It is with sadness that we leave Xela. Tomorrow morning we travel to Antigua to begin the journey back to the States. Has the trip been successful? Have Charles and Daniel learned Spanish? The short answer is "a little." The long answer is that we return home with increased language skills, and a whole lot more. Duane and I are now much better equipped to hold conversations in Spanish. No doubt this can only help Charles and Daniel. Also, after hearing Spanish so much, we return with ears more adept at understanding it.

Perhaps more importantly, we return to Minnesota with increased

• knowledge of how to get by when everything around us is foreign,


• appreciation for natural beauty,


• generosity and


• understanding of what life is like for the poor.