Adult education

Currently I am teaching an Adult how to read in Spanish. She is 28 and has never been to school. I have some parts of a program designed for adults and she is doing well and is motivated. I used this program a few years ago to teach a 3rd grader how to read after she didn't learn in school. She learned and has finished 7th grade.

Graciela is back

Yesterday the three girls, Ana, Susy, and Rosa, went back to the home so I am sort of on vacation! Yea!! Today Graciela came back from Changuinola, Bocas del Toro after a two week visit with her family. She went to rest right away but I think she had a good visit. More later.

Hi Again

I'm back. Now all of the kids have been to camp and returned. Rosa is also staying with me since her family did't pick her up after camp. She is happy to be here. Since all of the girls live at Hogar de Niñas, which will reopen from vacation tomorrow, not picking up a girl isnot as bad as it might sound. We have all just gotten up and the girls are feeding the cats and now will get ready for the day.

Hot and Dry

It is hot and dry here!!! This is 'summer' (no rain) and it is usually hot but dry? Tomorrow the youngest kids go off to camp and the ones there now will comeback. I will have Susy until the 27th and her sister Ana will join me when she gets back from camp on the 24th. Friday we will go pick up Susy's new glasses.

Camp

Yesterday I sent off 9 kids to our Youth Camp, 6 from the girls' home and 3 from St. Pauls. Now I am enjoying two days of quiet - Ana is visiting one of the other workers at the home, Mariella, so she and Mariella's daughter Pati can play together.

Family Visit

Today we had a family visit with Susy and Ana at McDonalds. They are Kuna indiginas and live in Panama city in smething lik highrise public housing. I go to pick them up near a community feeding program building for the children of the area. Susy and Ana are with me as they cannot live with their family. Susy, who is 10, saw her Dad for the first time! Then we went to McDonalds and they have food (which I get) and they eat together and play in the play area and I sit away from them and read and do sudoku. It was a great visit.

Graciela

Graciela (our adolescent with chronic kidney failure) and her mom went to Changuinola, Bocas del Toro today for a 2 week visit with her family. She went will all her dialysis equiptment. She is sleeping at one of our churche's rectories so she will have clean water and electricity to do dialysis!

Glasses

We went and had Susy's eyes tested. She was very cooperative and we also got a discount! They will be ready in a week. These glasses are much stronger in the frames than before! And she likes the frames she picked out! Pink.

Wow

Graciela and her mother are about to goto Changuinola to see her family - this time for 2 with dialysis equipment and all. And we got two free round trip tickets donated by Air Panama!!!

Wonderful news today!

Two great things happened today. A friend called me to say she had found someone to donate enough money for Susy to get a new eye test and a new pair of glasses. This is great because she cant see well even though she learned to read in second grade last year (we are in school vacation now).

I also received notification of receiving a large donation to help a young women in Medical School. There is a group of us supporting and this donation is really wonderful.

A nice Sunday

Today we went to Church at St. Paul's where I go almost every Sunday. We have a 'feed the hungry program' for which I have much responsibility. We serve sandwiches, cookies and juice to about 40 to 50 people who live a lot of their lives hungry. Today we only had sandwiches and cookies as I was too tired yesterday to buy 50 juiceboxes! It is nice to see the people over and over and some days like today some who have been away a time come back. Several of them help serve and clean up and put away tables and chairs.

The two younger girls (Susy and Ana) and I went out for lunch. At the restaurant there is a young woman clown who paints faces which the girl´s love.

A a rest we went as we often do to a nice playground near one of the Episcopal Churches' Schools. It gives them a chance to run around and let off steam.

Hope many of you have had a good day!

Hello Again!!!!

This is a quick note to say that I am starting blogging again. It is part of a resolution to connect again with people I know. Here we are in january, Summer here - the dry season! School was over in December and the Hogar is resting and the kids are with relatives or friends of the home. I have three, Susy (10), Ana (8) and Graciela (17) with me until the end of January. I plan to write at least once a week and will learn to upload pictures again!