The Zoo and Children's Museum

We had a FABULOUS day! Reyna and her daughter Nancy met us at our hotel and we took a taxi to the zoo. It was small and had a run down little amusement section, but we had fun seeing all the animals, some of them at very close proximity. On our way to the zoo one of the families from our agency (Jenna) called to see if we wanted to go to the Children's Museum with them. We agreed to meet after the zoo.

We met Jenna and her family at the Children's museum at 1pm after a lunch of Pollo Campero (upscale Kentucky Fried Chicken). Jenna has 3 children ages 7, 5, 4 and her new daughter who is 5 months old. She has one other daughter who is 6 months old still going through the adoption process. We spent 3 fun-filled hours at the Children's Museum. We were SO impressed with the cleanliness, the variety of activities, the number of staff to help the children learn from each activity and the sheer size of the place. I wish I could transport it back to Maine! I haven't had so much fun in a long time!

Spending the day with Reyna and Nancy was truly a treat. They are both so sweet and fun to be with. Marta Alicia drifted back and forth easily between us. Many times she would yell, "Mama!" and I'd have to look to see who she was referring to. I joked with Reyna, "Cual Mama?" or "which Mama?" :) There were a few moments when I felt a little jealous, but they were few and fleeting. Toward the end of the day, there were a couple of moments when Marta Alicia wanted help, where she specifically asked for MY help. I truly didn't expect it this quickly, so I was surprised and am still contemplating it.


One unexpected blessing of the day started with a significant error on my part. I gave the taxi driver 10x the amount I was supposed to for our taxi ride (about $80!). I realized it 1/2 way through the day and explained it to Reyna. Fortunately, we had gotten the driver's business card so we called him to pick us up at the end of the day. When he came to pick us up Reyna explained the situation to him and he pulled out all of the money I had given him and handed it back to me!!! We paid him for the round trip and when we got back to the hotel Tim gave him almost as much again as a tip. May God bless him for his honesty--he was truly a blessing to me!

When we arrived back at the hotel Reyna and Nancy came up for a few minutes. Reyna and I talked and she showed me Marta Alicia's school books and all the work she had done. It was evident that Reyna had spent a great amount of time with her on them--every page was used to the fullest. We shared pictures with each other and our love for Marta Alicia. When it was time to go, there were no tears this time. I'm still contemplating this as well.

Our day ended with dinner at a fancy Mayan restaurant with Jenna's family and Darla's family (another family from our agency that we had spent time with at the Embassy on Tuesday). It was a sweet time of fellowship sharing experiences and things we hold in common like our faith, adoption and homeschooling. At the end Marta Alicia held the babies as we took pictures together. It was precious. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Thank you, Jesus!