out of the fish bowl...

From left to right...

Nathaly: Just recently turned 9 years of age. Drama Queen. Loves Hello Kitty and all things related to stationary. Likes to draw and paint, and aspires to be an actress in the future.

Roberto: At the hyper-active age of 10, he is Real Madrid's biggest fan. Intrigued and fascinated by techy "toys" (eg my camera, cell phone, discman). Biggest dream: to fly to Spain and watch a Real Madrid soccer game.

Esmeralda: 34 year old mother of 3. Separated from her husband for about 1.5 years. She spends most of her time taking care of her children and selling chocolate covered fruits, enchiladas, and hot drinks to the students at the Spanish school across the street. As well, she is studying to become a lawyer and wants to help woman fight for their rights.

Alejandra: (or more often Alejandrita) Only 8 months old and is one of the most well-behaved, happy, and cutest babies I have ever seen. She can sometimes mumble out the words "mama" and "papa", but overall is eager to speak and interact with her older brother and sister. Also an eager independent as she loves to grab the spoon from her mom while she's being fed.

Jolanda (Joli) [on the left]: 21 and has been more or less working since she was 5. Things seem to have smoothed out between her and Esmeralda and she'll be staying for another year before moving on. Super hard worker (she wakes up at 5:300am and then starts to clean and cook until about 10 or 11pm) and always smiling. She hopes to be able to go back to school one day and looks forward to taking care of her own family. Expert tortilla maker.