Only a week and a half left! We're making really good friends here, both volunteers and local kids, which was one of my number one goals. I brought glitter toes stuff to peace camp last week and glittered a lot of toes, the girls LOVED it. It was so fun and I already promised a couple that I would send them glitter when I got home so they could do it again. I don't know if they can get glitter here.
We went to Hell yesterday, did Leah tell you? The Mayans believed these caves were Shebalba, or the underworld. It was quite an adventure, Indiana Jones style. We wore helmets and headlamps and had to swim in dark, deep water, wade upstream, and squeeze through crevasses hardly wider than my body. We saw all these pots the Mayans brought up there in their original condition and places -- the archeologists never moved them. There were also three skeletons that we saw, about 1000 years old I think. The final body at the end was a short teenage girl who was likely captured from another tribe and brought up there as a sacrifice. Her spine is broken, so they say they either stabbed her or broke her back and left her there to die a slow and painful death. The other skulls we saw had "dental modifications," which were basically a kind of tooth tattoo. They would sharpen their teeth into points or sometimes even drill holes and put little jade stones in, and our tour guide said researchers think they did it without any painkillers. Wow.
This week I'm doing Peace Camp in the mornings and helping build the orphanage in the afternoons on days I don't have writing club. Leah will be helping with adobe stoves in the mornings I think and the orphanage in the afternoons. We're working hard and staying busy! I'm not quite ready to come home, but I think I will be by next week. Kayla
We only have next week as working days left, pretty weird! This Last week me and one other girl were helping at a Summer camp put on the library but it was so unorganized and crazy so im glad its done. Plus it was an hour+ bus ride away. Annoying. I didnt feel like it was the best use of my time either so I'm glad I'll be working on more sustainable projects next week for the last hoorah. Miss you all. There better be a costa vida in SLC cuz I want that so bad. Love you all.
Leah
I'm working at a peace (conflict resolution) camp this week and next, and Leah is doing literacy camp at the library. I'm loving mine--the kids are so great and I'm becoming good friends with a few of them. There are a couple I'd bring home with me if I could. One in particular, her name is Aalyiah, she's 9, so smart, so confident, well behaved, and has been bringing me little drawings and other gifts. I'm in love. Shes adorable. Today I was in charge of an activity about pet peeves and got to end the day with them by doing a meditation exercise that involved imagining their pet peeves floating Away and stuff. I loved it.
It's been raining more here which is so nice but I'm also struggling with my Chaco tanline. Not easy to get through clouds. But I'm not complaining.
We decided to only go on one more tiny trip- just a day trip to some caves I think it is. It's on Saturday and we've heard it's basically an indiana jones all day adventure. We'll hike through caves but also have to swim through others. It sounds dang cool and I'm excited. We're making a couple of really really good friends here, specifically two girls who go to Utah state--Emily and Mackenzie. Emily's missionary will go to byu this fall so I keep trying to convince her to move down to provo and get a job so she can be my roommate. She really wants to but doesn't want to make that move before her boy is even home. Mackenzie and Leah keep taking about living together next semester too. We adore them.
Long day tomorrow (remind us when we're home to tell you about all the meetings we have to endure) so I better go go sleep. Love you and thanks for writing. I love heAring what's going on.
Kayla
