guatemala3

Yesterday we worked for half the day, and both sites are nearly half completed with foundations and up to the windows of the houses. We then had lunch with our families, with many tears over how quickly people can become attached and mean something to one another. We then had an official "despedida" or goodbye party, with both families, again more speaches and a lot of emotion.

After that, we went to a house dedication for another family. It was great to see a house that was completed, especially for the students. The National Board for Habitat was there, as well as Luis, the Director of HG. I met several of the board members, including the current president and the founder of HG, which was terrific. Linfield College was mentioned several times, and the President of the Board mentioned how impressive it was to have these students working on their spring break. They also saw how our students immediately started playing with the kids, including a pick up game of soccer on a dusty field nearby, before things got going. Linfield students are amazing, as they generally are very positive and willing to go with the flow of things--very little happens on schedule here, but they deal with it well.

We are currently in Antigua for a bit of an afternoon off. We have been to markets and bought coffee, and relaxed a bit. We will have our last dinner together tonight, and then we fly out at noon tomorrow.