HAHA

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sunset over the guayas river - the bridge to Duran
 I have now arrived to month ten of my volunteer year. These last three months have been the heaviest of my experience due to the climate and politics of the environment I live in. But I choose not to let that define these months entirely for there have been many wonderful memories made. Birthdays were celebrated, meals were cooked with neighbors, sillyness abounded in neighborhood visits, and we recently retreated in Manabi with the Rostro community. Life in its fullness includes good and bad, darkness and light, pain and joy, "un poco de todo" (a little of everything) as one of our neighbors Elisa likes to say. She also likes to say HAHA out loud after anything remotely funny or sarcastic, like this face her daughter Yendri painted for me:
 
 So I decided I would share the HAHA moments, moments of joy, laughter and fun,
 that have enlivened me these past months.
getting our nails done!
Suleika got her face painted too!
Coli caught me scraping off the cocolon of this pot. Cocolon is the crispy rice at the bottom of the rice pot. It tastes real good with hot sauce and is helping me not get sick of rice!!


Trying to dance pose after Heidi´s balet class performed. Coli and I clearly did not take balet classe when we were young!
These three little friends of mine were so excited to balet, so proud to watch them dance so joyfully.
Made pancakes for our friend Bolivar. He ate ten of them!!!
Silly pix with Bolivar´s family!

Suleika eating the mix of the chocolate cake Dayana and I baked for her mom. She is so adorable!

Suprise bday cake for Elisa was a success
Celebrating Yesenia´s bday
being silly with Dayana, one of my dearest friends who reminds me a lot of my sister
she also taught me how to cook estofado de carne!
view from my room on retreat in Manta, Manabi
on a boat to our banana, we only fell off once!
sinai vols on the beach
"Joy does not simply happen to us. 
We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."
-Henri Nouwen, Here and Now

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