Monday, September 28, 2009

Sunday in the Park with Nikki


Nikki's facepainting is really starting to take off! I already wrote about her painting at Antonela's party, but she didn't stop there. There is a preschool in the neighborhood, and she got Debby to ask the director if she could paint the kids' faces there. Of course, she agreed, and she has already done it twice, and plans to do it once a week.

She has also been lobbying to take her show on the road to Parque Paraiso. This is the park where Debby does her aerobics every weekday morning. On Sundays, it is packed with families, mostly just enjoying the day with friends. There are also lots of vendors, some selling hot food from a grill, others selling candy. There can be music, rides, and who knows what else.

So yesterday, we borrowed the landlady's portable table and chairs, and walked over and set up shop. Mia was her first customer, and it didn't take long for a crowd to form. Even though a clown started his act about 100 meters away and stole most of her clients, she still managed to come home with $0.35!

Today, she went with the director of the preschool to paint faces at a monthly birthday party at a nearby residential center for kids with cancer. They were celebrating the kids' birthdays for the month of September. Very sweet! The center is a bit like the Ronald McDonald house in Seattle and is the only cancer treatment center for the entire province of Azuay. Many of the families are very poor and stay for free in the center while their child receives treatment. Adrian, the clown who was also performing for the party, asked her if she'd be interested in doing more parties with him!

If Nikki would just raise her prices a bit from $0.05, maybe I won't need to get a job after all!

1 comment:

  1. This is great. What incentive she shows to offer to do for others what she really enjoys - and all for less than a dollar earned. Sounds like your cultural experiences are so positive! Aren't you glad you took the chance??

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