Me encanta el lordo!

Today us CEC'ers went to a site up in the mountains to visit. It was beautiful! First we watched a presentation at the school of some local dances put on by some of the kids. It was very cute. Then we hiked up a mountain (which I discovered is a little more difficult in this kind of heat and humidity) and the views from the top were absolutely amazing. From one end you could just see all across Panama and then we walked along the ridge to the other side where down in the valley there was another town and yea, it was just gorgeous. Then we had lunch, made for us by some of the locals who are working with the volunteer at that site, it was delicious. And then we went back down and helped a family who was rebuilding a mud house that was demolished in some extremely heavy rains last year. So some of us got down to it - took off our shoes and waded into the mud pile with the padres of the familia. It was pretty fun, squishing down on the mud and kicking around dry dirt into the wet mud to make more. I took pictures, I'll put them up sometime. Then the grass fronds were added to the mud so bricks could be made and they were folded around the sticks that made up the frame of the house and a wall emerged. It was quite cool. And the children of the family were quite friendly and entertaining. The dogs around here though, whoo! They are tiny, and not fed. It's kind of sad. But yea, all in all it was a very exciting, full, tiring, fun day full of lots of new sights and adventures. I loved it. I do hope to get to see a site on the coast sometime soon though, but we'll see. I still want to be placed there, even after seeing the mountains. :) And tomorrow it's off to Santa Clara to meet my host family! Woot! :)