Another good day's work.

On Wednesday we collected all the boxes from Marvin's house and took them to Santa Teresa. There were a few hiccups with the timings, but eventually everyone was gathered and the boxes, with Jordy accompanying us and Fanor once more our driver. We arrived at Santa Teresa and were warmly greeted. The equipment was delivered, staff were gathered and more speeches given.

Jose was really good, talking a lot about caring for the equipment and the cost of maintenance.  The headteacher said this had been her dream and now it had come true. The speaker will be used for their cultural activities and the computer for making teachers' work easier, for preparing lessons and to access information for pupils. We purchased a Bluetooth device that enables them to connect to their mobile phone, as we cannot commit to installing Wi-Fi.

We finalised measurements with Manuel who will build a little office space to keep everything safe.

Next we went to Santa Teresa beach where we met with Idalia, and her family and Martin and his wife. Idalia had prepared a lovely lunch for us and later I discovered with grapefruit juice. I thought it was lemon; I'm not supposed to have grapefruit with my blood pressure tablets but there doesn't seem to have been any effect!

We then had a family conference about the cultivation project. The watermelon project would cost around $300 and we only have $175, the $125 from the horticultural club and $50 Martin had saved to pay me back.  So it was decided that Martin would continue as before with his own project, renting land near to him that he can look after.

It was lovely to be back at Santa Teresa, the origin of everything. It was where Jose shared his dream of the kayak business and where everything stemmed from. Martin gave me a rather fun sun hat as a gift. I cannot believe the generosity of these people who have so little.

We then went on to Moyagalpa so I could withdraw cash. It is now the only town on the island with a bank or cash machine, making life very difficult. I am told it is because of the economic crisis and also there have been big problems with money laundering. With a bit of effort I took money out on my bank card and a bit more on my credit card , paying it back in immediately on line so as to avoid  charges.

Then we went in search of the goods for the construction project.  We failed in Moyagalpa but were successful in San Jose del Sur. Jose ordered the goods, whilst I entertained a local toddler . We got a discount on one item that was damaged, a bonus. Then the challenge of transport began.

Jordy was on top of the van helping to secure the load in a precarious manner. Unfortunately the wind whipped the boards on the way home and broke a section off each. We are hoping it is good enough.  We delivered it all back to Santa Teresa and left the remaining money for the labour and wood, which amounted to about $11 in total!

I have to admit to feeling pretty shattered after days like these, with the constant activity and heat. Jose is in his element, being busy and making arrangements. It's great to see. He also has so many connections.  We just need to purchase a cable and organise the set up now.

We have promised ourselves some time off to relax over the next few days.