Happy Turkey Day!
Family and friends of MPI,
This Thanksgiving I am blessed to say that I am grateful for many things. I am grateful for my family, my friends, my MPI family, an awesome boss (gaining brownie points with Bibi), a dozen beautiful, orange, Thanksgiving roses I just bought at the market for $2, my health, my sanity (most days), the opportunity to be down here in Ecuador... the list goes on and on. I do want to say a specific thank you to all of the PDs who came before us and paved the way for the work that we are currently doing down here in Rumiloma. Thank you to the board of MPI and to the original PDs (even though they were in Nicaragua) - without you none of us would be down here working for Manna.
There are other great reasons to be excited about this time of the year - the main reason being that we can now remove the Christmas tree from hiding and crank up the holiday tunes that I have been sneakily listening to for the last week (okay, two weeks). We will be missing Brock as he is spending this holiday in the States with his family and has been insistent that we stifle our Christmas cheer until after this 25th of November. The time has come!
Noel and I setting up our Christmas tree!
The finished product!
Although we are not celebrating Thanksgiving today and instead will be having a feast on Saturday evening, we wish you all the happiest of Thanksgivings. I can only hope you all feel as blessed as I do this Holiday Season.
Mannamor.
Birthdays in Ecuador!
Manna PDs 2010-2011 at C'est La Vie with the owner for Becky's birthday |
Zoë reading Becky's birthday card aloud to the delight of the table. |
Becky and her complimentary cake and balloon at C'est La Vie |
In October we were not lacking for celebration either, as Luke turned 26 in our midst at an all-you-can-eat buffet in Quito. Meats, salads, sides, and desserts from an inexplicable assortment of culinary heritages decorated our table for Luke’s birthday dinner. The meal was followed karaoke, dancing, and more laughter with the entire group – not to mention a champagne cork popped in his honor when a bartender discovered it was Luke’s birthday. A night of friendship and joviality, it seemed the perfect way to mark the passing of another year for Profe Lukay, as our Centro kids so fondly refer to him.
Our two senior men, Luke and Sam, celebrating Luke's birthday! |
Our business class gets off to a running start
Introducing: Don Quixote, Goldie, Fea and Dulcinea
The chickens are adjusting to a new roost so I am trying to cut them some slack but there are a few things we are all hopeful will change before too long. Firstly, we are sincerely hoping they will stop climbing the fence and attempting to make a break for it. Just this morning one of the chickens (Goldie) and our rooster (Don Quixote) almost tasted freedom by finding a hole in the fence. Luckily our fearless boys chased them down and returned them home to safety. Secondly, the rooster has not quite adjusted to a normal crowing schedule. Some days he is quite an eager beaver crowing at 4:30am (must to my chagrin since my room is right next to the coop) and other days he forgets to crow and calls us to lunch around 11:30 or noon. Lastly, the chickens are severely lacking in maternal instinct; we have 7 eggs so far but the chickens refuse to lay on them. From what I know from children's books, chickens are supposed to lay on their eggs and wait for them to hatch. Our chickens would rather run around the coop and hatch plans with El Gallo (Don Quixote) about an eventual escape from their cozy new homes.
Here are a few pictures to show off our lovely new additions to the Manna team:
Don Quixote and Fea commiserating near the trough. They know the boys are coming to get them.
The boys attempting to capture the chickens as they fly, hop and run around the coop.
Brock giving el gallo Don Quixote some lovin'.
Success! Chickens captured. Photo taken.
Until next time!
BesosChaoChao