time marches on

Very old picture from Uncle Willard's visit. Dad sleeps and Uncle Willard fixes a clock on G'pa and G'ma E.'s front porch.

Girl party time! Tam, Bev, me, and Alissa.

Derrek getting Haddie to howl (much to the dismay of her parents).
Reatha showing off her maturity level.
A few of my random cousins: Brandis and Reatha.
Sierra and Haddie play memory with great-aunt Arlene.

Brandis enjoyed my camera.

G'pa K. reading a magazine.

The traditional 42 game with Derrek, Brendon, Wendell, and Jacinta.

The girls loved playing with great-uncle Keith.

Haddie climbing over the chair...

...and into his lap.

Sierra getting her share of the fun...

...and chatting.

Chilly weather settles like a lazy fog on the bitter Illinois ground. Farmers rush to finish harvest, spinning tires in the mud and staring glumly at the falling rain. Traffic floods the streets as employees work extra hard to earn their Christmas bonuses and shoppers get a head start on Christmas. And somewhere within that maze, each individual lives an individual life. And we are daily faced with countless pressures, duties, and opportunities. Such is life: crazy, fun, and ultimately under the control of a loving God. My life has picked up a bit since I've last written. Of course, I can barely remember the last time I've written.

~~~

I battled sickness for two long months. My cough and cold got worse instead of better. Finally, with a cringe of a tightwad (frugal missionary blood still runs through my veins), I visited a health clinic where the doctor diagnosed me with bronchitis and put me on some strong (and expensive) antibiotic. Praise God that he chose to work through the antibiotic! My second day of antibiotics (which happened to be my birthday) I had energy for the first time in a month! Since then, I've been taking it easy but gradually getting back into real life.

~~~

Two days a week, I've been babysitting 11-month-old Andrew. He's been growing up so much. He pulls himself up on things and moves around so fast! He gets into everything, especially window blinds. Sometimes the day is filled with chasing him around and keeping him out of trouble. He loves books now... and not just chewing on them. He likes to listen to me read them. Did you know that cows say "Mooo!", sheep say "Baaa!" and three singing pigs say "LA! LA! LA!"? He is extremely ticklish which makes him fun to tease. And he loves to be chased: "I'm goina GETCHYOU!" And he also loves to be "eaten". I don't understand that. What is in a little kid that makes them love to be "eaten"? But he giggles happily when I stick his toes in my mouth and make loud munching noises. He discovered the joy of climbing stairs which may drive me to an early grave. He's sure the way to go down is headfirst and wonders why his babysitter never lets him try it. One day I arrived to find what I assumed was Asta. She looked like a shorn sheep, as Janelle so accurately put it. Nicholas (Andrew's older brother) informed me that "Her was groomed!" Unfortunately, poor old Asta's health has taken a turn for the worse and she now has to be kept in her kennel all day due to accidents she leaves behind on the floor. Maybe her health changed the day I chased her around the couch and coffee table twice before I caught and spanked her for biting at Andrew. Perhaps Janelle and I have been causing her excessive stress.

~~~

My birthday passed uneventfully. It was a perfect day. Nothing big and exciting happened but nothing bad happened either. I spent the morning in the semi with my dad, going back and forth to the elevator. We had delicious cake and ice cream at youth to celebrate. Friends and family made me feel very special!

~~~

I worked a day at my old job as a receptionist at the dentist office. Working there brought back a lot of memories... good and bad. Unfortunately, that was the day that I came down with a fever and went home to go to bed.
~~~

Mom and I have done a lot of house-cleaning. When we cleaned the living room, we ran into Dad's record collection. Mom put on Handel's Messiah. Bradley once described the singing as: "By the time the singer finishes the word, you forget what the word was!" "And he will be chaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanged!" Mom and I laughed ourselves to tears when the record stuck, and we barely managed to save the repeatedly dying orchestra. Another winner was some sort of homemade record from one of Mom's friends. He whistled one song. Mom looked a wee bit melancholy at the thought of giving up the record, but I assured her that she was making the right decision. Dad sentimentally turned on Johnny Cash which sent vibrations throughout the entire house. "Because you're mine... I'll walk the line!" It was an interesting finale to finishing up the living room cleaning.

~~~

Janelle and I celebrated the fact that we both had a day off and got together to bake cookies and then pass them out to the people we knew in town. It was a good day, although I silently wonder to myself how in the world we managed to spend so many hours in the little village of Roanoke. Lots of fun though... Thanks, Janelle!

~~~

I've been doing lots of reading since I've been home, due to my sickness and partially un-employed state. I love libraries and renewed my card with much anticipation. Although my life is getting busier now, I still try to squeeze in some reading time. I'm working on a few old and "modern" classics that I'd always wondered what they were like and never had time to read. I can lose myself in books like The Pearl by John Steinback and Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Other books like The Jungle by Upton Sinclair and The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck are harder to enjoy. But I like to analyze why these books are considered classics.

~~~

Janelle and I went out to eat with a couple from church and their son (Davis, Marilyn, and Jonah to those of you who know them). After the delicious Indian buffet, Davis, who hates any animals with hairless tails, somehow led the conversation astray. Without realizing what he was going to say, he burst out with:

Davis: Have you girls ever eaten possum?

Jonah: DAD! Why are you talking about this?

Davis (sickly): Oh dear. (Looks at Marilyn) Dear, do you have a piece of candy or something? (takes a sip of Jonah's Pepsi and silence reigns as Davis tries very hard to think about something else).

~~~

One Monday night, I stopped to see my sisters at work. Tony, their boss, was making out the schedule and offered me a job as a hostess. So I trained with my sister on Tuesday night and worked on my own on Wednesday night and Thursday morning. I think I'll enjoy it. I noticed that people are generally amiable because they've just eaten when they come up to the register. (Very different from my job as a receptionist at the dentist office: "I have a toothache! Get me in right now!") Also, several of the workers speak Spanish (some of them ONLY Spanish) which will be good for me! At first I thought I wouldn't tell any of them that I had lived in Mexico and sneakily eavesdrop on conversations about the waitresses. Unfortunately, as soon as I clocked in on the first night I heard "Tree-see-uh!" and the bus boy started talking with me in Spanish. My cover was already blown. Bummer. The two dishwashers are the most fun to talk to; they say absolutely nothing and give me terrified glances whenever I say something to them. I've discovered the joy of bussing tables when the bus boy has a day off. I also found out that the waitresses tip me for bussing! I've already made some crazy mistakes so that Tony has had to drop his work to straighten out for me. He's been very gracious... so far. I'm enjoying learning to know a whole new group of people.

~~~

On Thanksgiving Day we had the entire Zoss (my grandma Kennell's side) family over to our house for dinner. We had a gi-normous spread which tempted us all into (or nearly into) gluttony. With so many people in the house, the noise level was louder than the orphanage right before a meal (yikes!) and the temperature rose to Mexican summer heights. I didn't mind the temperature part so much! The great-grandchildren charmed all of the adults as we played games and ate food. I spent most of the afternoon in a loooooong Apples to Apples game.

~~~

Have a great week or month everyone! Be thankful for all of your blessings even in the midst of the Christmas rush!

warm memories from a cold season

I am amazed at how time disappears. My life is slow-paced and relaxing, for the most part; yet, time still goes fast. I guess that's humbling proof that I'm getting older. But with age comes experience...which generally inspires wisdom. At least there's one thing to anticipate!

I've been spending a lot of time with my family... well, when they're home, that is. Our best conversations usually happen over the dinner table where we compile a ridiculous assortment of random facts, dreams, songs, and memories. I discovered that Mom and I can still laugh until we're both in tears...even when the incident isn't that funny!

I had a "most embarrassing moment" the other week. This particular day started after a night of three hours of sleep, continued with nine hours with a sick, fussy baby, and tragically ended with a stop to the grocery store. Please note that I am not an experienced or efficient grocery shopper. Nevertheless, Grandma and Mom had sent me on this errand with a tidy little stack of coupons. I found everything with relative ease, minus the fact that I retraced my tracks several times and bumped into the same people more than a few times. I unloaded my groceries at the counter, made polite conversation with the cashier, and then politely refused to load up the cart to pull around and pick up the groceries. "I can carry them!" I declared confidently. However, my confidence faltered as I loaded up one arm with a 10-lb bag of potatoes, a gallon of ice cream, and several containers of laundry soap. While I was fishing for the key in my pocket, the man behind me valiantly picked up two gallons of milk and assured me that he would carry them out to my car for me. I was mortified, but led the way to the car. I stuck the key in the truck lock and twisted... well, I tried to twist. The trunk would not open. I shot a nervous glance back at the patient gentleman holding two gallons of milk along with his own groceries. "You can set them down. I'll get them!" I chuckled as I went to the driver's door. "Oh, I'll wait. I'm not in a hurry." So he bemusedly stood by as I unlocked the driver's door and reached back with groceries dangling off my arms to unlock the backseat (power locks should be a necessity for moments like this). When I finally was safely in my car, I laughed the whole way home.

I wrote about Asta the snoring dog in my last post. Here is an Asta update: I fear she is quite disillusioned with me. I made her go outside in the rain after she'd made it clear she didn't want to. She gave me sad eyes, but I was firm. Then I forgot about her until she was shivering and extremely grumpy. I would've felt worse if I hadn't been the brunt of her reproachful eyes for the next several hours. She did try to make up with me when I was on the floor with Andrew. She placed to furry paws in my lap, and scurried away when I lept up and yelled at her. I assume she will have to work through some emotional baggage before she takes such liberties again.

I had a mouse in my room (notice the tense of the verb HAD. *victorious chuckle*). I was on the floor by my desk when I heard a rustle outside my closed door. I assumed it was someone outside of the door and didn't even look up until something black squeezed under the door and shot for cover. Startled, I believe my first thought was "Cockroach!" (the result of spending a year in Mexico, I suppose). For the moment, he was safely hidden. Later in the day, I was on my bed when I heard another rustle and then a pointy black head peeked out from under my desk. He saw me and froze. He then eyed me while judging the pros and cons of exposing himself to an obvious villain...and promptly vanished again. I maliciously recruited my brother to set a trap. By nighttime, we had our long-tailed friend.

Despite cold (and colds), life has been good. I've had good times with family and friends: long walks, deep talks, hot chocolate, conversations in faltering Spanish, Mexican restaurants, offers of green tomato pie, times in the field during harvest, Tony's Italian love songs, cookie bakes at Grandma's house, and good books. God has been faithful in the most encouraging and frustrating situations of adjusting to life in the States. I suspect it will take a long time to feel entirely adjusted, but I'll just live un día a la vez!

finding humor in the little things

"Oh...Lord...My...God!"
The Sunday after I got home, a group from my church went to a nursing home to sing for one of our church members. One of the residents gushed over "How Great Thou Art" and insisted on leading it for us a second time. She stood in front of us and made dramatic hand motions. "Oh...Lord...my...God!" she began slowly, almost intolerably low. We joined her, soprano voices brushing the bass section. After the singing, Bev, Bradley, and I went to visit another lady in the home, only to find that her roommate was the energetic song leader. The song leader shamelessly eavesdropped on our conversation and inserted her opinion: "God and Jesus are good, both of them!" And then pointing to a painting of Jesus on her wall she exclaimed, "And good-looking too!"

Shopping Trip
When my Eberly cousins were out for a visit, we girls went shopping. Our first stop was to drop off a rented jackhammer. We had visions of all six of us hauling it out of the back of the van and into the rental agency. Instead, one nice man came to rescue us and carried it off by himself. In the same shopping trip we also hit Farm&Fleet, Menards, and Advance Auto Parts. The guys were impressed.

Cookies
You may think that since I made cookies at least once a week in Mexico, I'd be pretty good at making them now. But alas. I made my favorite recipe of chocolate chip cookies, but instead of turning out deliciously chocolaty, this is what happened. First, I broke the mixer. I'm not used to using mixers anymore, and I stuck the wooden spoon a little too close to the beaters. Good news: the wooden spoon is fine. After I stuck the first tray in the oven, I realized I'd forgotten an entire bag of chocolate chips! Then the cookies turned out dreadfully flat. The first batch actually dripped off the pan and onto the bottom of the oven where they burned. Speaking of burnt... Just kidding, that's the one thing I managed NOT to do!

Torpedoes
I've become more sensitive to how badly most people in America pronounce Spanish words. Soon after I got home, I went out with some friends to a Mexican restaurant to eat what Davis called "torpedoes" (tortillas). At Taco Bell with my mom another day, the cashier confirmed my mom's order as a "gor-diht-uh" (gordita). Cringe!

Asta the snoring dog
I went with Janelle to babysit a little boy named Andrew. Because of his health problems, I wanted to get some "training" before I went by myself. Janelle had warned me about Asta, the family dog. I got to know the pooch fairly well on the first day. Unfortunately, she didn't sense my disdain of dogs, and she loved me. She ignored Janelle and cast adoring eyes on me wherever I went. She stood and quivered almost all day because she was so excited or nervous or...something. She watched us during lunch, waiting for us to accidentally drop particles of food for her to slurp up. She finally laid down for a nap in the afternoon and lo and behold, she began to SNORE! It startled me until I realized it was only the sleepy canine on the floor by my feet. Dogs should not snore!

Janelle scares Asta
Speaking of Asta, on my second day of "training", Janelle was on the floor changing Andrew's diaper and telling me about how she'd made Asta angry one time. At the end of her story, she imitated Asta's nasty response: *SNARL *BARK *GROWL! Asta, who was sitting right beside her, suddenly leaned back and flattened her ears against her head in fright. I burst out laughing and Asta didn't look too pleased that her new hero was finding humor at her expense.

Crazy Youth
What do Josh the quilting bee leader, Andy the tooth fairy, and Arlene the porta-potty attendant have in common? Play strange games with my youth group and find out!

Pickles
My grandma has been known for trying some unconventional cooking. One day, I walked over to my grandparents' house to visit. She had a kettle of cucumbers merrily boiling in pickle juice on the stove. Chuckling inwardly, I made a mental note to tell my mom about this latest experiment. But when I got home and told my amusing story, mom said, "I did that!" And I was humbled to realize that my mom was the one who had given Grandma the idea!

Scary gun explosion
I was lounging on the couch, reading my book. The character in the book could feel unseen eyes watching him as he crept around the house in the dark. Suddenly, explosions ripped through the air, scaring me senseless. I looked up to see my cousin Justin towering in the doorway with a toy ball gun aimed at his brother. He'd been firing right beside my head...slightly unnerving in the thick of a scary plot!

Exciting side note!!! I made flour tortillas on Thursday night for the first time since I've been home (and the first time by myself EVER) and they turned out remarkably Mexican-like. There might be a reason Ana called me a "chicana"!

Another side note: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JANESSA!!! I hope you know that I did this just for you!

Goodbyes, Airports, and Flannel

SUNDAY: A lot has happened since I got up on Sunday morning. The highlight of my otherwise dreary and tearful morning was that my former landlady came to church. She had deserted a houseful of company to spend one last time with me. When Lenn led my song request, he couldn’t remember how it went. It was a memorable farewell to have the confused church singing an array of clashing notes, lol. After church I said a few more goodbyes and went to Mochiqui to tell MariCruz and her family goodbye. I told Ana goodbye just in case I didn’t see her again. I thought I had become calloused to saying goodbye by then, and was surprised at how much it hurt to say those goodbyes. It all just felt so final...and depressing. After lunch with Reina, David, Lupita, and Aile, I spent the afternoon quietly in my room. Marlen visited me. Ana came to the San Pedro service; we sat together all the way there, through the service, and all the way back. I had to tell everyone in San Pedro goodbye after the service. It took me so long that Lenn almost sped off without me! Aile had a program at 8:00 that we all wanted to attend. Unfortunately, the others got home from church after 8:00 (others as in: including Aile) and we had to stuff popcorn into bags to take along with us. Aile showered and then we were off, extremely late. We parked and walked in, some marching ahead and others trailing behind… we were quite the motley crew! We shouldn’t have been the least bit stressed; Aile was scheduled on the program after two hours of traditional-style dancing from a bunch of high-schoolers in costume. We got home late after dropping people off.
MONDAY: Reina’s family stayed overnight which is why David’s wild yell woke me up. I wanted to do laundry, but the water wasn’t on. After breakfast, I started with packing and donating stuff to missionaries less-privileged than I (okay, the last phrase wasn’t necessarily true). When I finally got my clean laundry on the line, someone started a brush fire that [of course] drifted over to my clean laundry. I dashed outside to save some of it so I wouldn’t have to smell like a tramp on my flight the next day. I went to buy my last coke and tell Don Josecito goodbye. He gave me gum as a farewell gift. I called home and cleared up some details of my flight. Then I laid down to rest. When I did, I realized that the sniffling I had attributed to allergies was actually my good friend, Head Cold. And his timing was impeccable. I went to the orphanage to say final goodbyes to everyone there. Lenn took Janessa, Caleb, and I out on his moto. It was tight squeeze, especially since my skirt wasn’t conducive to good moto riding. Janessa was basically on my lap with Caleb on top of her. Whenever we stopped, Lenn had to support our combined weight as we slid down the seat toward him. Ana was waiting for me; I’d told her that I’d be there. It was fun to be with the kids one last time, even if it was a bit melancholy. Ana left early, leaving me with a note and a phone number as she climbed on the bike with her boyfriend and disappeared from sight. Suddenly the soccer game had ended and I had to say goodbye to everyone. I asked Debbie if I could just slip out, but she quickly shot down that idea. I had told myself that crying wasn’t an option at least until I was home... but when Roxina started hugging me and wouldn’t let me go and Maria was waiting solemnly for me beside the van, I knew my resolve was not going to last. I had a hard time climbing onto the moto with the girls hanging on me. When I got home, I got a stomach ache. I hate goodbyes. But the night wasn’t over yet. Janessa, Rhonda, Suzanne, and I went out for ice cream and to the plaza. We didn’t have much time, but we had fun for my last night “on the town.” By the time we got back, my head was throbbing and my nose was unstoppable.
TUESDAY: I hardly slept… a result of the blend of sinuses and emotions. I got up at 5:00 a.m. and finished packing. Originally, all of the Yoder family had been planning to spend the day in Los Mochis, but I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t feeling good so those plans collapsed. So I said a few more goodbyes before we left the house. The ride to the airport was long and bumpy. Then I had to wait a long time for my plane. My head was in the clouds by the time I finally got ready to get on the right plane. First, I banged my head in the doorway in front of the stewardess and the pilot. Then I had my ticket upside down when I was trying to find my seat, and the stewardess had to help me turn my ticket around. And then I tried to open what I thought was an overhead bin but was actually just the overhead lights; the bins were only on one side! Most everyone else was already boarded and they watched me curiously as a gave them a weak smile and plunged into my seat. We flew along a body of water that I assumed was the bay between mainland Mexico and Baja California. I began to feel better as the day progressed despite that fact I’d had hardly any sleep and was under stress. It was definitely a miracle. The landing in Phoenix tested the strength of my motion-sickness pill and I was relieved to be on the ground again. Going through customs was easy despite the maze of contradicting directions to re-check in my luggage. I got tired of walking and rode those little flat escalator thingys as an alternative… so slooooooooooooow! My flight from Phoenix to Chicago was freezing. I fought the urge to cuddle up to the passenger beside me, but I think I had goosebumps at least 80% of the 3 ½ hour flight. I was extremely restless and bounded off the plane once they opened the door. As I marched down the hallway to the final flight of stairs, I saw my Dad. Despite the fact that my family had all been awaiting my arrival, they looked a little shocked to see me. After hugs and luggage, we walked out to the van where they had a coat, gloves, a scarf, and a hat waiting for me. I should’ve been really tired, but I think I talked most of the way home. At home, I was delighted to find flannel pajamas in my dresser. I cannot even describe that moment that I climbed between the flannel sheets and fell back onto the memory foam of my bed for the first time in over a year.
WEDNESDAY-SATURDAY: Mainly these last couple of days have been a lot of adjusting for me: cleaning, finding clothes to wear, going to the bank, visiting people, learning to know the new “neighbors” (my grandparents) in our backyard, reacquainting myself with my youth group, etc. So far it’s been good, but not without its moments of Mexico-sickness. Here are a few of the things I’ve had to adjust to, no matter how minor:
~Vertical light switches instead of horizontal.
~Carpet.
~Grass.
~Breakfast cereal other than cornflakes!!!
~Radio.
~Driving (Thanks, Bradley, for the driving lessons).
~Drinking hot drinks.
~The COLD weather and actually wanting to be in the sun.
~Prices.
~The array of my favorite foods (noooo, they’re not spoiling me!).
~Running hot water in the sink.
~What in the world do I do with so many pairs of shoes?
~Walking around the house in stocking feet.
~Dishwashers.
~Quiet.

[This is what happens when my little brother borrows my camera.][Me with my welcome home cookie from Grandma and my welcome home banner from my siblings.]
[Can you blame me for dreaming about this chocolate cake while I was gone? Thanks, Tony!]

So concludes my time in Mexico. I most likely will NOT be keeping up with this blog, at least on a regular basis. (Sorry, Janessa.) Thank you all for caring enough about my life to read this and/or look at the pictures. Thank you also for the prayer support... please continue to pray for the missionaries who are serving down there as well as for the orphanage and the church. Thanks!

Scorpions, Enchiladas, and Lasts

SUNDAY: I woke up with the impression that a cricket singing very loudly. It startled me in my drowsy state. But what startled me even more was that Mr. Cricket was in my hair. He gracefully leapt out when he realized he’d been discovered. After that, I had a hard time going back to sleep. Therefore, I was sleepy all morning. Loren had a sermon about a Christian’s involvement in politics. Rhonda and I met to discuss the girls’ birthday party on Monday. Then, once everyone had gone, I ate lunch quickly and collapsed back into bed. I felt like a new person when I woke up for the San Pedro service. The service was small, but good. We got home late and ate and went to bed.

MONDAY: Monday was one of those days that I never want to repeat. I had a good day but it involved way too many emotions. I got up early to make cupcakes, walk uptown to get ice cream, and cut up things for the picnic lunch. Fortunately, I got a ride out to the orphanage and skipped the biking part. When I arrived, the girls were locked outside of the house while we prepared for the party inside. We took them to the river; they were so excited! The river was cleaner than it had been the last time, but also more shallow. The girls had a ball. I sat with Chuy and tried to keep him occupied. He loved putting rocks and pebbles in his tank top and throwing mud. We ate our picnic lunch, opened gifts, and then went back into the river. Sitting with Chuy in the shallow water gave me a painful sunburn. Lenn picked us up and we went back to the orphanage. I set up for the birthday party. Sam showed me my very first scorpion. Roxina tried to get Fernando and Cata to stick their hands in the jar: “He won’t do anything to you! Ha, kidding!” The girls were very excited about the ice cream. After having a blast with my little girls, I suddenly realized the second part of my obligations of the day: saying goodbye to the boys (they were planning on leaving for Mexico City on Wednesday). I dragged Gina along with me for moral support. The boys stalled me as long as possible. Domingo locked the gate so I couldn’t leave. Miguel made popcorn. Diego raced me down the road. Domingo and Miguel showed me their new clothes. Finally I told them all goodbye; I was tired of prolonging the inevitable. Then Gina and I went back down to the house. Domingo stood on the fence to watch us as long as possible; he yelled something about a pomegranate or something. After I biked home, I called Dad for a reminder that saying goodbyes here would be worth the being home again. I walked over to say goodbye to Vanessa’s family and my former landlady. My landlady told me that she is coming to church on Sunday… so much for that goodbye.

[Adorable Alejito]

[My very first scorpion!]

[Eating cake and ice cream after a day at the river]

TUESDAY: Speaking of repetitive goodbyes, Lupita and Vanessa stopped by the house on Tuesday morning. And then I found out that we were all invited to the orphanage for the twins’ 15th birthday party. I decided I wasn’t going to say goodbye again to either Vanessa’s family or the boys. I did my laundry and burnt…er…baked cookies for the prison in the morning and then we went out to the orphanage. The twins were making enchiladas with their mother. All of the gringos soon found out that there is a difference between gringo en-chih-lah-duhs and Mexican ain-chee-lah-dahs. After the meal, the twins opened their gifts and had their cake. I helped with clean up, picked on the kids and then went outside to watch them create a tennis court. I purposely disappeared before the boys left so I wouldn’t have to say goodbye to them again. We went home and I took my time off. Afterwards, I helped make dinner and finished up laundry. After a phone call home, I started brainstorming the ways that Mexico is different from the States. Janessa and Donna helped me. Johan and Scott were on the front porch and gave me some input too… some really funny and random input, which was pretty much what I wanted. I also found out that due to problems with the well pump, the boys are not leaving for Mexico City until further notice. Monday’s emotional trauma was all for nothing!

[The twins' birthday celebration with their family]

WEDNESDAY: My LAST day off. For some reason, I wasn’t too sad. I impressed myself with my self-discipline in getting a few things done. I threw most of my things in my suitcase to determine how many more souvenirs I could buy. Then I went shopping for the last time. I ate my last strawberries ‘n’ creme. I talked to the people I know uptown for the last time. *Sigh. I hate lasts. When the orphanage van arrived for prayer meeting, three of the five boys came to tell me that they had the date set to leave “after the races”. (They didn’t know the date; just “after the races.”) After the meeting, we took Mario home before going to Mochiqui to drop off Ana and Rosa. We had smoothies when we got back.

THURSDAY: I made mashed potatoes at the orphanage. The morning went smoothly until I whipped up the potatoes and realized that we didn’t have enough food. Suzanne saved the day by starting some noodles. The noodles were cooking during prayer. Debbie did clean up for me while I took my time off with Rhonda in the bodega. I was chilly with the AC and wrapped up in a sheet; Rhonda thought I was weird. Afterwards, I entertained Chuy and watched Suzanne clean her room. Chuy’s new word is “agua” (water) and he says it as he reaches for his cup; so cute! He also started saying “owie” and pointing to his foot. He seems to think that “owies” belong on the foot, whatever they are. I helped with dinner and then left with Lenn. When I got home, I ran to the store. Don Josecito asked me all about my flight home and my ticket. At home, I started packing my suitcase to see if I really can dream of making it home in one suitcase and a carry-on.
FRIDAY: I called Dad for his birthday. I got a late start with the laundry at the orphanage. But I managed to get it all done. Cata watched me while I sorted clothes and filled the machines. MariChuy was celebrating her 12th birthday. She stood out in the soccer field, loudly singing in English “Happy birthday to me! Happy birthday to me!” She ordered Mexican enchiladas for her meal and Suzanne busily prepared those. I hung out with the kids and enjoyed life at the orphanage. At lunch MariChuy was so excited about blowing out her candles that she blew them out before we’d even sung to her! Domingo was practicing his English during lunch clean up: “I tol’ you, be quie’, man! I sai’ don’ do dat!” I started making apple crisp for our singles’ night. Domingo and Leobardo approached me hopefully. “For me?” Domingo asked, grabbing an apple. “No. They’re for me. This is for you.” And I gave him a hug. “For you!” he said, returning the hug with breathtaking energy. Since I was the “guest of honor” for singles’ night, I was forced to make all of the decisions. I think it was just because no one else wanted to make them. *aHEM! I finished the apple crisp without burning it. I had a little time off before I walked over to Mochiqui. I was so hot when I finally reached Salvador and Enriquetta’s. We talked as Uriel and a naked Jaciel played tag amongst us. Enriquetta couldn’t believe that I had walked over by myself: “Aren’t you scared that someone will rob you?” “I don’t have anything with me to rob.” “They might kidnap you!” Ana wasn’t home, but I walked to MariCruz’s and had a nice visit in between studying with Carla, Tita, and Uriel. By the time I was done there, the wind was wild and it was starting to sprinkle. I walked back to the orphanage quickly and managed to beat the rain. We were planning a cookout but the heavy rain caused the flexible missionaries to change their plans. Instead, the guys came to the kitchen with the hamburgers to fry up in a frying pan. Suzanne isolated the noisy kids to the bedrooms until they were able to go upstairs to watch their movie. Once they were gone, we ate and talked like boring adults. But it was fun anyway.

[A sleepy and messy Chuy]
[Domingo, Roxina, and Miguel eating leftover enchiladas]
[Dietrich playing "guitar" with a broom. I'm not sure what Miguel is doing]
[The guys in the kitchen. Looks like Sam is giving Johan some moral support]

SATURDAY: Three more days. That’s so crazy. This morning we got around really late and then stood around and talked when we should have been setting up for class. During class, I sat next to a little girl who speaks perfect English. I almost didn’t know how to talk to her because she could understand everything I said! As I started to pass out crayons, Lenn embarrassed me by making me stand up front while the class bade me farewell. We had 43 people in the 15-passenger van on the way home. Once again, I crouched on the floor after throwing Chuy in Ana’s lap. Chuy entertained us with his extensive vocabulary: “Leche. Agua. Juta. Owie.” We made lunch and I did clean up. Domingo started practicing English again, “I tol’ you, man! Quit chunkin’ around!” Both MariChuy and Roxina weren’t feeling the greatest so we babied them all afternoon. They both felt good enough to come out for a water-balloon fight, however. We filled the balloons and we all got rather wet as we did so. We had so much fun. The girls ganged up on me and thoroughly soaked me. We cleaned up our mess and I sent them through the shower. I was still in this lengthy process when Rhonda emerged and I went for my time off. After I got up, I helped a tiny bit with dinner and then we ate. I went to check in on Roxina and ended up staying in her room and rubbing her back while I listened to dark stories from her past.

[Filling water balloons]

[Roxina loved over-filling the balloons and then spraying the extra water and whoever happened to be standing beside her]

This is actually a video from last week. Suzanne painted her face with sidewalk chalk and hid in the dark bathroom with a flashlight in her face. Roxina, who scares very easily, was invited inside to see. I caught the moment on video.

The dialogue in English:

Maria: Come.

Roxina: But what is there inside?

Maria: Something that you need to see. Please open it!

Roxina: But what is it?

Maria: I'm not going to tell you until you open it. You're going to see.