The first meal at the new place Ana was staying, called the Hogar, was at a long table with all the residents who stayed there. Silvia and Pablo, the administrators, were the only ones who did not have AIDS. They managed and ran the facility. Before eating, everyone held hands and prayed. Ana was amazed by the quality and tastiness of the food. It was nothing like the food they ate at the reform center. Around the table, everyone asked Ana questions about herself and her life. They then went around and introduced themselves, telling how long each one had been living with AIDS. She was so surprised about how open everyone was with their disease, this was the first time she had experienced anything like this. After dinner everybody, not just Ana, got up to take their medicine.
After dinner, Silvia showed Ana to her room where she was staying with four other women. She did not have many clothes so she took her to a large closet filled with hand-me-downs from other shelters. She picked out some new outfits that she was excited to wear.
Ana and Berto were the youngest residents at the Hogar. They both were fifteen years old and instantly became best friends. They did everything together. They did their chores, ate meals, watched TV, and everything else together. Berto told her about his childhood and why he was also an orphan. His story was very similar to Ana's in some ways, both of them leading them to the same place.
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