Raving about Reto

Reto has been in Honduras for three weeks now. As you've read from his postings, life here can be an adventure; however, he has taken it all in with a big smile, even when he wasn't feeling well. The best part for me is that every day, he comes home with one funny story and one new idea about how to improve the work he is doing. 

For example, yesterday when I walked in the door for lunch, he greeted me with "you're not going to believe what happened at the Nutrition Center...wait here." He ran back into his room and came out smelling a damp shirt, urging me to smell it too while he told me about picking up a crying baby, who proceeded to throw up and pee on him. His response: "I think I need to change." For a 19 year old boy, I think he has shown incredible maturity when faced with uncomfortable situations.

One of the ideas Reto has come up with on his own is to begin reading with Sandra, a young girl at the Nutrition Center. Sandra is absolutely beautiful, but is also very small for her age. When I first met her, I thought she was about five years old. She is actually nine years old and has not begun to learn how to read. So Reto has offered to start taking a couple of children's books with him in order to read with Sandra in the mornings.

In short, he has a great worth ethic and is a pleasure to live with. The only down side is that he has set the bar extremely high for future volunteers.