Finally, the big day had arrived - the day when we'd be giving away the houses. We had to wake up for an 8am breakfast today, however, we had the whole morning off to chill before the ceremony. For the most part, i was just chilling out, talking with a bunch of the group. At one point, we got a volleyball game going with a soccer ball, which made the game a bit more difficult. By about noon, Carlos showed up with a backpack full of our Camarones volunteer shirts. I wasn't too sure why they decided on black, cotton shirts in a crazy warm place like here, but at least they looked good. I was in the second group to get on the truck, so myself and the others had to wait a good half an hour to show up. It was fine though - we had a nice view of the ocean to look out at while we hung out. When the truck returned for us, we were eager to jump in and get to the celebration. Although we had seen the finished product yesterday, it was still such a thrill to see the finished houses and all the people celebrating among them. The first thing we did was line up and enter from the back. The crowd cheered as we walked in and sat down. It was cool - when I sat down, a little boy sat down on my lap with me. He wouldn't tell me his name but i remember him from yesterday. He really wanted to help us paint so I snuck him the paintbrush for a little bit. He started playing with my sunglasses, so i let him wear them for a bit. After some opening words, some awards were given out. I was called up and given a trophy for raising over $2000. That award surely goes to everyone that contributed and helped in my fundraising efforts! After this, the homes were given out. The families were called up, one by one, and drew a number that represented which house they got. Everyone was so happy. Once everyone had a house, we all sat down for lunch. We had fish, rice, and lots of beer. This village intended to have a party - and it was a party that lasted from lunch until sundown. It seemed like nobody got tired of dancing and drinking and talking and playing. The little kids loved to get up on our shoulders as we danced around. Finally, when there was not enough sunlight to see were we taken back home. I was pretty worn out, so as soon as we got back, I passed out at the dinner table for about 15 mins. We had to wait for pizza to be delivered. After these 15 mins, i was asked to play some pool on the sketchiest pool table you've ever seen. Ripped and uneven felt made skilled shots impossible, but it was still fun. I was so glad when pizza arrived because i was so hungry. After dinner, the two owners of HLD (who are brothers), each chose a table and started a dance off between tables. My table obviously won. Finally, the night finished off with a cards and a few friends. It was a crazy day that i'm sure i'll be feeling tomorrow morning ;)
The guys
No comments:
Post a Comment