Huambalo!

And now, from the Project standpoint at least, the main event: today, we visited the center at Huambalo.

Alas, it was a low attendance day: heavy rains make it hard for many kids to get there, and others were off somewhere else with siblings who were on vacation. Still, though, there were many of our favorite familiar faces, and hugs and hellos sent out from everyone. Miguel is 17! Santiago can sit up unsupported! Andreaita has MUCH better trunk control! Impish little Maria is almost a young lady now, though she still has the same mischeivious grin. Norma´s doing very well, and would very much like to hear from Andrea and Stacey.

And wow, look what they´ve done with the place. A cluster of new rooms has sprung up in the land behind the main building: they´re halfway done with a swimming pool and gymnasium. There´s play equipment everywhere: in what I´ve come to see as a typical Ecuadorian ¨¿por qué no?¨exuberance, this includes a slide in the dining room. Gladys is working with the director of Tungarahua´s association for people with disabilities to nudge the center towards a micro-enterprise (baking and selling bread)--even without that, director Monica has her hands full.

The photos we did two years ago are still front and center in the therapy room, and everyone had warm wishes to send Stateside for you all. Tilden folks, the book donations were very well appreciated: I couldn´t get a picture of the kids with the books, though, because the teachers are going to figure out distribution between the classrooms later.

And with that, alas, my work is done here. Everything, everything, EVERYTHING but Huambalo is closed for the summer, and Gladys has to work at her son´s business because he had to go to Quito for a spinal operation. Bridgett, we´re in well under budget and we have plenty of good leads to go on for Project 2010. Miguel´s mother did use the command, not suggestion, form for opining that we ALL need to be in Huambalo next year, but of course, time will tell.