A Visit to the Mayor and Good News Finally!

Yesterday, I went to the mayor's office to formally introduce myself and my work here, and of course to beg and plead for him to give money to my project.

The municipal palace where the mayor's office is located

As I said, this was my first FORMAL meeting with the mayor.  You see, Kate, Nicole and I accidentally ended up going to his inauguration dance, and I accidentally ended up dancing with him.  So, even though we had never formally been introduced in a professional setting, we actually go way back...all the way back to Jan. 15.

 With coworkers after a different town dance that we accidentally went to...notice the socks with flip flops look I was rocking...

When I first walked into his office, he had the first reaction most men have when meeting me--he started trying out his English on me.  And flirting with me and making mildly inappropriate comments (he informed me that he is single).  I decided that the best approach would be to flatter him, so I shamelessly flirted back.  I needed the money!!!

Sample of the conversation:
Mayor:  Tengo derecho de una gringa. (I have the right to an American girl)
Me:  Tiene derecho, o tiene ganas?  (Do you have a right, or do you just want one?)

Finally, we got down to business.  I gave him the solicitud (official petition for funds) and explained the project.  His response?  Why are you only doing 31 stoves?  Kate is doing 84! 

Luckily, he approved us for the entire amount we asked for!  Since the municipality is 6 million quetzales in debt, I was really worried that he would not approve our solicitud, or only give us a portion of the money we asked for. The project is now 70% funded, with the mayor providing 40%, the community providing 30%, and the rest in the process of being raised from my lovely family and wonderful friends.   So, this is a huge weight off my shoulders! 

What the finished product will look like!