Day 4: January 6, 2014

Whenever I'm in a new place, I always like to get up early before other people are up so I get some personal exploration time in. It was poking around on one such morning that I discovered this gorgeous little sanctuary on the compound we were staying at (which was actually a church)






The financial workshop on day 4 went much more smoothly than the day before, since everyone had a better idea of what they were doing. The community members were also more engaged and vocal on the second day, which made a big difference.

I managed to take some pictures of the business I worked with- the shop and shop owner's wife are shown on the right (I'm waiting for my friends to put up better pictures, since I obviously failed at taking good photos here). The night before, we had brainstormed a list of business suggestions and recommendations which we presented. One of the best ideas was one that my friend came up with regarding product placement. We basically re-arranged and cleaned out their entire shop front, putting the candy and point-of-purchase goods where they were easily visible so customers would buy on impulse.



When we finished re-arranging the shop, Luis and his wife were really happy and excited with what we did, and gave us each gifts. The guys all received beaded bracelets, and the girls earrings. I'm not being biased when I say I received the prettiest pair, which were shaped like parrots. Maybe Luis felt bad for me because of the ridiculous bandage on my leg. After all, he did laugh at me when I told him how I got it.



   

Throughout the week, kids would come up to make purchases at the shop while we were working with Luis and his wife. Oftentimes we would treat them to snacks, which only cost a couple of cents. Other times, the kids wanted pictures with us, like this boy on the left.

With me in the picture is Dani, one of the three translators that worked with our group. I absolutely loved all of them, and Dani promised to give me a tour of Panama City if I ever get the chance to visit.


Of course, all of our free time as usual was spent entertaining the kids, some of which I was seriously tempted to bring home with me. I'm usually not a huge kid-person, but these kids were undeniably lovable. By the end of the week, my trip chaperone was threatening to check my luggage to make sure I wasn't smuggling one back home.