wonderful wednesdays

So here's Wednesday...a day late!  Same morning routine.  Breakfast is scrambled eggs, little smoky sausages, grits (occasionally I have to point the northern groups to the cheese & butter instead of the brown sugar & raisins that they usually put in their oatmeal), fruit, cereal & juice.  After breakfast, it's time for grocery shopping for Thursday breakfast, Thursday dinner & Friday breakfast.  Today, we took Marta, one of our cooks, with us to pick out glasses.  She's been having difficulty seeing lately, so John took her to the eye doctor earlier in the week where they found out she just needed a good pair of reading glasses!  Marta is one of my favorite people down here & we had such a great time looking for glasses & shopping for groceries- and she was so excited and proud of her new specs!   Grocery shopping was a little different than usual as many roads in Texas and Mexico are still closed due to the flooding.  Apparently, there have been no eggs in Piedras for days & Walmart was out as well.  Luckily, we were able to make a second stop at HEB to complete our list. 

On most Wednesdays after shopping, we eat lunch & siesta.  Afterwards we enjoy a free afternoon where the groups (and staff) are able to shop at the market, lounge at the pool, see the city, or just rest.  Because it's the last week for some of us on staff, we had a guiso (traditional Mexican cookout) at Jose's house.  Jose, our construction foreman, and Armondo, another full time CPC construction staffer, are brothers and backyard neighbors.  They live just a few blocks from the Medical Clinic...and just behind the bodega.  They did most of the cooking, while the rest of us enjoyed one of our last days all together!

{Armondo & Jose prepare the vegetables}

{the guiso grill...with meat}

{the American workers & Mexican workers watching the fire}

{more of the staff- from left Christina (library & preschool), Matt (construction), Ashlee (full time Director of Health & Education), Allyson (houseparent, like me), Pancheta (newly full time head Librarian- she's here for a year..or more), Greg (construction), John (full time Director of Construction)}

{post food...everyone is happy}

{Christina, Matt & Armondo even play a quick game of dominos}

After the guiso, I skipped my siesta (and am paying for it today) and went to the market to do some shopping.  Even though I love to go, it's really the first time I've been since I arrive here over a month ago.  When we got back, we went to dinner at La Casita, one of my favorite restaurants in Piedras.  Their specialty is epanadas, which are oh so delightful.  Charra (cheese & refried beans) & Neutella (mixed with cream cheese...a la moda) are my standard go-tos, and did not disappoint at all!  After dinner, we were back in time to make coffee & get to bed. 

On to Thursday....