had one of the foundation's administrators from Georgia visiting. She was so excited to see the progress on the houses (we now have all the walls done for four houses and a partial roof on one). As always, she was a great sounding board for us to really figure out what is the best way to maximize the benefits for the future homeowners.

One of the highlights of Nick´s week was to get in a dose of culture at a local fiesta. We ate lots of meat on a stick and drank beer as we watched the bullriding festivities. Not only does someone ride the bull, but there are also about 50 people in the ring trying to run from the bull once he throws the rider off. Thankfully no one was gored in the process, but at least three people were rushed to the first aid center on one edge of the bull-ring when they were unsuccessful in running from the bull. Also in the ring were the town drunks who were getting as many cheers from the crowd for their performance as the bullriders were. Afterward, we went dancing where Nick proceeded to put the rest of us Gringos to shame with his dancing abilities.

After Nick left, the fun times continued as we celebrated Leslie´s birthday. It was a fantastic weekend (and following week!) Miah was full of excellent surprises and gave an awesome sweatshirt he had designed. The slogan matches an old recipe box from Leslie´s grandmother.

Starting next week, we're having the equivalent of a Costa Rican blitz build. A group of nearly two dozen folks is coming down from the states to help us put together two more houses at the Chircó site. We can't wait to get these houses finished and to get some families in to them. We'll have lots of pictures and I'm sure some exciting stories to share when the week's over. Check back soon!

Love you all,
TeamWander