Father's Day, Dust Bunnies, and Viejitas

Chuy the nerd.
A very common site until July the 5th.

Roxina, Rosalina, and MariChuy making lunch on Thursday.

Fernando and me.

Trying to find the bread crumbs on the floor.

Sunday: Happy Father's Day to the best dad in all of the world! Carla and Tita sat with me during church... and were naughty. I met Rebecca; the children had been eagerly awaiting her arrival. Then I went to Mochiqui with the villagers. I helped MariCruz carry a few buckets of water from the street to her house before we came back home. We had a delicious Father's Day meal. Poor Mario had to endure American food again. In the afternoon, we left for San Pedro with a lot of Mochiqui villagers. Yesi came to church; I hadn't seen her in many weeks and I'd missed her a lot. After the service, I talked with Rebecca and then came home in the back of Loren's truck.

Monday: I drank tea and ate chocolate while I studied verbs. Then I bought groceries and went to Vanessa's house. The family was very newsy and they told me all sorts of juicy information about their lives. Alejito enjoyed the chocolate Tootsie pop I gave him; his grandma gave him a bath afterwards! During my time off, Reina's son David kept wandering into my room. I made a Tricia-fied version of lemon bars and walked over to my landlady's house to give her some. She wasn't there, but I saw some of my former neighbor boys... and I can still tell the identical twins apart (or I got lucky. LOL). I went in search of Marlen and didn't find her. But I talked with her mom instead. I saw lots of people I knew on the way home, but I hadn't found anyone I was looking for. Some days are just like that.

Tuesday: Another humid day. I did laundry and burned some snickerdoodles, which I passed out to the gringo victims on the front porch. Then I made lunch and mango cobbler. The mango cobbler was good, I guess. It was my two worlds colliding: American cobbler and Mexican mangos; it just didn't taste quite right. I made out verse posters. Someone turned the AC on in Loren and Donna's bedroom and we all hung out in there. Janessa and I walked to Marlen's house to see if she was around. She wasn't, but her uncle went to find her for us. She came soon, full of things to tell us. We lost track of time and came back "too late for supper." So we ate alone. Then I cleaned my room. The dust bunnies under my bed multiply faster than real bunnies!

Wednesday: I slept in. Then I walked uptown for a few things and back home to talk on the phone and get on the Internet. I enjoyed eating junkfood and spending time alone. I sat in front of a fan and waited for the rain to take the humidity out of the air. (I didn't know that I would have to wait until Thursday night.) I tried to take a nap, but gave up and went to eat dinner with Donna and Janessa. Every Wednesday night during prayer meeting I think of how much I missed the orphanage children from Sunday to Wednesday. After the orphanage crew left, Janessa, Rebecca, and I went along to drop off the villagers in Mochiqui. Along the way, Jorge decided that I was his grandma and spent the rest of the time calling me "nana." Janessa, Rebecca, and I went to get yogurt. Then Janessa and I attempted to make smoothies. They turned out with big chunks of ice and a kitchen that smelled like a hot blender.

Thursday: [I've been away from home for ten months.] I woke up after a pathetic night of sleep. I walked over to invite Lupita to the youth night on Friday night. When I got to the orphanage, I discovered that because some lady had donated a large chunk of meat, the twins were in charge of lunch. I was a helper. That was a switch; and a lot of fun! They worked frantically, chopping, frying, slicing, tasting... Roxina and MariChuy pulled stools up to the stove to reach the back burners. Fernando tried on a dress and I called him "mi hijita" (my little daughter) for the rest of the day. Lunch was delicious and we had no leftovers. Dear Rebecca spent a slice of her afternoon drawing pictures for the boys. After my time off, Chuy and I had the house to ourselves. I fed him bread while I made biscuits. I sat out with some visitors and watched Chuy. Debbie came home and finished the dinner Scott had started with his tuna gravy. Then came the rain. The boys ran up on the hill and the other children played in the rain until they were soaked. Debbie brought me home.

Friday: [I've been in Mexico for nine months.] I was walking my bike past Don Josecito's store when I heard Lily yell, "Subase!" (Climb on it!). I did eventually. I washed lots of smelly laundry. I helped in the kitchen and hung out with the kids in between laundry loads. Roxina sang while she hung the laundry for me. We had a delicious meal after which I biked home to use Internet and take a nap. Rebecca was at our house when I got up and so I talked with her until we left for Mochiqui. Maria and I visited Ana. We sat under the awning by the hot tortilla fire. I took my time, studying with Carla. Maria and I went to the store and she bought viejitas with Chamoy (a big sheet of ice cream cone-like stuff with hot sauce on top). Mmmm... We then hung out in the back of the truck with Alma and Jaciel until Loren, Donna, and Kyle came back. We had youth night at Rod and Christa's. Not a lot of people came, but it was fun. We played volleyball and then sat down to watch "Facing the Giants" in Spanish. Christa served us nachos. The youth really seemed to enjoy the movie. Afterwards, I helped to clean up and we came home. I stayed awake just long enough to tell Rebecca goodbye.

Saturday: We set up for Saturday school. I didn't think that class was fun or boring. It just was. I colored my picture ugly and put Ana's name on it. Domingo somehow talked me into playing soccer with him. So I was all sweaty before we even climbed into the van. The van was so full that I sat in Rhonda's lap; Chuy was jealous. After lunch, I was in charge of clean up. Domingo claimed his stomach hurt, but he still had enough energy to spray me with water. Johan warned me not to start something he would have to finish. Roxina and Fernando sat cuddled up to me on the couch until I got too hot and pushed them away. Rosalina was working on writing. She sounded out words she'd never written before; I was so proud of her! After my time-off I actually had a few minutes to talk with Rhonda until dinner. During dinner clean up we ran into a problem that exhausted me. Loren came for me right on time. He had to get gas and handed the man at the pump a large bill. The man accused Loren of having lots of money as he pulled out a wad of cash to find the correct change.

Tortillas, Volleyball, and Salt

Ana rolling out a flour tortilla.
Ana and I.
Rosa making corn tortillas.

The Yoders' puppies... in their cute stage.

I like this picture; it looks like the puppy is giving the camera a "come hither" look.

Sunday, June 14, 2009.

Good grief. I can't even remember this morning; it feels so long ago. Let's see... I went prayer walking before I came back to help set up for church and help with lunch. Roxina, MariChuy, and Fernando sat with me since Suzanne was sick. Carla, Tita, and Uriel also sat on our bench. Therefore I was distracted for most of the service. Rod had the sermon about the second commandment: idols. When we dropped off the villagers in Mochiqui, Loren went to visit someone and Janessa, Ricardo, and I were left in the truck to wait. Bella discovered us and she and Ricardo had a little spat. After lunch, I emailed and tried to sleep... but it was just too hot. So I settled for laying on my back and "relaxing my brain." A crew from Mochiqui came along to the San Pedro service. Good thing too, because not many of the other attendees did. The San Pedro service was very relaxing. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rod dropped me off afterwards and I smelled popcorn before I rounded the corner to the house. I was so hungry!

Monday, June 15, 2009.

Maybe I ate too much last night. Whatever the case, I was awake long after I turned out the light... thinking and thinking and thinking that I wishing I wasn't thinking. When I woke up, I laid in bed and didn't check my clock. If I would have, I might have noticed that I'd set my alarm for p.m. instead of a.m. Whoops. I got ready really fast. After breakfast was the 1 and 1/2 hours I've set aside for my weekly torture... er... verb study. I actually enjoy studying again; after doing it for 16 years of my life, it becomes habit I guess. Then I went to visit Vanessa's family. There were a million things I would have rather done. One of the scenarios I imagined was crawling into a bitter Illinois winter and curling up in flannel sheets and thick blankets and a mug up hot chocolate on my nightstand with just a bit of soft Tchaikovsky in the background. But there I was at the gate under the blazing Mexican sun, squinting in at the inhabitants and realizing the power they had over my emotions. We did a lot of sitting and not so much talking. Alejito charmed me with adorable smiles. After lunch, I hid out in my room with lemonade and chocolate covered coffee beans. We had a typically hot ride to San Pedro for Kid's Club. Reina's dog wandered around under the van seats and kept bumping into my legs. I gave her a soft kick to remind her that under no pretenses did I enjoy her sharing hair with me. Only four boys came to class. I couldn't blame the kids that didn't come; it was so hot, who would leave their houses unless held at gun point... or unless they happened to be persistent missionaries? While Rod read the story to the class, Guillermo leaned over and whispered that he remembered the story from the Jesus film we'd shown in San Pedro. That was encouraging to think that this little six-year-old still had images from Jesus' life in his mind. I helped him and Juanito to memorize their verses. This is how my study session went with Juanito: Together- "Amaras al Senor tu Dios con todo..." Juanito- "...tu alma." Me- "tu corazon." Together- "y con toda..." Juanito- "...tu alma." Together- "...y con toda..." Juanito- "...tu alma." Me- "tu mente." At least he'll know to love the Lord his God with all of his soul, if not his heart and his mind. When we left, Rod put on a blaring Southern Gospel CD and away we roared. Ana stopped by to see me in the evening. It was a good distraction from my boring evening routine. Her visit really blessed me and I didn't do anything else worthwhile all evening... besides shower (very worthwhile!).

Tuesday, June 16, 2009.

I bought groceries. I had to walk uptown to get vanilla. I made cookies, did my laundry, and stamped tracts. I made red rice and bean burritos for lunch. That meal always reminds me of Stacey. *sniffs*. I had a list of things to do on my time off, but I opted for laying on my back, staring at the ceiling, and listening to music. It was relaxing. We passed out tracts in Aguajito and Colexio. Only a few people from the orphanage came due to the flu making its rounds. The new girl, Margarita, and I passed out tracts together in Colexio. She so quiet and I pretended that I didn't know much Spanish... okay, not really. We did talk a little. On the way home, I had one of my moments again when I just look at the kids and mourn their lost childhood... their unhappy years they can never reclaim. Thinking about what humans do to other humans just makes me angry. But praise God that they are in a better situation now and surrounded by people who love them! We got home, hot, sweaty, and dirty. After dinner, I found Lindolfo Reyes (a Choix politician running for Congress) on the Internet. I played the video clip over and over again until we all had his theme song running through our heads.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009.

I woke up several times during the night with the realization that the evening had not cooled off. Then morning came and instead of the forecasted "scattered thunderstorms", we had "scattered electricity." Finally it made up its mind to stay off for awhile. It was suffocating in the house without fans. I told Donna that "I should NOT be literally dripping with sweat at 8:30 in the morning!" The air was thick. I went shopping and found that all of Choix was out of electricity. I mailed a letter. Poor Diego was practically suffocating in the hot little office as he waded through stacks of undelivered mail and a line of customers. I told him, "Ojala que tenga un buen dia!" (I hope you have a good day!) and he said "Your Spanish is good!" Inflated with pride, I marched out of the office, confident that my Monday morning "torture" was finally paying off. I shopped around a little and bought myself a coke. I don't even like coke, but it was so hot that I needed one. And, yes, I understand the fine line between "need" and "want." I talked on the phone and tried to finish up my "to do" list as I ate junkfood. Right before prayer meeting, I ate a large salad and went for a short walk to make myself feel better; my conscience was temporarily soothed. After prayer meeting we picked up Santos on our way to Mochiqui. He was walking, apparently left behind by the orphanage van. I asked him a few questions regarding his behavior and why he was walking. We had almost reached Mochiqui before Sergio and Jorge clambored onboard. Santos and Jorge motor-mouthed all of the way into the village. "This village looks a lot like a little village called Mochiqui that I visited once." When they saw Jorge's grandma and cousin: "That lady looks a lot like my grandma. That girl looks like my cousin!" Back in Choix, Donna made smoothies, which I am currently enjoying.

Thursday, June 18, 2009.

Happy anniversary Dad and Mom! The storm last night cooled off the world again. Our backyard has a lake. Caleb wanted to dig a hole and have a swimming pool. Lenn took me to the orphanage. Going through the valley was chilly; I'd forgotten what it was like to be cold. I took over lunch prep. The day was difficult... Rosalina and Roxina just found out that their brother was killed. It was hard for them to deal with the thought of never seeing him again... even in eternity. Suzanne creatively helped me create a dessert. In the afternoon, all of the kids went up to the dorm to have school. The house was blissfully quiet. I sat in the house and talked with Suzanne and sipped on some iced tea. A truck load of visitors came to visit Margarita. Debbie took care of them while Rhonda, Suzanne, and I hung out in the air-conditioned bodega for our time off. Eventually I emerged to entertain Chuy and help Suzanne with a task I'm not going to write about... (because I don't think he knows yet and I'd rather he not find out via my blog). I tried to throw dinner together while dear Debbie was still entertaining Margarita's visitors. We ate leftovers. Chuy was fussy. He ate a ciruela, part of a mango, and a pitaya (I didn't stick around to see the after-effects). Then came the rain. It poured and a liberal, cool breeze wafted through the open windows and doors. Chuy wanted to play in the rain and was upset when I pulled him out of it. When Lenn brought me back into town, the Yoder family was sitting on the front porch in the dying light. No electricity. I took a cold shower by candlelight and had just decided to go to bed when the lights came back on.

Friday, June 19, 2009.

I thought this morning would be a good morning to ride bike. Fat chance. No morning is ever a good morning to ride bike! The outside air was cool... but muggy as I soon found out. I wasn't dreadfully hot, but I was dripping with sweat by the time I got to the orphanage. I got a late start on the laundry and had nine loads to wash before lunch. Margarita left with social services just before lunch to return to her home. I ate lunch while feeding Chuy his beans and rice. I went straight into time off. When 3:15 p.m. rolled around, I was relaxed, cool, and ready for the next step of my day... making tortillas. I walked to Mochiqui and was all sweaty by the time I got there. This humidity is worse than the dry heat! I sat and talked with Ana for a while as she showed me her drawings. And then we moved under the awning to the "kitchen" to make tortillas. I had to endure the eyes of her parents and her sister as I made my first attempt at flour tortillas. They laughed at me, and I did my best just to laugh along. Ana rolled out perfectly round tortillas; I rolled out Africa, Asia, and Antarctica. One was so bad that Ana's sister, Rosa, hooted with laughter and carried it over to show her amused mother. Jesus and Julio (Ana's boyfriend and brother respectively) also stopped by for a little to add some amusement to their day. Regardless of all of the ridicule, the tortillas were delicious. But standing around a fire in the hot and humidity, I was soaked. But then came a cool breeze and then the rain. Some of the little Mochiqui girls stopped by and we played in the rain. I helped with making corn tortillas and then we walked to the orphanage for "power fun night" (fun night with the church). After we ate, we played volleyball. Janessa and I were on Carlos' team and he gave up on us after several games. He claimed that his leg hurt, but soon he was riding bike and then playing for another team. The night was fun and I was very tired by the time I collapsed on my bed.

Saturday, June 20, 2009.

I ate tortillas for breakfast and felt like a true Mexican. After class we all piled into the van. I had Tita on top of me, Roxina blocking the window breeze on one side of me and Rhonda and Chuy tight against my other side. I was so hot, but I made it. We worked on getting lunch ready and keeping Chuy out of trouble. Just before lunch, Johan radioed to ask if the boys should bring pitayas down for lunch. I thought Rhonda was running upstairs to ask Lenn, and I told him so. Then: "What is she, your servant?" "Pretty much!" I replied happily. Rhonda told me to boss her around once the boys came down. So while Johan was sticking the pitayas in the freezer, I yelled, "Rhonda! Get outside and give this to the dogs!" Both Rhonda and Johan burst out laughing. "You can't even sound mean when you try to!" Domingo whined about everything during lunch clean up. I had to take care of an issue outside on the back step after I chased a curious Miguel out of the doorway. As soon as the boys were gone, another issue arose. I was weary of problems, but hanging out with the girls and Fernando brightened my day again. MariChuy and Roxina were drinking salt water. I let them go until Roxina started dumping more salt into her water. I started a mini-lecture: "Salt is not good for your veins! Salt goes into your blood and your heart gets tired of pumping salty blood and it will stop and you will die!" Roxina gave me a terrified look before both she and MariChuy dashed to the sink and dumped their salt water down the drain. Quickly, they rinsed out their cups and drank several glasses of clear, fresh water. "Nos asusto la Tricia!" (Tricia scared us!) the panting Roxina exclaimed to Maria who was laughing in the next room. She said her heart was pounding wildly and still looked a bit wide-eyed. I laughed and laughed. The kids got their candy when "Gronda" (as Roxina calls Rhonda) got up. Roxina wanted more than her share because she claimed that the candies were small and "like vitamins." She gave me a guilty smile when I laughed at her. I love that girl! I took my time off with some iced tea. I helped finish dinner after my time off. Roxina didn't put any salt on her sopa fria and I had to check and make sure that her heart was still pumping. After dinner clean up, I played a quick game of soccer with Domingo and Roxina. I was goalie. When Domingo came in to score, I kicked the ball away from him. Without a defense for the other team, the ball bounced merrily along and straight into his goal. After he left, Roxina, Fernando, and I played volleyball. Eventually Maria and MariChuy joined us. We had tons of fun although most of our time was spent in fetching the ball from various places of the property. We were still playing when Loren and Donna came to pick me up.

Alice in Wonderland, Ice Cream, and Tuny Gravy

Clockwise: Roxina and MariChuy dancing/ Fernando and Dietrich on the swing/ Domingo, Rhonda, and Miguel working in the kitchen/ Domingo "not crying" while he cuts up onions.

On SUNDAY... not enough sleep... Uriel and Tita sat beside me... Ricardo and his mom came... I fed Chuy ciruelas and got some happy grins as juice dripped down his chin and onto his shirt... pazole and cebiche for lunch... lots of people from El Tepehuaje for San Pedro service... heat, dust, wind, sweat... Fransisca told me I was more "gorda" (fat) than I was when I first came... home again, home again jiggity-jog... Caleb thought the "Allison Chronicles" was "Alice in Wonderland": "Isn't that were she goes down into a hole?" "Huh?"... Loren thought that "Charlotte's Web" and "Alice in Wonderland" were somehow connected... I give up...

On MONDAY... Caleb called me grumpy... felt grumpier after being called grumpy... Spanish verbs, verbs, verbs... Yo cantaria para ustedes si no tuviera gripa... Yo queria que en que Santos se quedara en silencio... confiscated Janessa's book to make her do her schoolwork... Vanessa's house... off to buy groceries... back to Vanessa's house... leftover pazole for lunch... heard scraping at our bedroom door... Janessa investigated to find David with a collection of wood pieces he'd peeled off of our door... so so HOT!... long hot ride to San Pedro... small class... entertained by Fransisca's funny comments and stories... read my book the remainder of the evening.

On TUESDAY... grocery shopping... made cookies... did laundry... no hamburger at SuperChoix... made chili and cornbread for lunch... dishes... emails... passed out tracts... Miguel and Dietrich brought sticks to ward off attacking dogs... Dietrich's stick was almost a club... "Take the tract or answer to my stick!"... Roxina insisted on passing out tracts with "Chutcha" (me)... down a street... the wrong street... "Whorps!"... didn't meet up with the others until they'd formed a "search party"... kids played dodgeball afterwards... Jesse and Miguel had ciruela dodgeball in the tree with flying fruit... salad for dinner...

On WEDNESDAY... Janessa laughed at me when I ate Golden Grahams in bed... read and journaled at the plaza... went to visit Lupita for her 18th birthday... emails... chicken for lunch... talked on the phone... napped... iced tea... laziness... was still eating chili as people arrived for prayer meeting... chicken curry from Suzanne... prayer meeting... left immediately afterwards to take Lupita out for ice cream... chocolate/cappuccino/vanilla/cookies 'n' creme ice cream... talked... pictures... went for a walk...

On THURSDAY...smoky kitchen... Kedric: "Why is the kitchen always so smoky when we have French toast?" Sheepish Loren: "Probably because I make French toast."... at the orphanage... groceries on time equaled lunch on time... bad attitudes and resolved issues... being a "witness"... time off in the same room as Suzanne equaled lots of talking... cut up potatoes... took Chuy and Jeffrey for a wagon ride... they enjoyed watching the world go by through the hole Chuy discovered in the bottom of the wagon... Scott's tuna gravy... fed Chuy his rice... he saw me getting his bowl ready and tottled off to his high chair... smart little kid... ate pitayas with Chuy sitting on my lap... he loves pitayas... got home to find a box from Aunt Kelly waiting for me... such a blessing for the end of my day!!!

On FRIDAY...climbed on the bike and suffered my way out to the orphanage (note: "climbed on my bike" does not mean that I actually rode it all of the way to the orphanage)... watched the little boys cut up vegetables for lunch... watched Domingo "not cry" as he cut up an onion... mounds of dirty laundry and eventually clean laundry... "danced" with Chuy, Roxina, and MariChuy... taco salad and then the bike ride home... hot hot hot... time off... new girl came to the orphanage as a "temporary" placement... Mochiqui with Maria... visited Ana... studied with Carla and Tita... ate at the taqueria with the singles... decided it might be awhile before our tacos came since they were still cleaning up the grill... street meeting in our front yard... live music compliments of Rod's music class, Julian, Fransisca, Loren, and Lenn...

On SATURDAY... were finishing up with breakfast when we let the first kids in... had some help setting up tables and stools for class, lol... good class minus Roxina choosing me to hold the posterboard song... hot ride to the orphanage... made lunch and did clean up... tried to help Margarita, the new girl, find her place in our routine... fought emotional turmoil while listening to one of the kids reveal a tiny piece of a stormy past... "how can parents do that to their kids?!?"... time off... made dinner... solved arguments... entertained fussy Chuy... dinner clean up... played with the kids... home again...

Mango Shortcake, Santa Claus, and HOT

We L-O-V-E pitayas!
Rhonda.
Chuy and I.

Fernando and Roxina and a cactus.

This picture was blury but too cute to NOT put on!

Sunday: Mario (from San Pedro) and Ricardo came early for church. Ricardo picked up the guitar and started strumming it backwards. Janessa and I gave each other quietly amused looks before he broke into song about "Tricia, mi tia, la nina mala!" (Tricia, my aunt, the bad girl!). I didn't catch all of the words. Later he affectionately stooped and pretended to kiss my hand. Then he left, claiming to be back in "un ratito" (after a little while) but never did return. The service started and lots of people came. After Loren's message about storing up treasures in heaven, several people responded to the invitation. Some of them just wanted prayer for strength or wisdom to continue their Christian walks...but at least one confessed Jesus as his personal Savior for the first time. Christa and I wanted to talk with one of the girls, and sought out a quiet room to do so. But every door we opened, we accidentally burst into another little group. Donna exclaimed, "Praise the Lord! All the rooms are full!" We finally went on the back porch, ignoring the curious children. Janessa and I went along to Mochiqui and then came back to clean up from the service. After the San Pedro service, I wasn't feeling very good and came home to shower and go to bed.

~~~

Monday: We had pancakes for breakfast. Then I studied Spanish verbs. "Comelo!" "No lo comas!" (Eat it! Don't eat it!). I will never cease to be confused. I walked to Vanessa's house with the groceries. Vanessa's mother, Lupita, and Alejito were gone, but I stayed anyway. I helped Vanessa with her English and we doodled on a paper. Then I talked with her abuelita a little before heading home. And I got home just in time...the Yoders were sitting down for lunch when I walked in the door. The San Pedro Kid's Club was small, but good. Luis and Yesi are such cuties...I think I'll take them home with me. We had mango shortcake for dinner; it was delicious...and definitely a Mexican version of the famous strawberry shortcake. I started reading a book and couldn't put it down even to join the others and Santos, a man from town, as they watched the Fireproof in Spanish.

~~~

Tuesday: I did laundry, made granola, cookies, and lunch. It was a fairly uneventful morning. I didn't burn anything and not many people came to the window. Junier and Esteycy came by to try to sell me some decorative pens, but although they begged me to buy, I turned them down. Loren came in around lunchtime to tell me that I had three boxes waiting for me at the post office. I had been expecting them, and enjoyed how the others moaned and groaned jealously. I raced up to the post office and carried all three of them back despite Diego's protest that they were very heavy and I needed a truck. Then I gleefully began my Santa Claus moment. I locked my room and opened the boxes. They were from my family for the other missionaries...but to my surprise I found a bulk of the stuff for me! From my youth group...Thanks, guys! But I divided up the things and took one box into Loren and Donna's family. They hadn't been expecting it, so it was fun to watch them be surprised. In the afternoon, we passed out tracts. Domingo stole my water bottle and wouldn't give it back until I let him take a drink. The day was hot. Roxina and I walked together and she begged me to teach her English. We passed out all of our tracts very quickly and came back. I sent the other boxes of things home with the other missionaries. No wonder Santa is so jolly; that was fun! We had mac 'n' cheese for dinner.

~~~

Wednesday: I don't remember the last time that I was so lazy. I spent the day reading my book, on the Internet, eating junkfood from my box, etc. I called home to convince my dad to get Facebook...well, that's not really WHY I called home. Loren brought home some sort of burritos smothered in frijolespuercos for dinner; it was delicious! At prayer meeting, I worked hard to keep a little girl straight...and didn't really succeed. I talked with Ana and then went outside with the kids. Jeffrey brought me handfuls of flowers he was busy picking off a bush. I went to Mochiqui with the villagers and came home to read a book. Thus ended an uneventful day.

~~~

Thursday: Today was a really long day. Morning feels like a week ago. When I arrived at the orphanage, the children flocked around me, eager to show off the pictures they'd put in the photo albums my family had sent. The frig wouldn't close so we had leftovers for lunch. I sharpened some knives. I fell asleep during my time off and woke up wet with sweat. I'm ready for the cooling showers of rainy season to start! When I woke up, I helped Roxina and MariChuy with their schoolwork. I watched Chuy and "supervised" visiting family visits for the children. We ate dinner and had pitayas afterwards...LOTS of pitayas. I ate seven; some ate a dozen. I was talking with Teo later on in the evening and majorly messed up in Spanish. Although he wouldn't tell me what I'd said wrong, he just stared at me with a startled and amused look on his face. I deserted him to "play" soccer. I "helped" Domingo be goalie. One time I was all alone in the goal, and MIguel gave me a wicked look and kicked it HARD!

~~~

Friday: Today was a scorcher. I didn't remember being so exhausted because of the heat. I did laundry at the orphanage. A breeze was blowing off of the hot sand and the sun-baked bricks; it was nearly suffocating. I passed my spare time by arm-wrestlling with Roxina and clipping MariChuy's fingernails. Finally, the laundry was done; I was tired of being assaulted by the "hair-dryer" breeze. I went inside. Rhonda and Suzanne were moving around the beds and changing the sleeping arrangements. After lunch, I brought in and folded the laundry with the girls. Meanwhile, Diego sang a song about Rhonda until she locked him out of the house. I had my time off in the bodega with the AC, but "All good things must come to an end," I thought as I stepped out into the world of oppressive heat. Christa came with Maria and I to Mochiqui. We visited Salvador and Enriqueta, Ana, and MariCruz. Maria and I studied with the girls while Christa visited with MariCruz. Rod picked us up and took us to the orphanage for fun night. As soon as dinner was over, Rhonda and I hid out in the bodega and talked and talked like only girls can. Eventually, we joined the others.

~~~

Saturday: I made myself a cup of cappucino while Ricardo watched me jealously through the window. We ate breakfast and set up for class quickly. Then came the kids. After class I tried to memorize the verses with Ana's help. Then I was in charge of verses and had many little hot bodies crowding around me to recite their verses. I went to the orphanage and Rhonda and I made lunch. The kids put on a CD that Rhonda and I were not too thrilled about. We sang along and the kids laughed at us. After lunch, I had my time off where I fell alseep and slept through my alarm. Not cool. I woke up when MariChuy and Fernando got back from Fernando's tongue operation. I got up, played with the kids, mixed up sopa fria for dinner, and then the boys came down to eat with us. After dinner, I was in charge of clean-up while Rhonda started the kids with showering. Roxina dragged me outside to play some sort of game that includes running around the house. I lost. Loren came to pick me up and I went home.