Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Las guayabas

Yesterday Doña Raquel and I hung out all afternoon. I was trying to clean the dishes and sweep when she called me to go get some guayabas. She´s always doing that. I think that´s how she gets people to hang out with her. What will she do when the guayabas run out? I guess there´s fruit in this country year round. So we went to the house that they own and is across the road. Apparently a family lives there now. I had no idea. They moved in on Sunday. It´s a family from another part of Huehue and came to my town so their teen girl could go to high school. Arriving at the house we first gave the cows their weird oatmeal-like mix while Jellyto ran around barking at them. He wanted to take a bite out of the cow just like Mary always does. He didn´t though. Those cows would toss him. What did happen unfortunately is that he was behind a cow while it was eating, when all of a sudden, the cow takes a dump and some of it splashes on him. Poor Bebes. Life sucks for him right now. Well not entirely. He got to eat half a chicken tamale last night. And today I gave him some of my beef stew. Anyway, back to hanging out with Doña Raquel...after feeding the cows, she climbs on the roof and starts throwing guayabas down at me and the two little boys from the family. We then go lay in hills. She whistles for her friends to come join us but they end up refusing. Too many chores left. We go home but not before a fall on my butt trying to climb between some strips of barbed wired and then stabbing my palm with a thorn. Cristian and Don Rubein were at some birthday party so we go upstairs and have coffee and beans, talking about all kinds of things. How Cristian is not Don Rubein´s son, her relationship with his father, how she misses living in the capital and how sometimes she wishes she wasn´t married because she craves her freedom. But how she also is happy she found someone she loves and will take care of her when she´s sick.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

drip drip

Treated

I am beyond sick. Last night I literally thought that I was going to stop breathing. I was drooling all over the pillow and had to change where my head was resting just so I wouldn´t have a wet, germy face. I woke up with all my body aching and boogers everywhere. Bebes did not sleep with me and for that I paid a steep price. As I walked to the garbage can to throw away some toilet paper, I see a nice, coiled brown gift at the top of the stairs. But that was only after that big puddle of bright yellow pee. So I cleaned a lot this morning. I even washed my blankets. Last night I either had a dream, or this was reality, that there were fleas all over the bed. And that I caught them so easily. This was probably reality. Anyway, so I´m sick. When I´m sick, I long for home, more so that usual. Last night I went to bed at 7, woke up at 9 thinking it was midnight and then finally at about 6:30 with Cristian asking me if I wanted to go to a nearby town with them. I politely declined. I´m sick, young man. Of course, then his mom finds out and promises me a Vicks Vapor Rub-down later today. This should be interesting. Do I want it? Yea, kind of, as long as she doesn´t laugh while she´s doing it. Rewinding...this weekend went by really fast. The lake was beautiful. It reminded me of Manuel Antonio in Costa Rica. I recommend Circus Bear (jaja...actually called Circus Bar) for their yummy pizza. Don´t go to Chinitas. Cute kids selling equally cute handicrafts. I had to take 5 buses to get home yesterday so that suuuuuucked. I had both butt cheeks on a seat though. So that was a positive experience. It was nice to be back home even though I thought I was going to faint. Hopefully I get better. Tomorrow is the first day of school. I have to be dynamic and with that game face on. Speaking of game face...the soccer season starts soon. Anyway some other things that I have been doing and look forward to in the coming weeks.

1) Phillip finally responding to his family´s emails
2) I ate ram for lunch last Thursday. I wanted to throw up. Not as delicious as lamb.
3) Meeting with the librarian
4) Implementing The First Days of School...woot woot!
4) Having a fixed schedule for the school year????
5) Papifut games
6) Exercising (although someone told me I look thinner...that can´t be)
7) English classes for my teachers
8) Reading more of Rab´s fabu blogs
9) Calling Tia Hilda
10) Spending less money

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

SA Feria


Reunionation de Maestrosation

Every morning it is getting harder to wake up. 5:30 never feels right on cold mornings. It´s still dark out and very foggy. Today I had to reset the alarm to 6 and then I still didn´t want to get up. If Bebes can sleep in, why can´t I. Sometimes I wish I had a dog´s life: sleep, eat and well, you know...So I got up today with Roy and Bebes following at least an hour later. I made my black tea with sugar and ate my powdered milk with Corn Flakes then I finished up planning for a meeting that I had this morning with the teachers at one of my schools. The meeting was to reenforce the information about the Peace Corps that was given to them when I first got to site. We did a Jeopardy Trivia game to make it more interactive. They were getting all competitive. Some of the teachers knew the goals, mission, etc of the project while others had no clue. Sigh. We talked about how we were going to make the program sustainable and they had really good ideas. The teachers were joking the entire time but took things seriously went they needed. Overall, a success. I have basically the same meeting tomorrow at my other school. Hopefully it goes just as well although the teachers at this other school, as I told Roy, need a little electric shock to wake them up. Can they do it? Yes, they can. Jaja..sorry.

I´m putting a picture of me on top of a church when Roy and I stopped by Carmen´s feria. I think it´s a beautiful picture. Am I glowing? Love you all.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Small victories

Saturday morning I received a call from the student I tutored for most of the month of December telling me that she had passed her four final tests and was going to Segundo Basico as opposed to repeating Primero again. I was really excited to hear that and she was like,¨It was you. All you. Thank you so much.¨Then of course, I say that no, I couldn´t take credit for her passing. I helped her but she was the one that had to show up to the tutoring and ultimately study all those hours. Her father was not going to let her study next year if she didn´t pass so this was a big deal for the both of us. The last thing I told her was that I´d see her next year in Segundo. She laughed and we said goodbye. Then today, I was finally able to see the mayor of our town (actually of the departmente capital). This was my fourth time trying to talk to him about the cancha we are trying to build at one of my schools. Roy and I show up a little before 8 because that´s the time we were told to be there. We get there and there are already about 15 people waiting to receive a number. By the time he got to me (after more than 3 hours of waiting and Roy staring at the people in the park), he comes out of his office and apologizes but has to do the meetings fast. So I had about 5 minutes to tell him that we needed a cancha and if he could help us out. He told me that he knew that there existed that need and that he was going to talk to the other members of the City Council and then they´d decide. He told me thank you for working in his communities and that he´d let me know the results. The small victory was not only his response but actually getting to see him.

Meanwhile, Bebes is sick. His leg is twitching. Roy is also sick. Nose running, legs and arms covered with some type of insect bites. A little girl threw up on him on the bus. Terrible basically. However, last night was nice. We went on a walk through my town down the highway until it got way too dark. Came back and bought 1Q blueberry popscicles and sat on the roof as people walked by. We made Gallo Pinto, minus the cilantro and Salsa Lizano. Then we went to a soccer game down the road with Cristian.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Cuentos de Anna Banana

Roy will soon be gone. School will soon start. I will soon run out of chocolate. Life will go back to normal. I don't know if I can eat any more delicious food. I'd list it all but it's pretty embarrassing, all I've eaten. The past couple of weeks, aside from eating, I've been falling in love with Bebes, tripping over things, drinking lots of coffee with Roy, trying to prepare for school, meeting with the teachers and directors at my schools to see what is up for this school year (we finally have a start date for school!) and missing all of you. Having Roy here makes me think of home and makes me want to return to all of you. I miss my Jelly hugs and my O-town kisses. I miss cringing at the site of Bear's feet and the sound of Rab's catchphrases. I miss your stylish ways, Phillip. But I know when I leave here in about a year and a half, there will be so much I miss as well. I will miss walking by Dona Irma's house and whistling as I watch Bebes run down the driveway to greet me. I will miss Profe Geovani telling me "Good morning, Miss" with his little accent and the cheesiest face in the world. I will also miss going to the bus stop and hoping that the chofer I have a crush on is driving. I may even miss Dona Raquel's insane laugh Hmm...maybe not. But now, at the moment, I miss you guys. Every thing I do here I do because of you and ultimately for you. I love you guys.

Monday, January 5, 2009

The beans have gotten to Roy




Cuentos para contar coming soon...