We were welcomed by a truly wonderful arrangement of tropical flowers and a colorful paper sign on the door to our room in Nueva Concepcion. Just in case we didn't know the place was run by men and boys, there was a cobweb on the door as well. Inside there was a wooden double bed frame with a lumpy cotton mattress. The bed frame had two little cupboards built into the headboard. Each cupboard had a key, so one could place one's wallet and passport in a little locked compartment.
Presvytera Sandy Chakos came in to hang some curtains she had very thoughtfully made that afternoon, thus giving us a bit of privacy. I quickly unpacked the 30 plastic mattress covers and new underwear for the orphan boys and a few other items she had asked me to bring from the states: sugar-free drink mixes for Fr. Andres who is diabetic, sew-on jewels for making priest vestments, a prosphora seal.
Just when I was starting to despair at the thought of trying to sleep later in the oppressive heat, Presvytera delighted us by producing an electric fan.
We shared a bathroom with our Colombian neighbor, Jose. He would politely knock on the door before entering. The bathroom had two doors, one from each bedroom. The cold shower was actually quite welcome in that steamy climate. There was some kind of an electrical problem which caused the light in the bathroom to make crackling noises. If the light was on and you happened to touch the doorknob, you got a pretty strong electric shock. We soon learned to make sure we had on flip-flops before touching the doorknob. The rubber of the thongs insulated us from the cement floor and kept us from being shocked. Once again it was Presvytera we had to thank for having recommended we bring the flip-flops to wear in the shower.
I unpacked the sheets Presvytera had told me to bring and put them on the bed. We were so grateful for P. Sandy and all of her help in settling into our hot little room.
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