Everyone is All Smiles

His mom says he likes to make sure everyone he meets is his friend. He is worried if he doesn't gain your affection. He is remarkably thoughtful for his age, and remembers every face. This is Jared, the 4-year-old son of the Nicaraguan family I mentioned before in a blog, our former neighbors behind our first host family's house in BV. They have recently had a new addition to their family, a baby girl, though they still live in one room, the same size as the one we lived in. I cherish this family picture. Gretchen, Samwell, Jared, and Ashira. They visited us weeks ago, brought delicious coconut bread to share with us, and I showed Jared's mother, Gretchen, how to bake a marbled chocolate and vanilla boxed cake, at her request. They wanted to use our oven to bake the coconut bread and the cake. The kids thought it was a terrific time, though since it was late, their mother curtailed their sugar intake! Jared's sister, Ashira, is pictured here as well. She has changed dramatically since we first met her in August. Now that they can afford to pay for Jared to be watched at another woman's house while they are at work, Ashira is free to go to school! Gretchen used to tell me her daughter had no idea what life could have been like for her, how lucky she is to be here. Ashira used to pout and pick fights with Jared sullenly, ever washing dishes or shoes or sitting on the front stoop listlessly. I never saw her smile in all the time we lived next door, but now she is all smiles. She visits me before or after school and climbs on the climbing wall or plays with Holly. She is confident, friendly, and curious.