The Most Important Business Lunch EVER!

We have been keeping the lunch meeting we've had scheduled (three times now) a secret.  Today, (finally) it happened.  And I am sure (not) you are hanging on the edge of your seat wanting to know more....

As you may recall, on Sunday we met a group of 'street' kids in front of the San Francisco Cathedral.   We had a great time with them, and as you have read, they paid me for a photo of their little brother.  It was humbling.

We decided it would be cool to print the photos (tough to do in color in Granada) and then find the kids and "sell" them the photos (for 1 $C - or .004 cents).  We decided to take the kids to lunch and then do the photo thing.  I found the ringleader (it was so cute because he jumped right into my arms when I saw him) and he agreed to find the girls and meet Marci and I near the Central Park.  The next day, we bought a huge pizza, made arrangements to have two tables (with cloths) and a waiter.  And then we waited, and waited, and.....

Finally (after two days), I was about to give up.  In a last ditch effort, I asked the Principe to step in.  Two hours later....

The kids meet up with us to see what we are up to.

So Allen found the ringleader pretty quickly (Miguel - third from the left - now pelon (bald)).  Miguel explained that he didn't show because the girls I had taken photos of were from Managua and were gone - so he figured I would be disappointed and just didn't show.

Oh well, kids are kids, and these guys are as poor as the last group.  What the heck!!!

Allan had told us that the pizza was very nice.  However, there is another place (called Tip Top) that is right off the square, that requires a 'great deal' of money to eat at, AND has a play area that the kids have heard about their entire lives.  So off to Tip Top!

Marci's new friend (she wouldn't let other girls get close)

Waiting for lunch

When we got to the restaurant, the security guard refused the kids entry until Marci stepped up and told him that they were her guests.  He seemed baffled and unsure of what to do - so she just grabbed some hands and walked right in!

The kids were WIDE EYED (none of them had EVER even been inside the building).  They looked at EVERYTHING.  Marci had given them a lecture (she is a teacher, right?) and they all sat down and were quiet.  They were trembling to get to the play equipment (again, the first opportunity to play in a place like this - EVER).  Marci got them settled, reminded them of the rules, and set 'em free!

Bursting out of the slide!

This girl was adorable!  Very proper, she carefully held her dress as she came down the slide.

This girl and her brother sit just outside the building with their parents (who sell fruit from a horse cart) every day.  This was the first time they had actually been inside.

The girls got their hands washed first - so they got drinks first

Soon the lunch was on its way.  We ordered the largest two 'family' meals the restaurant makes (it is a fried chicken place).  But on our two block walk, we'd picked up a few more stragglers and were now up to eleven kids, two young men (who wanted to be sure the kids weren't being sought for bad purposes), and Allan, Marci and I.  We needed a LOT of food!

The young men though, even after being told they could order anything they wanted, shared a basket of chicken wings.  We later learned they loved baseball but had NEVER seen a game on T.V.  These are for real poor folks.

Here are some photos of the kids when the food arrived:

Ready to eat (just washed hands - probably the first time in a LONG time)

A great day! 

One lesson we may never really learn.  Good news travels VERY fast and one of the kids'  mothers brought her other two daughters to join in the fun.  By that time we only had one piece of chicken (Marci already gave half of hers to another kid - sucker!) and a few fries.  We gathered what we could and sent it outside.  But the sisters went to the window to tell her what had happened to them.

Talking to the sister who didn't make it in time.  Note the dirty feet

The cost?  $C 1232 ($55.00 + $7.50 tip).  The experience?  PRICELESS.

After we were done, we headed outside to take a few more shots and say our goodbyes. 

A fond memory with our new Nica friends!

The Tip Top made sure that all the kids got masks.  Unlike the US - no one said, "This is stupid".  Even the young men wore masks and played and LAUGHED!

PS  People can be butt heads anywhere.  One wealthy Nica woman refused to let her grandkids play on the playground because 'our' street kids were there.  We got a few nasty looks - but also some smiles.  Oh well, the Nica's we wanted happy were ECSTATIC!  And so were we.  Definitely the best business lunch ever and a memory none of us will soon forget.....

Los niños de Granada, Nicaragua (The children of Granada)

You cannot be here, for even an hour, without seeing the beauty, hope, and desperation on the faces of Granada's children.

Marci shared our breakfast with this poor boy from the Market

This boy hangs around the market all day begging - his family can't afford schooling

And there is something magical about them.

Watching Marci teach English

'Posing' for the camera - they LOVE 'fotos'

We have just fallen in love with these poor but almost always happy and playful, children of Nicaragua.

Waiting for the free doctor

There are many 'classes' of people in Nicaragua.  From the exceptionally poor...

Dad brings the family and laundry home on a wagon

To the children of the wealthy class...

Hurrying to church

His dad owns the hotel - he has a bell to ring for the servant

And even a bit of middle class (a very small group)...

Her parents own a permanent stall in the market which does good business

It can be heartbreaking to see them eating breakfast...

Eating cabbage and potatoes behind their mother's temporary stall in the market

But they never cease to make you smile with their infectious zeal for life...

Boy with skin disease waiting for the free doctor

Boys playing in the market

Josh - 'works' for Tio Antonio's hammock crew

Learning how to use the camera after a free haircut

Selling chicken in the market (live)

The kids WANT to learn - here parents pay

These boys spend their days making figures out of reeds to sell to Americans as they eat dinner on the patios at night

It is so sad, but also so refreshing.  These are not spoiled brats (any of them) and are polite and curious.  They love to be played with and they love to have their photos taken.  Most of all, they love it when you stop and spend a few minutes trying to communicate.  We have spent a great deal of time at this - today I taught about 50 boys at the school how to play a game my grandfather taught me as a child (One person holds his hands palm up and the other palm down and tries to hit the other before he can move out of the way).  My memory will probably be thoroughly cussed by parents, teachers and principals for years. 

These kids though, among the poorest of the poor, PAID me to take a photo of their baby brother.  I am going to get it printed and present it to them when I see them again.  But you can see in their smiles and waves that they were sad when we moved on.  Like all kids, they just want to be loved~

After paying me for a photo - they stole my heart!

To the children of Nicaragua, "Que Dios los bendiga todos los días de tu vida!"

Domingo - Día de Dios en Granada

This morning we awoke to loud explosions - not a typical American Sunday morning (you'll understand after watching the video)....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brf9DxU0v44

We made our own breakfast again.  This time we fried the queso (it's known as dry cheese) until it was a 'bubble gum' like consistency.   At that point, the cheese is spread onto a handmade tortilla.  OMG!  We also had an egg and of course, gallo de pinto.

The Granada Cathedral

We set out into Granada (sans Principe) at about 8:00.  We took our cameras and headed for church (and there are PLENTY to choose from).  We got many good shots and video.  We also got a drink (water) in the Parque and people watched for a while.  There was a barber cutting poor kids' hair for free.  We have seen some big hearts here.

The sacrament

The crest of the San Francisco convent

Parading the blessed sacrament

Mary and Jesus

We took a bunch of people photos: 

Family going to church

A vendor shooing flies

'Marci's kids' in the Parque

Nica girls

Marci 'teaching' photography

 

Old friends after church

Watching his boss' nice car as he goes to church

Que Linda!

We also took many pictures of kids begging outside the church (very common).  I am going to dedicate a whole blog to the kids of Nicaragua, but these deserve a mention.  They are cute and clever - they know how to get money.  Most people just say no or ignore them.  I like to get playful and take photos.  Of course, they always tell you it will cost a dollar - but if you spend some time with them it gets pretty funny.  I told the kids that I was a 'profesional' and said that they needed to pay me before I'd take a photo (I demanded 5 $C (about .25)).   They laughed and laughed, but believe it or not, one girl DID finally pay me $C 2 for a picture of the baby.  (Of course, I returned the money and gave them an additional $C 5 - they were SO happy and waved longingly as we left.)

"Astounded" that I would ask for $

Happy to be spoken 'to' and not 'At'

Big brother

The baby

The $C shot - hope it was worth it!