Day 175 January 30
I woke up at 6 to catch the 7 am bus to Chiquilmula for errands and adventure. It was to be just a half day trip, but it took a lot out of me. I tried sleeping on the bus, but was unable to. The market wasn’t as nice as some I’ve seen in Guatemala and the meat section made me feel ill. I did find some fancy looking spoons and after my trip to Antigua, my friend Guido asked me to keep an eye out for a particular type of spoon, which now alludes me. I was very sad I didn’t have my camera when I came across the crates (sad part) of brightly colored chicks. It was a fascinating sight. I’m sure it does not bode well for the lives of these chicks, though, and rumor has it that this is a tradition in Copan around Semana Santa.
I bought a few of these spoons and will find out later if they are the correct spoons. I picked up some other things and enjoyed the jaunt. We then headed back. There was little to no trouble at the boarder, but I really want to push the school getting us residency for next year. They assume I live in Copan because of all my stamps and that could turn into a problem eventually.
I got back safe and sound around 2. I took my laundry to Rena, because I’m too lazy to do it myself right now, and went to Casa Villamil for some interneting. I saw Caroling, Sierra, and Kelvin from my balcony, and they invited me out tonight, but I don’t think I’m up for much past 6pm. I am tired.
Also, I’d just like to say that I love people in this town who drive 4 wheelers as their main mode of transportation and it’s not nice of dogs to play with chickens, but it is amusing (when the chicken doesn’t get hurt.)
I left Villamil and dropped my things off at home. I almost didn’t bother going to the pharmacy and braving another night without medicinal help, but I decided to go. It is interesting here. I told her I had a cold (which does not translate as “un frio” luckily I already knew this) and she gave me Sudafed, or Sudagrip (gripe is the word for “cold”). I asked if she had anything for my throat, and she pulled out Amoxicillin. At least I know it’s on hand if I need it, and easy to get. I re-explained that I didn’t have an infection, but had a sore throat and she got me an antiseptic. Luckily, the pharmacy worlds have stuck close together because key words like “Farmacia” “Antiseptico” and “Sudagrip” are easy to work with.
I watched TV on my computer, made dinner, and read The Great Book of Amber until 7:30, when I decided it was time for bed.
Day 176 January 31
I woke up at 7, but refused to get out of bed until 7:45. After all of that sleep, I still felt crappy. My throat, in particular was killing me. I took some medicine and started cleaning. I had plans to clean, go to the market, and head to church. However, my nose had other plans. I had a bloody nose for a bit over an hour and continued cleaning. I went to the market with Sierra and bought a lot more food.
We went to Blair’s house for worship, which currently has construction outside of it. We walked over a giant dirt hole on wooden planks, and left the same way. It was rather sketchy. We listened to a sermon on the computer, had a good talk (and good food, of course) but I left before the singing. I was still rather sick and wouldn’t be good for it. Plus, our talking/listening portion took up much more time than usual. It was nice, but by the time I left, it was time.
I went home and cooked and cleaned some before going to Villamil to meet Bob online for an interview for his class. I’ll get to read the report later, but his job is to listen to a second language learner of Spanish and write on the language acquisition (as far as I can gather.) It was fun, and good practice. Though, it seemed to me that most of our communication issues were based on his Spain-Spanish and my Latin-Spanish. The first run through didn’t get recorded, so we did it again, in 5 minute increments, to make sure it was recording properly. I don’t envy his job of listening to that conversation many many more times.
By the time the interview was done, I was very tired and headed on home to bed in preparation for school.
Day 177 February 1
On my walk to school with Sierra, I was suddenly struck with the need to be ill. I knew I had a nasty cold, but this was nasty. Sierra thought I should go home, but it was reminecent of yesterday, so I hoped it would pass. I caught a cab instead.
My mood and feeling really does affect the kids. Being drained, in pain, and overall icky, the kids were not on the ball either. We made it through, though and I cancelled my tutorias to go home.
I picked up my laundry, and discovered when I got home that my favorite skirt has a nice bleach stain and my black shirt is missing. Great. I was not thrilled.
I did make it to Villamil for a bit, but I left early for a long night’s sleep.
Day 178 February 2
I felt a bit better, but still not great (well enough to walk to school). During the day, I did draw up a patience meter, showing how my patience usually is, where it is because I was sick, and how it fluctuated because of their behavior. It was great, because there was no real consequence involved, just the idea that I would move it down made them try to keep each other quiet. Though, they didn’t think it was fair when the patience meter fell because my marker ran out of juice mid-word.
After school I had rather discouraging tutorias, but I told myself it was because I was sick. Maybe, maybe not. I had plans to meet Isaac in the park at 3:30 for tutorias (his street is under construction, so the restaurant is closed and he is staying somewhere else. Since I don’t know where that is he was going to meet me and show me where to go). However, I was stood up. I did some post card shopping, got cheese, and got some more veggies at the market instead.
When I got home I finished up my re-coup exams and study guides. My timing was perfect, because as I finished Sierra walked in and was ready to head out to Twisted Tanyas to celebrate her birthday.
I went with and bought her a drink getting my usual bread plate for myself. It was delicious and my hot-foods palate has opened up enough that I can eat jalapeños without much trouble (or a drink, as it turns out.) Many folks that we new came and the conversation was wonderful.
After a few hours, I headed home. I cooked up my vegetables for the rest of the week and went to bed.
Day 179 February 3
I felt even better today, but being Wednesday probably helped. These are the days that get me through. During my planning period, I had three bags of sliced green mangos (which I have fallen in love with) and salt and spices. They’re an acquired taste, but I have acquired it.
After school, I did an “After School Special” on Komodo dragons, which also happens to be our organism of the week. We walked videos on them and looked at pictures while I explained that there are different types of lizards (a concept we’ve struggled with from the beginning, they want to call them all geckos).
I walked home and got a smoothie with Alex while trying to introduce him to XKCD, but the internet was too slow.
I had a meeting with my parents, called by the president of the class. It was a good hour and a half of all Spanish being spoken quickly and overlapping-ly. None of it was spoken at I’m-speaking-to-a-gringo pace. It was exhausting, and I’m sure I was wall-eyed the whole time. When it was over, Franqui and Norma were going to sum it up for me, but I was able to do so for them. I’m sure some of the details were lost, and there was one woman I couldn’t understand a word, but I got the over all gist and the events ahead (they want to raise money for new desks in my room, so we’re doing a raffle for a chocolate Valentine’s thing and then in March we’re selling tickets to a movie we’ll show in the public library and then sell drinks and food).
It was also my first time in the library, but it will not be my last. It felt…like I was in the states. There was an art class for kids. It’s up on technology. It was very nice.
My job for the evening was to go on a chocolate hunt for different chocolates that could be bought in Copan. I managed to do so without buying any. However, I was planning to meet Megan for coffee at 6 and it was 5: when I started. I found most of what I needed by 5:15 when I stopped by Isaac’s, who’s mother had called me during the meeting, and she wanted tutorias then (also to apologize for not going, but in the three days he’d had the note, Isaac had managed not to give it to her. I summed it up for her.)
I gave him 30 minutes of tutoring before going on to see Judy at her new backery (which is really where I was going when I ended up at Jaqui’s). We chatted for 15 minutes and I got a free sample before I was on my way to Villamil to see Megan, late.
I got a hot chocolate and we talked of many things for a bit over an hour before going our separate ways. When I got home, I wrote up some of my post cards. Luis came over for a while to chat and then I went to sleep.
Day 180 February 4
I feel better everyday! But, I could stand for a full recovery. I was much better with the kids and therefore the kids were much better with me. We got started on division, and I think it’s going pretty well. I’m impressed with out quickly they pick it up.
After school, I stuck around to plan for the following days conferences, clean the room (in which I found 7 or 8 jackets and sweaters stuffed behind the bookshelf), and work on worksheets.
Marlon and Victor were in my room for a while. Marlon was going on about transformers and “the yellow one, yes Bumblebee. Thank you miss.” He’s a student who spent most of the year, up until now, hardly making eye contact with me, but I’ve been thrilled to see him open up.
I also just learned that Tourist Street is now making the venders pay a huge monthly tax. Jose can’t afford it, so he’s out of work. He had been helping send money back to his family a few towns over. However, now without work, 14 year old Jose is registering for 1st grade. I’m very excited and nervous for him. School starts Monday and we’re all doing our best to get him ready with supplies.
I was stood up my Isaac again, but took the time to send off my post cards. I also bought earrings in the street from my new favorite vendor. However, Jose still has all of his stuff and when I came home with new earrings, he noticed. He was also aware that I haven’t bought anything from him since before we new each other. I had been meaning to buy from him, so I asked him to get out his things. I love his stuff, and he gave me some thigns free of charge, which is good because, while the prices are fair, they are still more than I was prepared to spend that day. I just won’t indulge again for a while.
I did more school prep and got my homework done before class at 5. When I got back from class, Memo and Beto were over for dinner with Allan and Abby. Memo and Beto are brothers to my student Marlon, but it was decided that they are better suited for public school, so dinners like this a way to a) help them still feel included and b) practice their English.
Kelvin came over and was hungry, so we went shopping for some things and then I cooked up a nice big dinner that would also serve as my breakfast and lunch the next day. After he left, I read and went to sleep.
Day 181 February 5
It was really nice to sleep in and then headed up to school. I caught a taxi because I was bringing my fan with me and didn’t want to walk it up the hill. I got there and organized all my papers for conferences. The plan was to meet with three parents for 10 minutes each, Megan translating, and then have Miss Norma’s fundraising meeting, run by Miss Norma. I was asked not to hand report cards out on report card day so that the parents had more incentive to come to the meeting. I knew right off that the complication with this was: having me hand the report cards out means they will all want to talk and I will a) have 18 other parents in the room and b) not have a translator anymore.
Megan was running a few minutes behind, which meant that when Victor arrived to talk, I was solo. It’s not that I can’t talk to the parents without a translator, it’s just that details and gentleness evade me. I can’t express them in Spanish. And, having been specifically called in for a meeting by me, Victor was anxious to talk about his son. So, I tried to delicately talk about his son’s weaknesses, peppering it with strengths, and my hopes for the coming quarter. All the while, fumbling through my Spanish.
My next two parents didn’t come during their time and so Megan went off to first grade to help sit in on those conferences. My other parents began to trickle in, and based on the nature of the note (which I felt guilted them into coming in and was vague), they wanted to know what the meeting was about. Miss Norma was 10 minutes late, and all the while I’m handing out report cards to parents who want to talk to me and are trying to figure out why we are waiting and why this meeting is so important. Beth found her in the caseta. I was a little frustrated.
After this, things went fairly smoothly, except that one mother, who did not come to her parent conference on time, announced during the meeting with all the parents that her daughter had failed science and wanted to talk about how it wasn’t her fault that her daughter was so lazy. I asked her if we could talk about it later. We did, and her daughter is not lazy, she’s embarrassed that she doesn’t know more English.
I got to sit around the school for a few more hours doing work and getting ready for the next week. I then walked home, with my fixed fan (I’m an idiot and it was never really broken.) I got home and sat up on the roof reading. The weather is starting to get hot, but the dry heat is nice. I can sit in the shade and feel cool. I was walking around the roof and saw my student Isaac downstairs, so I called to him and he, curious as to where I was and how I got there, came up. He had been around selling tickets to the raffle, which I commended him for. He then sat with my while I read and did some magic tricks. He also threw coins at me. At one point he went downstairs and went to the young Mormon man who lives in my apartment complex (there had been two others, but they both finished their missions, and now two more live here, but I haven’t really met them before). Elder, my neighbor, was confused as to why Isaac was still around and simply did not believe him when he said he was hanging out on the roof with his teacher. Elder followed him up and we met. He speaks very quickly and with a different sort of accent than I’m used to, so it was hard to keep up with, but we managed to have a semblance of a conversation.
After about 45 minutes, Jose came home and I went down to see him. Isaac followed me in and looked around some. I’m fairly certain it was his first time in my house. I let him enjoy listening to me speak in Spanish, which always amuses him, and then Jose and I decided to head out to buy the pants I promised to get him yesterday.
The first store had to be the most expensive store in town, so we went somewhere else. We finally found a store with reasonable prices and we got Jose a new pair of pants. I think this kid is really smart and I like to believe that if I was a street urchin, I would be charismatic and smart enough to get in with a group who loved me as much as we love Jose. We buy a lot for him too. We won’t buy everything, he does have to be self sufficient after we go, but we like to help him out.
We hung out in the house until Abby and Allan came by. We chatted until Abby mentioned that she was going to get her hair cut today and I asked if I could tag along. Nothing as drastic as last time, just to clean it up. We went and enjoyed working through hair-talk language in Spanish. A few of our students were there too and one of the 5th graders was getting a pedicure. Fancy place, but it was cheaper than the last time I cut my hair in Copan and this time the woman did not tell me “no” to what I asked her to do.
I headed home and on my way back saw one of Jose’s friends who asked me where he was. Having young boys stop me on the street to ask where the boy who lives with me makes me feel like a mom. I kind of like it.
When I got home, I started cleaning my room. I was almost done and went downstairs for a broom when I noticed shadows in my window. Two. I opened the door and there was a third on the stairs. Marlon, my student; Victor, Sierra’s student; and Memo, their older brother were hanging outside around the house. They came on in and starting talking about everything that could ever be thought of. Marlon had already sold all 10 of his tickets and had the money. I was so excited with the pro-active nature of my students.
I offered the boys water, but they all wanted milk. Milk, the drink I grew up on but don’t drink much anymore. Milk, that they don’t really get to drink. I love these boys, but Marlon was roaming the streets with no shirt or shoes and Memo had on no shirt. They were dirty and looked (fairly) poor enough that a man who saw them on the street bought them chicken. (They were pumped.) I didn’t have any milk myself, but I could not bring myself to deny these boys milk, so I gave them some from my roommate and vowed to buy her some tomorrow.
The boys stayed for a long time and played with everything. They wanted to see my room and explore the roof and eat bananas. Abby and Allan came in and the boys were literally climbing all over everything. Then came the lights on/off game. It was a bit frustrating, but boys will be boys and no one was getting hurt.
Their leaving is the most random thing ever. It comes without warning, much like their arrival.
After that, Abby, Allan, and I set to cooking. I made another egg casserole of delicious. Jose came in while we were eating and left as we were cleaning up.
I spent the next couple of hours organizing things on my computer and updating my logs before I read more of The Great Book of Amber and went to sleep (at the late hour of 10:45!)
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