Hiking Day (with Charles)

::January 15, 2011::

Today wore me out. I got up about 7 am, not because I had to, but because that seems to be the time I wake up each morning. My roommate Kun is already awake. He seems to always be the last one to bed and the first one to wake up. The group has breakfast at 8:30 and we begin our day. Today we are going to take a hike with several children from an organization called Building a Future. We were told the national park through which we would be hiking would be about an hour and a half away, but the trip takes about an hour. I’m more than a little nervous about hiking with the kids because my Spanish is far from up to par and I suspect none of them will be fluent in English.

When we finally meet them, it goes more smoothly than I thought it would. The boys don’t know much English, but more words come back to me than originally planned. I spend a portion of the hike talking to a boy named Luis, who tells me a little about his family. I don’t catch everything, but learn he is one of 5 children. He tells me about what subjects he likes in school and about the animals he likes. I respond in kind. I am not a hiker by nature and after the first half hour, my feet and lower back are a little sore. I am captivated by the beauty of the mountain/park and it is great to be outdoors (I don’t do much outdoors while in MD, especially when the average temperature is 30+ degrees).

After the hike we expect to say goodbye to the boys, who really seem to have enjoyed the excursion. We are tired, dirty and sweaty, but the experience was worth it. As has happened every day before this one, we are in for a surprise. The boys convinced Jose, our BAF contact and the leader of the current expedition, to take them to a local “zoo.” We are already a couple of hours behind schedule and learn that the zoo is closed, but still use the opportunity to go to a lookout point that affords the group a wonderful panoramic view of the city. By the time we get back to the guest house, it is dinner time and we are ready to eat!