A Day So Nice, We Blogged it Twice

Hola, lectores – this is Sarah again! I heard that friends and family in Maryland had quite a lot of ice to contend with recently, so I will resist bragging too blatantly about the gorgeous weather down here and get right into catching you up on how some of us spent our Tuesday in the tropics.

This morning, while Grupo Uno (Christie, Margaret, Alesha, and Kelsey) went out on the mobile project, Grupo Dos (David, Jeff, Peg, Kristin, Kate, and I) stayed in San Juan del Sur to offer whatever help we could. After Jane provided us with a formal tour of the Biblioteca, we split off to work on separate projects; los dos señores continued their great technical work behind the scenes in order to provide these libraries with a more visible global presence. Meanwhile, Kristin, Kate, and I had the unexpected opportunity to help make a donated game of Scrabble more useful by teaching a few volunteers how to play.

Las palabras son en Español y en Inglés!

After las señoritas del Grupo Dos took a trip to the market in pursuit of more craft ideas para los niños, many of us reconvened at El Gato Negro (a nearby coffee shop / bookstore) for a pre-canopy tour lunch. And oh, what a canopy tour it was! This was the first time many of us had been ziplining, and although we were unable to convince Dr. Weeks to join in and David stayed behind to complete more work, we did convince even the most nervous among us (pictured below, grinning and bearing it like real champs) to come along for the adventure.

Others, as you can see here, were not afraid at all and could barely contain their excitement:

We all had a fabulous time and enjoyed the opportunity to unwind for a few moments amidst a continually busy schedule. After our return and a marvelous dinner, we took some time as a group to discuss our experiences thus far and prepare for the final few days of our excursion. I am so proud of my cohort and am fortunate that I have been able to travel with such a wonderful group of librarians who care deeply about these projects in which we have become invested and the local community members who make it all possible. We greatly appreciate the charitable contributions we have already received for the HJH Libraries for All Program; your generous support will have a tangible impact, as it helps put books in the hands of children throughout Central America.

Finally, for those who were unable to join us and anxiously await our return home, we offer the following sentiment: