Today we celebrated Sonya's 16th birthday with a trip to her preferred restaurant--Burger King! (Again, I can't help but wonder sometimes, am I really in Guatemala? Burger King? The menu is a little different, though, in that you can have a "burger" of chicken nuggets on a bun spread with refried black beans, and the every present fried chicken dinner is also available!)
Veronica and Moises also joined us, as well as Ben, a math teacher from Las Vegas who is down here volunteering for a few weeks. I have to admit, a hamburger tasted pretty good after going more than a month without one. I got to sit at a table with just Sonya and Veronica, and it was a great chance for some "girl talk." I can't help but wonder what the lives of these two young women will be as adults. The have significant physical challenges, but, boy, having lunch with them reminded me of how much they are "typical teenagers." I could see having them for roommates one day.
I also received my first "gift" from one of the kids. In school this morning, Veronica had written her name on a large piece of paper, and presented it to me with great pride. While this may not seem like a lot, knowing the effort Veronica has to make to even be able to hold a marker, this simple gift brought tears to my eyes. I now have a new decoration on the wall of my bedroom:
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