August 6, 2011 part 1

Greetings blog followers from Toledo, España,

When I last wrote we were in Antigua, wrapping up our time there. Needless to say, it was a whirlwind exit, and terrific as we spun around. July 25 was the saint day for the city of Antigua, and the celebrations started early with a heritage parade of public and private school children in bands, costumes of history and events, accompanied by young princes and princesses elected from each school. It was a marvelous spectacle of sight and sound. Following the parade, the students and I visited with Elizabeth Bell, who guided us to know of opportunities for UNT students in th Antigua area. She contacted the director of the Open Windows program in a near-by village, San Miguel, when she saw our keen interest. We met Tom and attempted to see Azotea, but all museums were closed on this holiday. Oh well. The students shopped, and we sat in the park, along with other old folks, and watched the comings and goings of el centro. We even saw the evening procession of St Andrew, accompanied by lively music It was am pleasant evening.

We all met for pizza near the square and at 7:00 joined the crowd fo big band music, fireworks, and the lifting of small hot air lifts, similar to the ones in the film Tangled. Tom and I danced on the steps of the cathedral, and enjoyed the cool, clear night. The students enjoyed the night a well, but chose to sit and watch.

The next day the students and I went on Elizabeth Bell's tour of Antigua, which was fantastic, again, then met Tom for lunch at Casa Domingo and enjoyed that last, glorious opportunity to be in a 500+ year old lunch spot. The students and I hustled and found a chicken bus headed for San Miguel, where we found the open windows outreach center. We met with founder Teresa, who introduced us to the wonders of NGO. this facility serves 2500+ children every week for after school homework support, dental care three times annually, music lessons, medical care twice annually, and many other things. We discussed possibilities and left with a great interest in coming back to help. Back in Antigua, we met Fulvia at the hospital maria's mother supported until her death. It was amazing to see so many people, with so many needs, being served through the support of charitable assistance. Bonne and Cordell, two medical students were duly impressed with possibilities here as well. It was a wild and crazy time. Our light cena at the apartment was quiet, engaging, and fun, filled with reminiscence. B and C packed and readied for the journey home.

I am working on the iPad, so my space is squirrely, so I will nd here, knowing that there

The next morning the students were carried away by don rené at 5:30, after which Tom andi went on our last walk around our neighborhood, and were greeted by Fuego, our favorite volcano, with a show of fire and lava, against a sky of pink, orange, and light blue sunrise aura. We had a grand time. We faced the music and began packing, until Don Alejandro retrieved me and