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Disclaimer:  The Original travel journal entry is written in italics. Addenda and clarified thoughts are written in regular print.

Hurry up and wait again seems to be the mantra of the day. Breakfast was earlier (7am) with the intent of leaving at 7.30am, but it’s now 7.55am and we’re waiting. I guess there was miscommunication with the van. Today is our first full work day.

Breakfast was scrambled eggs, sausage slices and mashed yucca. Again, delicious.

Our painting project might be delayed. Was just told that the stucco for the house has yet to be done. We’ll know more when we get to Pimentel.

While the Paint Crew waited for clear directions, we helped Amy, Anna and Nikki get ready for their Arts and Crafts day at the satellite school.

Once we go there, our plans changed again. There seemed to be a conflict with the woman’s family and our intent to paint her house. She has cancer and was home instead of the hospital which was expected. Then there was the question of if she or her family really wanted the painting done in the first place.

In the end, we left that house and moved to another house. The second house belonged to one of the school’s cleaning ladies and her family. We mostly dealt with her husband, Danel. He didn’t speech English and we didn’t speak Spanish but we made it work.

At Danel’s house. Jr stayed long enough to serve as translator to get us started.
Danel taking off stickers from the front door. The stickers have the names of God printed on them.

The plan was to paint his tan colored house white – at least the street view. Then we were to trim it in yellow.

Paint crew unite! Where’s Aiden?!

It took a bit of time to get the paint open but once we did we were off. Aiden and I started on the street side and the girls and Anderson started on the porch. In no time we got a lot done but needed a step ladder to reach the highest areas.

We eventually got a ladder and took a lunch break. Lunch was at the school cafeteria with all the students joining us. Rice, chopped chicken and veggies were the menu and again it was delicious.

This is Julia. She’s a student and artist and her mother works at the school. She and Aurelie became close friends during the week. I hope their friendship continues to grow in the coming years.

After lunch we headed back to Danel’s house. Aiden and Fiona finished the high white areas and we [the rest of us] started on the yellow trim. The yellow paint was very thin and took three coats to even look good. We only had three brushes so we got bottlenecked because two of the brushes were being used for white touch up. However, we did the best we could with what we had and by the end of the afternoon the house was finished. It looks beautiful if I do say so myself. We’re going back tomorrow morning to do touch up and to paint the interior of the house. Then in the afternoon we are going to a chocolate factory

The house ‘Before’
The house ‘After’. Not bad, eh?

Oh, I almost forgot ~ I met a kitten! So tiny and so cute! It had an eye infection. I gave it a drop of Besivance and will check on it tomorrow.

Dinner was boiled plantations, fried cheese, pork, hard boiled eggs and pickled onions.