As I cross the one month mark here in Guatemala, I've started thinking of all the things I'm going to miss once I'm back stateside, like hearing Spanish songs on the radio or being greeted by bounding golden retrievers whenever I come home. Yet, although I know it sounds cliché, the thing I'm going to miss most by far are the people:

Our beyond capable loan officer who left his job to follow his heart (and his fiancee, who just happens to work for Lemonade International, grew up in La Limonada, and has been an invaluable resource to our work). His fiancee is an inspiration herself, living proof of the concept behind the "American Dream". Although she grew up in the poorest of circumstances, she rose to the top of her advertising job, saving enough to move herself and her parents out of La Limonada, before giving it all up to give back to her community. In her own words, she felt as if she needed more than money out of a job, yearning for a career that would help her grow as a person.

The teachers from the school, many of whom raise families in La Limonada, and treat our visits to their classes as true delights instead of the distractions they probably are.

Of course the students as well. I can't really describe the feeling when a child recognizes me when I enter a classroom, but let's just say I can't help but smile. Watching them glue together photo frames during crafts it's bittersweet to think that if they weren't here they could be sniffing this same glue to get a high.

Tita, and all the wonderful women in her home. Tita has devoted her life, completely and irrationally, to her work in La Limonada. This extends to her home as well, the site of our usual afternoon work sessions. The house has a life of its own cluttered with photos of family and filled with a constant mix of the warmth, laughter, and exertion of the never-ending stream of teachers and volunteers who pass through. Four women, all teachers or Lemonade employees, also permanently live with Tita. Three of them are “mothers” to children they have more or less “adopted” from the ghetto. With heart wrenching stories from parents in jail to being born out of wedlock as the youngest of seven, these children make Tita’s house a home. Saturday, we spent the entire afternoon and evening with Tita’s extended “family”, watching the kids clamber over jungle-gyms at the local park and finding enough chairs to fit the 11 of us around the dinner table. Hearing the stories of their lives, their steadfast hope and faith, along with the trials and tribulations of their work, has opened my eyes. I can’t say enough for the ease with which they open their home and their hearts, something that is greatly lacking in American culture.

The five fantastic women who make up our first borrower group. This Tuesday was our third workshop on Budgeting with a transition into group dynamics using a Personality Assessment. Looking back, thinking that we could cover all the basics behind budgeting in one session was extremely overambitious. When it came to building your own personal budget, we realized we were in way over our heads. Several of the women sell multiple products, which they buy and sell at different prices and quantities throughout the year. The woman I was working with sold vajillas –or tableware including bowls, plates, and glasses. Although she knew exactly how much profit she gained from each set of plates, she had little grasp of the quantity she actually sold each month or how her profits compared to her personal costs including rent, transportation, etc. Budgeting has enormous potential for affecting how these women think about their business; looking towards the next month instead of living dia-a-dia—day-to-day.

Last, but certainly not least, simply la gente- the people of La Limonada who won't let you pass without a Buenos Dias--good morning or Buenas Tardes--good afternoon.