Waking up is usually just noticing that I'm the only one left in bed. If I'm not, I've got a few more minutes. I use these minutes to recount my dreams. If someone leaves the bathroom door open, enough sunlight creeps inso I that I can reach for my dream journal and write down what I can remember. I've had least two memorable dreams every night since we got to El Tingo. When I'm done, I roll out of my bed and grab two gummy vitamins.
Following the sunlight, I stumble out of our squeaky cast iron doors to glorious blue skies, lime trees and a cool breeze. 
At the top of the stairs at the back door, eight o'clock breakfast awaits. I've eaten better in the past week than in the last year at home. Toast, yogurt, cereal, juice, butter and pina marmalade, Columbian coffee, the six wonderful girls I have on my team. The day begins in prayer and an uplifting devotion.
We grab our bags and water bottles and head out on foot across town to the school. Most of the stray dogs are still asleep, one is upset, occasionally one will follow in case we drop any food. At the heavy school gates, we ring the bell and peek through the crack in the door to find a few young girls bouncing down the walkway with the key to let us in. They grab our hands and pull us up the long, steep walkway to the court yard. Kids are rehearsing an Ecuadorian dance to prepare for a parade on Saturday. The school's English teacher summons us up another long, even steeper walkway to the classrooms further up on the hill. We split up to go to two different classrooms. We spend about 45 minutes teaching English, asking questions and carrying on basic conversation. (And trying to keep the kids from hitting each other, running outside, etc…)
—Break Time — We go back down to the courtyard, play basketball, futbol, volleyball. We turn on music, maybe teach the Wobble. Learn some Spanish. We teach one more class, say ciao, then hoof it back home.
Siesta on a hammock under the giant avocado tree until lunch. 
Here in Ecuador, lunch is the big meal. So we shoot for lasagna or chicken and rice meals. Yum. Post lunch nap. Then we prepare for our after-school program. The first ring of the gate bell opens the flood gates. We never know how many will come. 20? 40? 60? And we PLAY. Duck, Duck, Goose (Tingo, Tingo, Tango), Traffic Lights (a version none of us have seen before and still haven't quite caught onto) We teach them songs, they teach us songs. We act out a cool Bible story. (I got to be Goliath last week.) And then we make a sweet craft (sling shots!) Then it's snack time where we pass out colada (still not entirely sure what colada really is…) and crackers. The clouds start to gather and we say good bye. It's customary to hug everyone. This take a while.
Dinner team cooks while everyone else cleans up and sits down for a breather. Dinner is small, usually a sandwich. Then, being a girl's team, we devour at least 1 bag of cookies. After clean up, we relax and wait until everyone is ready for team time. This is where we let a more intimate light shine. This is our time. We give each other feedback. Encouraging and constructive. This is where we live out our team name. We speak truth and life to each other. This is where we work to strengthen each other as a team, a body. Then, free time. Free time that is often spent together. It's our time to journal, shower, relax, write a blog…
I don't know how relaxed or crazy this day seems to you, but we're exhausted. But for how tired we get, it is such a blessing to be on a team like this one. <3 Team Veracity.
(Center of the World: Latitude 0)
