Two Gringos, a Gringa and Two Donkeys

Hello to all of you following us on our adventure. Today was an adventurous one indeed because Nicolas rode a donkey for the first time. Today is his birthday and I have been planning a special something for a couple of weeks now. For those of you who know my husband, you know that he is not shy, so if you had the chance to talk to him about our trip to Bolivia, he probably told you (as his did everyone,) about his desire to purchase a donkey. I don't know where this desire came from, but his project died when both the family we live with and the couple who run the home we work at informed him that they would have no use whatsoever for a donkey. This is why I arranged to rent one for the morning on his 30th birthday. It wasn't easy and every time I saw a guy walking with a donkey, I would run up to him and ask if I could rent his donkey for a day. This request was usually met with a look that clearly stated "You stupid gringa, what do you want with my donkey?" Anyway, with the help of a local, the cook at the house Judith, I managed to procure a mommy donkey with her baby and suitable transport. To complement the offering, Edgar (the man who runs the house with his wife) suggested that I dress up one of the kids as Shrek and me as Fiona in order to have the trio. Donkey, Shrek and Fiona. I rented the suitable costumes and the other kids dressed up as whatever they wanted and we waited to greet Nicolas at the door when he arrived at 7:00. It was a heck of a greeting as you can see in the pictures! Nicolas received kilos of candies, new sandals, a leather bracelet and an engraved necklace to remember his 30th birthday in Bolivia.
This afternoon we're going to the Cancha. It's a market that just goes on forever and anything you can imagine is on sale there. For dirt cheap. We're going to buy Christmas gifts for the kids. It's not too late to donate to Un grand pas pour la Bolivie. We're going to buy shoes for all the kids, good ones, leather ones that will last and hygiene kits for the teenagers. If we raise enough money, we're going to pitch in towards getting a new van as the one here is either dead or dying depending on the day.
In other news, I have adopted... a dog. Cutest little puppy ever. He's white with green eyes, so I named him Gringo. The cook at the house gave him to me much to Nicolas's dismay, but Gringo and I have become fast friends.
This afternoon we're going to have birthday cake and then off Christmas shopping, and this evening with our lovely host family, we're having cake as well after a dinner of roast duck. (My endeavors not to consume animals here in Bolivia have unfortunately been put on hiatus for if I stopped eating meat, I would eat only carbs here and quickly become what's known as a gordita. Translated as fatty. So I eat meat here, and must say that I'm looking forward to roast duck this evening...) Pictures of the birthday below and we would love to hear from you. COmment! Please!