méxico: week five (and then some)

[Brothers: Domingo and Leobardo]
[Rach and me]
[Rodriz and Mario]

[Chuy]

[Fernando José and Fernandito]

[Fernando José, Fernandito, Abel, and Marcela]

[Maria Inez and Mariela with dirty hands from the tortilla dough]

[Uriel]

[MariChuy, MariCruz, Carla, and Tita]

[Walking up to class on the hill]

[Fernando José]

[Mario with Tirzah]

[Alejito]

[Chuy and Jeffrey find cushy seats]

[Gina, Rosalina, Essie, Maria, and Suzanne]

[La Casa Hogar Luz de Esperanza]

[Me and Dietrich]

[Carol and Marcela "transplanting" a flower]

Sunday, May 2, 2010.

Domingo's birthday. Speaking of Domingo, he "avoided" my eyes during breakfast; he was "shy" after I told him happy birthday. Rach started packing which brought me close to tears. I'm not ready for her to leave! I sat with Marcela and Cata during the Choix service and some of us walked back to the orphanage afterwards. We had lunch and birthday cake. Then I tried to nap, but my quiet was interrupted by Rodriz's chattering outside of the bodega. So I got up and entertained Chuy... or he entertained me. Cata realized that the other kids have been calling me "Salchicha" for the last four weeks and it hit her funny bone. Now she calls me "Chicha"! We had a long ride to San Pedro in which Rodriz talked 95% of the time. We had fun playing a Rodriz-ified game of hangman. After a short and sweet church service and some goodbyes, we had another long trip home. Mario and Rodriz stayed for the late supper. I had my last good talk with Rach; she leaves in the morning.

Monday, May 3, 2010.

I was sad as Rach got ready to leave. I was even sadder when I realized that those teary emotions would belong to me in exactly one week. After getting groceries, I did school with Mariela. We worked in the bodega to avoid distractions. Before lunch, Rosalina and I sat on the swings and had a good chat about nothing and everything. At lunch, Essie and Rosalina peppered me with "¿Por qué?" (Why?) questions that never ended. After school and naptime (hmm... this is getting to be a habit), I sat with Teo and Maria Inez during the soccer game. We had supper, then clean up, and then the kids went to bed. Donna came out to teach ladies' Bible study and gave us some interesting insights on "letter vs. spirit of the law". To top off the night, the Yoder truck was having normal Yoder truck issues and we girls had to push it out of the driveway and up the road before it started. Talk about "raw woman strength"! LOL.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010.

I survived my first night without Rach. I helped Rebecca with picking up the groceries and then she dropped me off at the Yoders' house. I started lunch. Kyle helped me lots so that I even had time to run uptown and finish my souvenir shopping. We ate lunch early, and Loren took me back to the orphanage. I was in a hurry because I was planning to take the girls to Mochiqui to make tortillas. But, alas, the orphanage crew was just sitting down for lunch. So we got a late start despite my efforts. MariCruz was waiting for us and the girls got to work grinding the corn. The day was the hottest one we've had since I've been here. My water bottle was soon gone and we all guzzled the water that Rumaldo offered us (I didn't care at that point how clean or unclean the village water was). The girls had lots of fun making tortillas. We made both flour and corn tortillas... delicious! We took the "short-cut" home which ended with an ungraceful flip under the barbed wire, the grand finale, I guess. Back at the orphanage, my head was pounding. I drank lots of water to cool myself down and felt good enough to help with supper. But partway through supper, my headache flared up again. I realized that this would last awhile and slipped into the bodega to turn on the AC and rest... but I was too late. I was sick... very sick for the next couple of hours.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010.

Contrary to popular belief, "El Cinco de Mayo" is not much of a holiday in Mexico. At least in this part of Mexico. Anyway, my stomach was rolling this morning when I woke up, but most of the dizziness was gone. I had tea for breakfast and tried to go to town with Rosalina for groceries. But the van wouldn't start. Christa offered to take us in the Schwartz van, but that van refused to start too. I started school with Mariela who only wanted to distract herself. I was completely exhausted by the end of our session. After lunch, I did laundry and supervised school. Fortunately, the girls didn't ask too many questions today. I laid down again when they were done with school. I hate being such a wimp, but the weather has gotten the best of me, for sure. Supper was uneventful... except that Cata asked if she could have another tortilla (the limit is two per child). "How many did you have, Cata?" I asked. She gave me a big, guiltless smile as she held up four fingers. Cata and Marcela sat with me during prayer meeting. Cata's mind was on the coke she was going to buy after the service and Marcela couldn't stay awake. When we got home, I hung out with the kids and swung with Veronica until I was sick to my stomach. Roxy lost her rooster somehow. I can't say that I mind. I went up on the bodega roof to pray for the kids.

Thursday, May 6, 2010.

Bad news: Roxy's rooster is found. I suggested putting it in the soup for lunch after it crowed all night. I spoiled Chuy during breakfast by dipping his cornflakes in yogurt. After breakfast, I started wiping tables with a scrubby and realized that as a perfectionist I should never wipe tables with a scrubby. I had to scrub them down until they were white again. But I only got three of them done before I had to move on to other responsibilities. Mariela was excited to learn subtraction today; she thought it was much better than addition. Chuy wasn't hungry for lunch and kept distracting himself and me: "Lookit, Kita! Lookit!" He was set on having a cookie: "Can I? Kita! Have one? Kita! Kita! KI-I-I-ITA!" After cleanup, he asked me for popcorn. I told him we didn't have any. Excited that he knew something that "Kita" didn't, he took off running while grinning back at me over his shoulder. "Look out Chuy!" But too late and he smacked his head on the kitchen table and fell back to smack it again on the tile floor. I held him and expressed my sympathy while wishing I could have caught the hilarious incident on video. During school, Essie and Roxy asked me to stay fifteen more years... or at least until they both are eighteen... which is nowhere close to fifteen years. I took a nap and then made supper. We had a small group tonight since some of the kids were gone for a party in Choix. Rebecca, Cata, and I enjoyed the evening on the swings. Then the Miller family arrived and the noise level became a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Everyone was so excited! Then, after a long while, the kids went to bed and we girls sat around in the kitchen and talked.

Friday, May 7, 2010.

Abel's birthday. I handed Abel his birthday card and he thanked me and just held it in his hand until someone showed him that the envelope opened and something was inside. Chuy came to visit me this morning because I had my door propped open. He came running across the bricks hollering "Kita!" before he even saw me. Now there's a boy that can melt my heart. I sprayed him with perfume and he tried out some of my chapstick. He played with my mirror and rolled around on my bed and jabbered. We had a large group of people for breakfast. Afterwards, kids were everywhere... the 15 children of the orphanage combined with the Miller children made quite a group. Rebecca was in charge of making the pizza for lunch and we all tried to help out. I attempted to get the girls to do their corrections too. But everything was just too busy that I finally gave up on corrections and just helped with lunch. After lunch, the kids had music class with Rod up on the hill and I went with them this time. The classroom was very HOT especially with so many children. I came back and crashed in the bodega with the AC (I know, I know! I'm so spoiled!). I went to Mochiqui to visit Ana. I had to holler for a long time before I got anyone's attention. Ana and I talked for awhile and then we both walked over to the orphanage for "power fun night" with all of the church people. We hung out together all night and it was so good... but my Spanish was tired after she left around 10:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 8, 2010.

I leave in two days. Yikes. I'm not sure that I'm ready. I woke up early, not wanting to miss anything of my next few days here. Lenn announced during Saturday school that I was leaving on Monday and Johan was leaving on Wednesday. So after class, Ricardo smothered me with a hug and various other children came up to give me comparatively timid goodbyes. Santos was frustrating me... but there's nothing new there. I almost got picked for volleyball just because I am tall. Although the weather was suffocating, I went uptown to buy a blanket for a souvenir. I felt ridiculous popping into stores asking to see blankets they'd already moved to storage, but fortunately, I found one that I liked before I looked too hard. I bought strawberries and cream to "beat the heat" and sat down in the plazuela to read. Lots of people were out despite the heat. Every time a certain truck circled the plaza, I heard, "Wutzer name?" and "Wutsup, baby?" until they discovered how good I am at ignoring. I visited Marlen and her grandma. Marlen made me eat lunch, claiming that strawberries and cream was not lunch enough. For dessert we ate chile suckers (not my first choice, believe me). Then I used the phone at Rod and Christa's while sipping a much-needed coke. I went to visit my landlady and ended up stopping at a former neighbor's house and Lupita and Vanessa's house as well. When I got back to Yoder's, I sat in front of a fan and read my book. I walked up to the taquería to meet the Millers for supper, but the taquería was closed. I stopped at the store and bought some delicious mangos. The Millers picked me up and we ate at Pollo Mayo. All of the little girls wanted to sit beside me. Finally I said, "I'm not that cool!" and Lenn turned to Carol and said, "She's not that cool!" (Later he reneged, but it was really funny). The food and the company were good.

Sunday, May 9, 2010.

I awoke with the realization that today was my last full day. I think I was in shock for part of the morning because I didn't get anything done before church. Ana sat beside me during the service. I talked with her after church until it was time for her to leave. At lunch back at the orphanage, Chuy made a fine mess of his shirt with his pozole. He kept asking me for another tortilla, "Tilla? Tilla? Kita! Tilla?" The weather was so muggy that I couldn't help but take a nap. I packed and Roxy came in to help me. Lenn helped me figure out my traveling plans. The afternoon schedule was relaxed, but I was so dreading my trip that I couldn't really relax. Maria Inez took lots of pictures for me after supper. I sat and talked with Rhonda for awhile. When the kids got ready to go to bed, so did I. Before they disappeared for the night, a group of girls flocked me in the doorway of the bodega saying that they would tie me in the bodega so I couldn't leave. They gave me giant hugs that almost made me lose my balance and took turns counting to three before shouting together phrases like "¡No te vayas, Salchicha!" (Don't go!).

Monday, May 10, 2010.

I didn't sleep well... of course, I wasn't really expecting to sleep well. I finished packing and some of the kids came in to "help" me. Then they gathered around me again, repeating the phrases from last night with groggy voices and morning breath: "Don't go, Salchicha." "You're to young to leave." etc. I dragged out my goodbyes; I know, I know... that only makes it worse. Everyone gathered around and they had special prayer for me at breakfast. I told the boys goodbye. Then I had to go. Roxy refused to even look at me until I was literally out the door... then she came racing out to give me a hug. Essie and Maria tried to block the gate until Lenn almost ran them over with the van. Then I left... At the Yoders' as I stood out waiting for a bus, a lady pulled up and asked if I was going to Mochis and that she could take me. Wow. So I rode with her all of the way to the bus station. On the way, I got to know her a little better and realized that she's not happy and she's searching for something... for Jesus whether she knows it or not. When I got on my bus to Tucson, someone was sleeping in my seat so I plopped down beside her and suffered the aisle seat all of the way to Hermosillo. I watched the movies, read, and slept. Sound relaxing? It wasn't; not on a bus. I had one scary moment and that was when we reached Hermosillo. The driver told everyone to get off. I was pretty sure that the driver said "fifteen minutes" but when the bus pulled away after about five, I had a moment of panic where I thought I must have misunderstood. But he was only refueling and cleaning the bus.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010.

I{m convinced that I caught the worst timed bus. We reached a checkpoint around midnight. We had to pull everything off of the bus and haul it over to a scanner. The guard opened my suitcase because he thought he saw meat in it (???). He must have been disappointed to not find any. After pawing through everything, he shoved my suitcase aside for me to put everything back together. The same protocol happened when we reached the border. All I wanted to do was sleep. And I was able to doze a little in between the border and Tucson. I was the only one who got off at Tucson. I tried to freshen up in the bathroom, decided I was too tired to care, and went on a search for a taxi. It was 3:00 a.m. The taxi driver took me right to the airport where I had to wait for the airline desks to open before I could check in my luggage. My bag was a few pounds to heavy, but I pulled out my "501 Spanish Verbs" book and everything was okay. I bought myself breakfast and waited for my delayed flight. We left at 7:00 instead of 6:00. I read Dickens and wished I was home instead of facing the second part of my journey. I enjoyed landing in rainy Chicago and passing through layers and layers of rain clouds. Finding the bus shuttle center took almost all of my leftover energy. I was close to tears by the time I finally bought my $1.50 banana to get quarters to call home. Then I waited and waited until the bus came at 3:00 p.m. Chicago was frigid and I was glad I had my blanket. As we drove toward home, I noticed the beautifully green lawns and thought "Wow. They must irrigate!" until I realized that all of the lawns and the countryside were green. Welcome back to IL! Mom picked me up at the bus stop and I totally woke up and talked the entire way home... Yah, so I didn't get much sleep that night.

méxico: week four

[Veronica and Abel: sister and brother]
[Mariela and Fernandito: sister and brother]
[Roxina and Rosalina: twins. Chuy: Rosalina's son]

[Miguel with Mariana and Grace]

[Rosalina riding Estrella]

[Jesús "washing dishes"]

[Roxy and Essie during home ec]

[Chuy hitting the piñata]

[The Children's Day celebration at the orphanage]

[Rach and her coke]

Sunday, April 25, 2010.
Marcela got "mad" at me for showing her my yogurt/granola combination. She called me "enfadosa" (annoying) for the rest of the day. Ana came to the gate because she was afraid she'd miss her ride to church. I tried to keep Essie and Rosalina straight during the service. Okay, not really; they were angelic. Ana and I went out back to watch the volleyball game after the service until I got tired of watching a certain person trample the rest of his team as he fought for the ball that wasn't his. Lunch was ready and waiting when we got home. After lunch came naptime. After naptime came supper (well maybe not right after naptime). After supper Rach and I let Maria Inez and Roxy take pictures with our cameras. Wow. Lots of pictures. Rach and I stayed up to watch The Sound of Music. Long movie. Late night. My favorite quote comes from Uncle Max: "I like the way rich people live. I like the way I live when I'm with them!"

Monday, April 26, 2010.

The bathroom door was locked and we couldn't find the key. That meant 20 people for 1 bathroom; the ratio was not good. I helped with breakfast cleanup, did corrections, and then did school with Mariela. She loves to count as far as she can in English (which is to five) before switching to Spanish: "Wan, Tooo, Sree, Far, Fife.... uh-uh... CINCO, SEIS, SIETE!" I took "time off" by sitting in the kitchen and reading to Brittany selections from Great Expectations so we could both laugh at Dickens' characterization. Chuy talked all during lunch. School went long today; Essie and Roxy were scrambling to finish up before the soccer game. Brittany and I watched the game. Seeing a bunch of the neighbor boys made me realize how long I'd been away; some of them have grown up (at least in size) so much! Santos hasn't changed; he's just as annoying and cute as ever. After supper, Abel and Fernandito raced Chayo and I around the soccer field. Chayo and I lost until I made the other boys run backwards. Maria Inez, Kyle, Miguel, Abel, and I played keep-away... but not all at the same time since Miguel and Abel have attention spans the size of marbles. I had responsible plans of going to bed early, but the girls workers stayed up late with interesting discussions including (but not limited to) "chocolate marshmallows" and modesty. And then Rhonda tore apart the bathroom doorknob and we have two bathrooms once again.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010.

Rosalina took me horseback riding after breakfast. I hadn't been on a horse for years, but Rosalina was very patient with me. First, I didn't have anything to wear... so I wore my pj pants under a skirt while thinking "No one will see me way out on the property." But first we had to chase down the horses, and they weren't in the mood to be chased down. Rosalina finally saddled Estrella and I clambered on. I didn't realize that the boys were working out on the property or that "out on the property" is actually in clear view of the road. Thus my lack of expertise was in plain view of practically all of Mexico. Such is life. I had a lot of fun... but painful fun; I now realize why cowboys walk bow-legged. I did school corrections when I got back. Then we had lunch and cleanup and I did home ec with the girls. We made cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast. Mariela and MariChuy fought over how much they could do and Essie and Roxy fought over how little they could do. Every time I explained something, Roxy would rush to say, "¡Ya sé! ¡Ya sé!" (I already know! I already know!) even when she didn't know. The rolls turned out nicely despite all of the debate. Mariela was fascinated with the yeast when I told her it was alive and would grow. "It's growing! Look, MariChuy! It's growing!" Then it was suppertime. The kids went to bed early so we could have Bible study and [*guilty chuckle] cinnamon rolls.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010.

I took my time off right after breakfast. Roxy was missing two math books so I had to do some copying as well as do school with Mariela. Rach made chicken pot pie for lunch (by request); it was delicious. During school, I was blessed to see Rosalina helping her sister with her schoolwork and Roxy actually letting her. Rhonda ordered the kids to straighten up their rooms but some of the kids volunterily house-cleaned instead. They did a wonderful job. Around 5:00 p.m. people began trickling in from Mochiqui, church, and the neighbor's house for the Children's Day celebration put on by an adult education group (I think). I got tired of hearing everyone chant: "¡Dále! ¡Dále! ¡Dáaaale!" while each kid took a few wild swings at the piñata. Then the group passed out coke and candy. I was tired of people by then and escaped to the kitchen to help with supper. Rach and I went to the taquería by the plazuela. The food was delicious as always. After eating, we walked around town and took some crazy pictures... and some good ones too.

Thursday, April 29, 2010.

Rach and I took Rosalina with us to get groceries this morning. Rosalina's way of talking makes me laugh and I think I laughed for most of the shopping trip. While we were picking out watermelons from the back of a vendor's truck, I made a comment about the corn he had mixed in with the watermelon. Rosalina said, "Let's steal it," with a giggle. While I was hauling the first watermelon back to the van, Rosalina came up behind me with the second watermelon and an ear of corn. "He gave me this corn!" Chortle. "He probably thought we were going to steal it anyway so he might as well give it to us!" Giggle. She's so crazy. So she went home and made some sort of soup with corn in it. Rodriz from church caught a ride out to the orphanage and helped in the kitchen with lunch prep. I played with Chuy and had a blast; I love the way he talks both English and Spanish. After Cinncinati chili and cornbread for lunch, I helped with cleanup and got the girls started on their schoolwork. Rosalina dictated spelling words for Roxina after Roxina told me, "You speak good Spanish, but you have a HUGE English accent!" I laughed (if you look closely you'll see a compliment wrapped in the insult). I helped to cut up veggies for supper and helped Rosalina with her math homework. I had to feed Chayo while we ate, but I still managed to eat lots. Rach and I went to bed early for once.

Friday, April 30, 2010.

Children's Day: a way over-celebrated holiday in Mexico. I helped Rebecca make pancakes for breakfast. I took my time with school corrections to be as organized as possible on Monday afternoon. I didn't do anything all morning... even waited to do laundry until lunchtime. I took a nap after lunch before I headed over to Mochiqui. I never got far into the village, however. Two elderly ladies sitting in the front yard of a house on the outskirts of the village invited me in for a visit. The ladies struck me as relatively harmless busibodies who pinned all of Mochiqui under a strict gaze. They told me that Ana was in Choix, so after a short visit, I walked home to get ready for the girls' night on the town. A big THANKS to Christa and Janessa who made it possible for Rebecca, Rhonda (and Mariana), Brittany, Rachel, and I to go shopping and out to eat. Because it was Children's Day, town was packed and a parade was filing down main street. We picked up hotdogs and then went to Rod and Christa's empty house to hang out.

Saturday, May 1, 2010.

I tried to be organized and plan my day, but alas, my day was unplannable. I left Saturday school to get groceries with Rachel because we had such a huge list. After class, Mariela told me she was sick. In Spanish, they use the expression "the sickness hit me." I misunderstood Mariela because she was talking so quietly: "The spsdfsf hit me." "Who hit you?" "Hjfdjfe!" "WHO?" Janessa and I went out to eat at Pollo Mayo. As we were devouring grilled chicken, the owner's wife, Gladys, came by with two pieces of cake for us to "try". "There are some advantages to knowing the owner," Janessa remarked dryly. I walked Janessa home and then went up to the plazuela to read and write. I used the phone at Rod and Christa's, and then Rach gave me a ride home on the moto. We had delicious pizza for supper, a real treat! Fernandito dropped his plate and I cleaned off the pizza and handed it back to him. While he was eating the piece, I pointed to it and gasped, "Look! A dog hair!" He paled and scrutinized his pizza before taking another bite. Speaking of Fernandito... Veronica asked to be excused (the kids usually ask in English). She said, "Scoozs?" Before I could say "yes", Fernandito butted in with, "No, Veronica, it's like this: Beh, bih, scoozed?" (May I be excused?). We had dessert and then the kids took a stick to the piñata.

méxico: week three

[Mariela]
[Mariana]
[Veronica and Marcela]

[Evening teeth-brushing: Fernandito, Mariela, Veronica, and Abel]

[Three naughty (and loveable) little boys: Fernandito, Fernando José, and Abel]

[Jesús and Essie: brother and sister]

[Swimming at the river]

[Maria Inez, Marcela, and Grace]

[At the plazuela]

[View of the plazuela from the clocktower]

[Rach and I at the top of the clocktower]

WARNING: the following paragraphs contain some disgusting events of life at the orphanage.

Sunday, April 18, 2010.

Since Brittany was sick, I was in charge of her five children during church. The younger four have unlimited amounts of energy; if I didn't realize that before, I sure did today! I went to the store after church to get some juice for Brittany. Mariela didn't feel good either and I made her sit still (a nearly impossible task!) and read books instead of playing volleyball outside. After lunch and a short naptime, a group of us left for the service in San Pedro. Unfortunately, we were unaware of the service's time change and we arrived an hour early. We sat for a long time. I had a headache and zero energy, but being in San Pedro was good as always. When we got back to the orphanage, we scarfed up the supper leftovers and hung out with the kids until their bedtime.

Monday, April 19, 2010.

I wish today would never have happened. I know tomorrow I'll laugh, but I'm too tired to laugh now. Let's see... in the morning I started Rosalina and Essie on their schoolwork so Rhonda could take them out in the afternoon. Of course, the last part was a surprise so I couldn't tell the girls why they had to do their schoolwork early. When they hounded me for answers, I told them that maybe it was a surprise and maybe it was a punishment. "¡TriiiiciA!" Rosalina wailed. I helped Brittany with lunch and we discussed classic literature. She told me I talk like I read classics... whatever that means. And then [*drumroll!] the after-lunch incident happened. My four remaining students (the other two had already left for their "surprise") started on their schoolwork. Abel, Fernandito, and Fernando José asked to go on the bodega roof. Since their caregivers had let them up on the roof earlier, and since I was in charge because no one else was around, (I have to put in my defense) I let them up on the roof again. So this is what happened, although it took a good part of the afternoon to sort out: Fernando José dared Abel to poop on the bodega roof... so Abel did. Then Fernandito dared Fernando José to jump off of the roof... so Fernando José did... spraining his ankle in the process. For awhile, everything was mass confusion as the kids discovered what had happened, laughed uproariously, tried to find Abel (by stomping through the freshly-mopped kitchen), and climbed up the ladder to the bodega roof to confirm the story, etc, etc, etc. By then, Rebecca was done changing all three diapers and took charge; I gladly let her. I realize that boys will be boys, but why are they especially naughty when I'm in charge? Just as I was ready to concentrate on school, I had to chase Chuy down and discipline him and fish Chayo out of the mud... and the list goes on. School lasted literally all afternoon. The neighbor boys came over before soccer and distracted my slow-working students even more. Yet, by mid-afternoon, I had decided that I would indeed survive the day. During supper, Abel was back to normal, rattling off all sorts of ridiculous comments including one about his "beautiful little head." Rach and I had another long talk in the bodega when we should have been sleeping.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010.

I went into Choix to make lunch for the Yoder family. Donna gave me some quick instructions before she caught the bus to San Pedro. Kyle helped me clean out the refrigerator. Mario came to the window and scared me half to death... and then had the audacity to laugh at me. I made Janessa's request: red rice and bean burritos with guacamole. I had been planning on lunch for seven, but we had some unexpected visitors who trickled in... Reina and David... then Rodriz... then Aile... then Mario... and then Reina's sister and the sister's daughter. I started washing up dishes, but Loren took me out to the orphanage to do school with the girls. Roxy took up most of my time. She was frustrated with a spelling test. When the others were done, I worked with Mariela; she is so smart, but doesn't want to concentrate on schoolwork. I tried to take a nap in the afternoon, but ended up just thinking of ways to help Roxy and Mariela with their learning. After supper, we played ball tag. I had a growth; Veronica insisted on my carrying her. With her face right next to mine, I kept getting wafts of guamuchile breath. Yuck.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010.

Today I did not feel good, but dragged myself to town to buy some yogurt. But we forgot the grocery list and had to make two trips. I did schoolwork with Mariela in the morning so I'd be able to spend extra time on her. I made sure that I had some time off to lay down in the AC and try to make myself feel better. At lunch, I put too much hot sauce on Marcela's food and she kept panting and shooting me disgusted glances. After lunch, I accidentally watched Jorge throw up in the lawn. Shocked, I couldn't look away except to check if Johan, Bryant, and Scott were seeing what was happening. They were all looking the other way, deliberately ignoring the scene behind them. School went quickly, for which I was thankful. Maria Inez needed some one-on-one time, but the others sped through their work. After school, someone accidentally locked me in the bodega and I tried not to panic until I was rescued. Just before supper, Christa told Rach and me the bad news of the day: Scott and Rod wrecked motos. Scott was okay, Rod's knee hurt, and the motos were toast. That was the supper topic for everyone except Cata, who had just been told that she could buy a coke after prayer meeting. I skipped the beans and ate quesadillas and yogurt. Diego saw my plate and disdained the fact that I was on a "diet" although I was already "skinny" (I'm not on a "diet" or "skinny", btw). After prayer meeting, I took a very excited Cata to the store for her coke. The evening was uneventful as we went home and the children went to bed.

Thursday, April 22, 2010.

The milk on my cereal was warmish. Rach paled when I said that it tasted like it was straight from the cow. "Just stop!" she insisted. I went with Rach to town for groceries. On the way back out, I saw someone I knew before he saw me and I didn't feel like being seen or giving an obligatory wave... so I ducked down in the passenger's seat. Rach made fun of me. I did school with Mariela, but the rest of the morning was uneventful. Afternoon school was fun. Afterwards, I tried to take time off, but Roxy and Essie came into the bodega to root around for a tool. Rach made delicious taco salad for supper. We played ball tag again, which soon became boring. So I decided to sit out and Brittany gleefully handed Mariana over to me. Diego stole Mariana away and entertained her by walking her around and calling her fat to see if she would cry. The younger children had a "singing" on the back patio. I loved listening to the them sing at the tops of their voices. Pepper wandered into the center of our circle and was startled when we yelled out "¡GLORIA A DIOS!" as part as one of the songs. Then she sat down and began to scratch her fleas. Such is life in Mexico. As the kids got ready for bed, I spent some quiet time of the swings, praying for the children. Then I went inside to have yet another good talk with the other girls.

Friday, April 23, 2010.

Rach is sick today. I heard her get up in the middle of the night... I won't finish that thought. The day picked up pace as it went on. We had been planning a day at the river and the girls were excited. We went to a different part of the river this time... a part that was down a long dirt road. The place was gorgeous with huge trees and rocks. The girls had a blast. I didn't spend much time in the water... just enough to wade to the other side and reach the shade. We got home around 2:30, wet and dirty. I napped after we got home and then I walked over to Mochiqui to visit Ana. As I neared the village, I smelled the tortilla fires burning and remembered just how much I love Mochiqui. Ana was home. We sat in the shade and talked until I lost all concept of time. I had been planning on helping with supper, but I got home during supper cleanup. Whoops. I quickly ate and then hung out with Veronica and Maria Inez and kept an eye on Diego who was giving Mariana wild rides in the stroller. I did laundry and hung it out in the dark as the kids got ready for bed.

Saturday, April 24, 2010.

I woke up without any real ambition for my day off. Saturday school went well. While I was "working" by passing out crayons to the kids, Kedric asked, "Isn't today your day off?" I left early to walk to Rod and Christa's to use the phone. We had some house key issues which eventually meant that I was locked out of the house, but I at least had the phone. I walked to Marlen's house. She had a friend visiting so I didn't stick around long. I wandered around uptown with my strawberries 'n' cream (of course). I ended up at the plazuela where I sat and enjoyed the beautiful weather and read my book. Then I decided to be a tourist... I took pictures in the plaza and climbed the clocktower to take more pictures. I visited my former landlady and then Vanessa's family. A man was visiting Vanessa's family as well. When asked what crops he would grow this year, he calmly listed, "Sesame seed, marijuana, peanuts, etc..." I was taken aback and then reminded myself that, good grief, I was in Mexico after all. I caught a ride back with Johan and Bryant in the van. After supper, Rach and I were hanging out with the kids when the inspiration hit us to do something fun since we were both feeling good for once. We secured permission and soon were on our way to Choix. We climbed the clocktower and laid on our backs, staring out at the night sky... and we talked and talked and talked. When we saw a group of guys who looked like they were about to climb the tower, we dashed to the bottom only to find them strolling down a nearby street, never having any intention of climbing the tower. We took a walk and "toured" the "house of culture" which was nothing but a few pictures on the wall. Finally we climbed into our "cool" green van and headed home.

méxico: week two

[Cata] [Essie]

[Part of the group that ate after baptism]
[Dishing out the pozole]

[Ana and I]

[Roxy doing laundry]

[Mariana]

[Waiting in line for the bathroom]

[Rach with her mending] [Passing out tracts in Choix: Roxy and Essie]

[Carla]

Sunday, April 11, 2010.

Today was such a long day. Rod was already stirring the fire when I got up to shower. Some of the Yoders came over to help get things ready for the service after the baptism. Janessa and I tried thawing the deer meat for the pozole. The dogs hovered, hoping for drops. Then I helped Rach cut up the mounds and mounds of cilantro. When we finally left for the river, Cata and Essie were very excited. The service at the riverside was short and sweet. We had lots of visitors from all over to rejoice with Ernesto, Lupita, Catalina, and Esmerelda. I was delighted to see people from the church in San Pedro. We piled back into the vehicles to head to the orphanage where we ate lunch. I washed dishes and then sat with Ana after the church service. Once the visitors left, we had a mini-fun night. I went to bed with a headache. Too much ball tag.

Monday, April 12, 2010.

Teo's 17th birthday today. Brittany and I started working on his birthday cake before breakfast and finished it afterwards. I did most of the observing and not so much helping. I played with the kids and then took some time off. When I returned to the outside world, I helped Brittany prepare lunch and wash dishes. Afternoon school dragged on until the soccer game. I watched the soccer game and cooked up the soya for the cebiche. We VSers stayed up late to talk and talk. I had fun learning to know the other girls a little better.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010.

Rach and I got groceries in the morning. I didn't have anything to do while Rach was sewing so I started picking through the scraps and decided to sew a skirt for one of the little girls. While the school girls worked on schoolwork after lunch, I tried to work more on the skirt. Veronica got wind that the skirt might be for her and she hung around the sewing machine, "Are you almost done?" "When will you be done?" Essie had trouble with fractions and my Spanish was inadequate to explain them to her. Finally she ventured, "I think I understand!" (no thanks to me). Rach wasn't feeling good so I helped with supper. The children went to bed early so that we ladies could have Bible study.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010.

After getting groceries, I graded schoolwork, had time off, raced Veronica on the swings, and helped Marcela play "house". After lunch, we started on schoolwork right away. The girls were well-behaved today; they did their schoolwork without complaining... and even got done with enough time for me to take a short nap afterwards. During supper I sat across from Abel who stared at me the entire meal. After the evening prayer meeting, Chuy melted my heart by saying his version of my name: "¡Kita! ¡Ven!" (Come). I went home with the Mochiqui crew in the back of Loren's truck... just like old times. Rodriz, Aile, Mario, and Janessa came along too. Before bed, I graded papers and watched the kids play musical chairs and "Buenos días, maestra." Cata was absolutely hysterical with that game... and Marcela did a perfect imitation of Fernando José.

Thursday, April 15, 2010.

Today was full moon... Well not really, but the kids at the orphanage must have thought it was. I sat at Rhonda's table. Chayo sat beside me and vomited milk. I know that's gross, but that's the truth. I won't get into the even grosser details; let's just say that I couldn't finish my breakfast. Today was official "tattle day" because that's all the kids did today... only taking a break from tattling to run back outside and do something else to make another kid tattle on them. I made a skirt for Mariela before lunch. During lunch, I again sat beside Chayo who was bent on escaping his chair. *Grrr. Brittany and I were in charge after lunch. Chuy harassed the little girl's tea party so that they raced to tattle to me. The older girls were doing their schoolwork and I was trying to answer their questions when the three little boys got into a big fight and I had to march them all inside of the house. But at least school was rewarding once things settled down. Mariela, who learned to add yesterday, flew through her math book. She couldn't believe that 3+2 and 4+1 both equaled 5. Roxy learned how to "carry" in addition and got a 100% on her test. At dinnertime, I released Chayo from his chair too early and he snatched Marcela's tortilla. *Sigh. Then the evening was peaceful. Veronica and I had another race on the swings. I wish I could bottle her laugh and take it home with me!

Friday, April 16, 2010.

Leo's 14th birthday. I gave Chuy his breakfast. He ate very slowly, holding each bite of cornflakes in his mouth as he watched the world around him. I told him "Chew it!" And he responded with a muffled, "Chew it! Chew it!" Rach and I went for groceries and to pay our visas at the bank. Back home, I did laundry and the school corrections from yesterday. After lunch cleanup, we left to pass out tracts in Choix. The afternoon sun beat down on my group (Essie, Roxy, and I) as we made our rounds. At one of our first stops, I handed the magazine to two men outside of a building. One asked for a third magazine, "There is a man inside. He is a drunk; he needs to read this." Hmm... We arrived home all hot and sweaty. I got ready to walk over to Mochiqui with Rebecca, MariChuy, Veronica, and Marcela. The others went on to MariCruz's house while I visited Ana. Ana really opened up to me and we had a good heart-to-heart chat like old times. Eventually we walked back to the orphanage, literally too late for supper. After fun night, Rach and I enjoyed a good talk in the bodega.

Saturday, April 17, 2010.

Rach brought me breakfast in bed so I wouldn't have to get up early on my day off. How sweet! Saturday school was a little more eventful than I would have liked. Afterwards, I took Roxy, Essie, and Chuy to the store. Chuy walked around, pointing to things and calling them all "agua" (water). I went to Rod and Christa's house to use the phone and Internet. Brittany and I tried to hide from visitors on the front porch. I visited Marlen and her grandma and then walked uptown for a K-Freeze. A drunk stopped me on my way home. "WHERE ARE YOU FROM?" he bellowed in English. The conversation was short, but we managed to attract a crowd of unabashed and humored onlookers. I made a short visit to Vanessa's house and then raced back in time to catch a ride home with Rach... on the moto. My afternoon included: stuffing my souvenirs in my quickly-filling suitcase, hanging out with the kids, and journaling. After supper, Diego told me that he would rather that I be in the grave than his grandma. I chased him down and gave him a stiff head-rubbing for that comment. Then he and Domingo locked me outside. While the kids went to bed, Rach and I climbed up on the roof to enjoy the stars and sip Fresca.