Day 6, Pain and Pinatas!

Day 6,
Getting up was definitely a chore. Between a night of terrible TV (Tyler Perry's House of Payne) and an early morning we were having trouble moving. At least some of us were. Miguel Angel and Candelaria invited us over to their house for a great breakfast of fresh tortillas with onion, olive oil, beans, cheese, and salsa. They introduced us to chocolate cinnamon oatmeal, and very hot chocolate-esque drink. After this we piled in the van for a short trip to the local elementary school where we to mix and pour cement, and plant trees. Very quickly we found a new appreciation for construction workers everywhere as we filled wheel barrows full of sand and gravel, and lugged bags of cement to the mixing area. Mixing was, in my opinion, the most difficult of the tasks closely followed by shovelling wet cement. Unanimously agreed to be the hardest day of our trip the cement and planting was also one of the most rewarding. Six batches of cement later we all broke for a lunch of taquitos. We headed back to the hotel for a little down time, which was used by some for much needed naps. We met Arturo's family for an early supper at a taco shop with many different interesting choices for meat including head meat, tongue, pork (you had to see it), beef, goat, and stomach. They also had my all time favorite...Fanta in glass bottles! After this delicious meal we headed to the plaza for an hour of shopping where Anna and Michael found incredibly cool and cheap soccer jerseys, Rai found some super cool shoes, and Deb got Ninja Turtles in spanish.
One thing I haven't mentioned is that this day was very special because it was Anna's birthday. After the quick shop we headed to Miguel Angel's house to celebrate with two different cakes, one tres leches, and a pinata. We started with the pinata and after the first taste of ridiculousness we jumped in...all caught on videotape by Steve, in case you need some blackmail material! It was found out that Mexican pinatas are incredibly strong after we all had taken a turn, as well as Miguel Angel's family and Arturo's family, and it was still hanging on. With our little Mexican candies we turned our attention to the table with the cakes, and Anna was fooled into a picture of 'tasting' the cake, which resulted in her faceplanting into the side of the cake. Don't tell her I told you, but Miguel also licked frosting off of her face...I've never seen her so red! We easily devoured the beautiful cakes and had a fun time chatting and just hanging out. Then Sally, being the party animal she is, brought out the tequila. But really it was a gift for their family for taking such good care of us. Saying our farewells for the last time we went back to the hotel, visited the corner store, then went to our rooms. Being the last night my room decided it was a good idea to stay up late...which will be regretted in the morning!

Stay Classy Iowa City!