Saturday, September 11, 2010

Day 27: Last Day at Los Pipitos! :(

School Children on Parade
Today was the last day at Los Pipitos. We were very sad to be leaving the children! We went to the market in the morning and bought watermelon and oranges - the kids never seem to have fruit or vegetables! On the way, we saw a huge parade of younger school children, obviously celebrating Independence Day.
Parade of School Children


Rather than only candy in the pinata, we had toys and other treats to mix with a little candy and Elvis bought a large pinata. It was only about $5.00!
Lily and the Watermelons

We wanted to finish decorating the clinic before we left, and we picked up spray paint with a plan to have the kids spray paint stencils that Rodolfo had them make yesterday. As it turned out, the job was much messier than we thought it would be and, after having one of the older children give it a try, we decided that Elvis should do the rest. 
Elvis and the Pinata

Whacking the Pinata!
The pinata party was well received! All the kids took turns with the bat and it was exciting to see how happy they were scrambling for the toys and candy tumbling to the floor! 
Another Turn at the Pinata

There was dancing and music, and even the children in wheelchairs were able to participate. When it was time for us to leave, one of the children was tearful, which was surprising because he was one of the bigger, heftier kids who you wouldn't think would be emotional. There were hugs all around and we promised to TRY to come back.

Stenciled Sea Creatures on the Clinic Wall
Wearing Gas Masks due to Sulfur Vapors
We had a tour booked to see the bat caves, which Christine missed on Monday, as did my husband, Jay. So, we met the driver at 4:00 and went back to Masaya. We were quite lucky - it DIDN'T RAIN!! We were able to see the glow of lava in the volcano crater, which we missed on Monday due to the bad weather. Unfortunately, we couldn't get it on film, so it will just be a memory in our minds. There were SO MANY BATS!! I think I'm over my fear of them!

Bats - Perfect for Halloween!

We met for drinks at happy hour and Jay and I went to the Monna Lisa Restaurant for dinner. The others went dancing.

Tomorrow will be our last day in Nicaragua. We will be packing and getting ready for our 4:00 A.M. ride to the airport Sunday morning. I hope to be in a better frame of mind at some point next week, when I can pull my thoughts together and share some reflections of our trip. The experience was one we will never forget!

A Sad Farewell to Los Pipitos Kids!
 

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