parte 6: visitors and flea markets

Things here have been BUSY! I feel like time is going so quickly but so slowly at the same time.

It feels as though a lot of people have been coming and going in the past few weeks. I can only imagine what its like for Janna and Nikki during the rest of the year.
Nikki's friend Heather headed home after being here for 5ish weeks. She's from Ontario and is HALARIOUS. It was nice to have her around.

So the same day that Heather left, Nikki's mom came with Janet's sister. They were only here for a week, visiting people and taking a trip to Cuenca during that time. Last thursday night Janet and Myrna stayed in Heather(a different Heather who is here semi-permanently) and my home. it was like Christmas as they were trying to pack up the stuff that they bought while in Cuenca. Janet was organizing things tosend to her friends at home and Myrna was trying to fit it all in her two check through bags.

Apparently now there are two other Canadians here too, but I havent seen them. They just got here yesterday and I think they're doing their own thing for the most part and I'm not sure I'll even meet them.

FLEA MARKET

As Canadian teams have been coming down to help with different camps and building projects they've been bringing spare clothes, bedding items, shoes, and other things that one might find at a value village or frenchy's at home in Canada, to be distributed amongts the people here.
There was SO much stuff that we decided to doa flea market to get rid of it and to also help raise money to fix the room in the gym at the school.

It was laid out a lot like a frenchy's store at home would be, except that everything was way cheaper than at home. Most items were under $1.50, many of the clothes being new and donated by kind people at home.
When the doors opened at 9, only the parents of students in the school were allowed to come in. We wanted to give priority to them because we know so many of their stories and the needs that go along with their lives. After an hour anyone who wanted to come in was welcome!

A few hundred people, of all ages and interests, came through the gymnasium doors in the matter of four or five hours, resulting in great finds, and in the end a super final total to go towards the gym roof.
There were lots of different items to be founds, with a wide variety of colors, styles, and textures. Such as about 40 humongo scrubs-green buttom up bowling shirts what said something about a happy club. Or these orange jerseys that these "niños" found.

L-R: Grego, Nayber(? spelling), Raul, Juan Carlos, Reynaldo, Orlando, Manuel
Daniel and I chose outfits for oneanother while we were cleaning up. We're a great looking pair, no? All in all it was a really fun event, and people are already asking when the next one will happen!