Un dia tipico

Yo estoy cansada.....otra vez.

We (tim and I) wake up....we work for a couple of hours, and then the kids roll out.  Today we had burritos with scrambled eggs and Oaxaca cheese.  We are still making our way through th ecinnamon rolls from Dona Luisa as well...and then every day we have a different fruit.  Last night was watermelon, so our fruit salad today was pitaya (dragon fruit), strawberries, mango, pineapple and lichees.

Ethan was in a much better mood this morning (although admittedly the bar was set awfully low yesterday).  I dropped them off and strolled home a new route.  I passed una tienda de pinatas!  I think we will probably pick 3 up to have at the closing celebrations of the houses we build next week.  I also passed a new gym.  At some point in time, I'll need to go over there to make sure I can actually run for the media maraton de las rosas.

Tim and I worked a bit more.  The kids called on break again and told me that it was going good.  Ethan said it was 'ok'.  When we walked to pick them up, they were all in back playing a game.  It's nice to see them enjoying themselves.  I checked out the field trips and it looks like they have 8 signed up for the chocolate tour on Friday.....which means it will include a chocolate making class.  The kids were pretty excited about going to that although when their friends are here we plan on visiting the Choco Museo.

For lunch, the kids ate the leftovers from the last 2 meals Mayda has made.  She is amazing. Every day she makes our entire meal from scratch.  The salsa, the guacamole, the drinks....Not only that, but there are enough extras that the kids have lunch every day.  They are eating nonstop...guessing the 4 miles of walking plays into that.

I went back this afternoon for my second day.  I constantly feel like I'm in the middle of finals week and cramming my brain full of information.  Luckily, I know enough Spanish that I'm able to have conversations (albeit simple) with my instructor.    I asked him what he thought about the book by Rigoberto Menchu.  He said it was mostly true and very sad.  He talked a lot about the history of Guatemala and all of the people that were killed during the civil war.  He kept saying how sad it was and how many indigenous people were killed.  He also recommended the film  La Hija del Puma.  (the son of the puma).  The school has it, so we can borrow it later this week although he said that some of it may be too violent for the kids.   Last year I asked someone in Guatemala what they thought of Rigobertu Menchu and they told me she was a liar...and her story was false.  I suspect it's like here...it depends who you talk to.    He's been working at the school since he was 19...and he is 44 right now.  We talked about how dangerous it is for Guatemalans to immigrate to the United States and he spoke of the dangers from the trains and the violence especially the sexual violence against woman at the border.   Even if my Spanish wasn't improving, I've learned enough from our conversations to make it worth the while.

Jake is still the smiliest child I have.  He uses his Spanish every chance he can.  We stopped to order ice cream on the way to school.  4 waffle cones for $5.  I was one Q short!  A family in the store gave it to me. :)  Kindness everywhere.

At the end of the school day there was free salsa dancing.  I said I am not going to dance but maybe my children will....and sure enough, when we got to the back, Jake, Lily and Grace were all trying to Salsa.  Cracked me up.

Tim showed up at 5 to walk home with us.  We stopped by the mercado on the way home.  Jake got a pair of crocs for $5.  My bargaining is weak this trip.  She told us 35Q...I asked her best price...she said 35Q...and I handed her the money.  We then went up a bit and the Ethan, Jake, and Grace spent some of their allowance money on beats.  For the price we paid...they were obviously fake.  :)  Kids are happy though.

Tim called during break and asked if we needed any food from la bodegona....more tortillas.!

Came home to Mayda grilling out chicken!  Was amazing.  Chicken, rice, salsa, guacamole, salad, and freshly made lemonade.  Mayda worked with the kids on their Spanish.  They all told her what their favorite meal is.  It's been an amazing learning experience.  As I sit here, the kids are doing their homework...we have the windows open and Tim is watching baseball on tv.  Can't believe this is my life....