Wednesday 26 feb 14 2100cst. gggh&s

Each morning begins with a steady stream of children walking past the gggh&s in navy blue pants and white shirts.  The school is one block away and we can see its gates from the terrace of the grande ballroom.  School is in session — no snow day, no ice in the forecast.  But word of snow on sunday reminds us of a few years back when fog kept us from getting to kansas city until about 5am monday morning.

Wednesday, walls appeared from trenches and the community center in el chasmolar began to take shape.  The construction crew raves about the mason in charge, that while he measures and levels and keeps a close eye on progress, he gets all involved — our team hand in hand with his team.  Ask one of the construction guys if, until this week, they had ever sifted their own sand to make concrete.

In the clinic, the medical team saw 70 patients — a tremendous number by any measure (especially considering the revised rules and regs of ortegacare).  Seems like we have seen an equal number of adults and children — their maladies varied in type and severity as you might expect at any family practice at home.  

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This year, the community seems very organized, and the chaos that often surrounds the clinic, muted.  While that makes for a smoother operation, it does make one wonder, why is it so different this year?  

Three things to know about Wednesday…sloth, cocoa beans and musical chairs.  Perhaps the best way to learn more about these topics is to ask a team member once we are back.  

Don’t forget the twitter feed for more and more frequent updates.  

Thursday, another full day in the village before closing ceremonies on friday (the cauldron will be extinguished, the flag lowered and prepared to hand over to the next village.  And yes, ralph lauren will sew next year’s mission trip uniforms in the u.s. again).

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