Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Canadians




Thursday of my little break, my Tío Roberto called me and he picked me up to go to the Rotary president's house because three Canadians came. We got there and there were a ton of people, Rotarians and Machaleños. I met the Canadians and found that they came to give out wheelchairs for which their district in Canada raised money to buy. They only spoke English, and those Rotarians who spoke English spoke very little, so I was the translator for them. It was crazy and confusing but fun.

We helped people move from their old chairs (mostly broken and old) into the new red ones and then took their picture. They were so thankful. One blind lady was talking to one of the Canadians and was trying to tell her something but she didn't understand because it was Spanish. I translated for her and she was so appreciative.

When we finished with this crowd (of about 25 people), we headed out to a mental hospital. It was very sad. The rooms had doors with locks, a bowl on legs for a toilet, and a bed. The Canadians were saying how horrible the conditions were, and the Rotarians were saying how the government doesn't help at all. It was quite eye-opening. They made two cakes for us that were delicious!

We then went to a Rotary-sponsored assisted living home. This had a nice atmosphere and was nice. We finished giving out the chairs and then went back to the president's house to eat. We had ceviche (yum!). I was running from table to table helping translate between the different conversations. The Canadians then headed out to meet up with the rest of their crew (of, I think, 28). What a fun event!

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