Today was my last day at Casa Damasco, this is the week of last days everywhere and it isn’t fun. When I got to Casa Damasco I found out we had another death over the weekend, this was not surprising as we all knew this man’s time was almost up. It is always sad though to see an empty seat at lunch time, actually we never have an empty seat as there are always new drop ins and today was no exception. The couple that run the place were not there when I got there which was a bit of a relieve to me as they were the only ones that knew that today was my last day so I figured I could slip out without having to go through all the good-byes. Which is was I did. As I was leaving I said my “normal good-bye” to a gentleman that was sitting right by the door in his wheel chair I noticed he was looking really down. I’ve noticed that in the last 3 weeks he has not been looking very healthy, today he looked a lot worst. I put my hand on his shoulder and asked how he was doing, he looked up at me with incredible sad eyes and said “feeling very bad” I asked what was wrong and he just shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing, but it was too late I had seen the look in his eyes. It was a look of acceptance, whatever was going on he was willing to accept and not fight it. As I walked out the door I knew I would most likely not see him again, ever. I didn’t bound home as quickly as I usually do, I shuffled along slowly pondering my time spend at Casa Damasco during my stay here. I came to the graveyard that I have passed many times and decided I wasn’t ready to go home so I stepped inside and wandered around for almost an hour. The graveyards here are beautiful; there are sculptures, carvings, paintings, candles and flowers. It’s more like a museum than a graveyard. I didn’t go through the whole place but the oldest grave I saw dated back to 1889.
As I was waiting at the docks for my boat ride home I had a very Mexican moment. There were about 4 small taxi boats docked waiting for their turn (they all take turns) and in 2 of them the captain was sprawled out having a nap totally oblivious to the loud banda music playing from the other 2 boats and the pelicans squawking and the bustling noise from the fish market. They both looked so content and comfortable I suddenly had a huge urge to curl up and have a nap right there, and I could have, nobody would have thought it odd at all. That is what I will miss when I go home, although there is loud ciaos everywhere people can still find peace and quite to have a nap, whether it’s in a hammock or a boat. It’s a different kind of peace here, it lives through the ciaos. I think maybe peace is the wrong word, bliss is more like it....yep, and it’s bliss. I’m livin in bliss. As I walked to my house from the docks I pass 2 decked out cowboys that looked like they came right out of one of John Wayne’s movies, they both put their finger to their hats and tipped their heads and said hello, I recognized them as they are part of one of the beach bands. Further up I pass about 4 gentlemen sitting alongside a fence chatting away, 2 guitars leaning up against the tree that is shading them. I look at my watch and see its 3:30; looks like the cowboys are taking the day off early. It could be because it’s very very hot today or because there are no longer as many tourists on the beach to sing too. (Tourist season is over) I get home and find 2 papayas on my step....thank-you senor papa, I will certainly miss you. I decide to take a walk on the beach to see if I can soak up some of that warm salty ocean air, maybe if I soak up enough of it some of it will come home with me. I pass the meat market and am given a gift by one of the guys, 2 mangos. There is no way I can ever give back to these people what they have given me. I feel like such a traitor for leaving now. Oh well....maybe I’ll feel better if I find a sand dollar. It bugs me how tourists come here for about 3 -4 hours and find beautiful sand dollars and I’ve been here all winter and haven’t ever found one. I think perhaps the tour guides plant them on the beach before they bring the tourists over. I don’t find one today either but I do find a clam shell that’s still closed am rather excited about my little snack I’ll have later when I meet a friend and she tells me that if it’s not a good clam it could make me sick....and a whole bunch of other stuff that I couldn’t understand so I reluctantly throw it back into the sea. So much for my snack.....guess I have to have Strawberries and creama again. Did I tell you, its strawberry season? Well it is and I am liking it. On almost every corner somebody is selling frozen strawberries and creama, like a Popsicle in a cup....sooo good! Did I tell you these people are geniuses? I can’t seem to get enough creama. When I get home I might have to buy a cow and get my own creama and some roosters so that I can sleep, I’m not sure I can sleep without roosters crowing all night. Interestingly enough I have adapted to drinking instant coffee as well, real brewed coffee is hard to find unless you go to a expensive poshy coffee shop (which I did treat myself to once in awhile in the beginning) I never did find real coffee here on the Island but it didn’t really matter because the creama is so thick, rich and creamy it makes a cup of instant coffee taste like a $5 starbucks late. (No I’ve never had one...I’ve heard) You should see me on my roof under my mango tree in the morning with my coffee, I am so content and happy.....livin in bliss I tell ya. When I go to bed at night I’m already thinking of the coffee I’ll have in the morning. OH......another great thing I’ve discovered, Shrimp tamales....oh oh, finger lickin, nose drippin good! Wow! A wonderful discovery; makes me wonder what else is out there that I have just not stumbled on yet. There is more, I know there is. By the way, I’m eating my fruit now with chilli powder and salt....who knew? They are both a little different than the stuff we have at home. Al teases me all the time that I’ve become Mexican, maybe it’s a good thing I’m coming home soon....I’m one step away from wearing rhinestones on my fingernails and I’m getting curious about the deep fried pig guts that they’re selling on the streets. Really curious.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Casa Damasco...I've come along way
I am now also the only North American volunteer left here as well, it used to be very hard for me to go there as I always left like I was not doing anything to improve the people situation, but I have come to change my way of thinking of the place. I am not there to change anything, or to change anybody, I am there to love the unwanted......unconditionally. I am not there to clean the kitchen or too wash the floors (even thought I want too very badly) I have finally gotten to the point where I don’t see the dirty floor or the dirty dishes anymore, I just see the people now. I wish this wouldn’t have taken me 4 months, what can I say, I’m a slow learner. We have had 4 deaths since I’ve been here, each time it was always a little disheartening because I felt that we didn’t get the miracles that we had prayed for. I know that God allows some people to suffer more than others and that he has a reason for this and I don’t have the authority to know what that reason is.....not everything is my business. I think even Jesus said he didn’t know all God’s business (I’m too lazy to look that verse up but I think it’s there) All he wants me to do is to love the people and he will do the rest, so that is what I am continuing to do. I’m still not able to understand Otencia and everyone tells me she just talks jibberish anyway, works fine for me because mu Spanish sounds like jibberish too. We are getting along just fine, the last 2 weeks I have had to sit with her on the street corner as she refuses to go into the house, she says she is going home and is waiting for a taxi (she’s been waiting for 2 weeks) She has warmed up to me a lot since I got there, she lets me hug her now and even lets me pray for her, mind you if my prayer gets too long she says amen for me. She’s never changed her clothes yet or taken her big winter parka off; she will once in awhile wear the lipstick I gave her. She has told me many times that she has 7 children, if this is true I can totally understand her craziness. If I had 7 children I might very well be sitting on some street corner with all my belongings waiting for a taxi that will never show up as well. (Who knows how I would deal with that many children) I really don’t know what her story is but my heart really does go out to her, I will miss her dearly when I leave. Strange as she is, she is a sweet heart.
My Espanol
I now know enough Spanish to finally be understood, which is sometimes not a good thing. Now that the people can actually understand what I am saying I have to be extra careful what I say. For example, I told my vegetable guy that I needed to buy 2 eyes, and he understood me very clearly..... and started laughing, which is when I realized that I had mixed up the words for eyes and garlic.....they are different by only one vowel and I can’t seem to get them straight. I have had a few more of these funny little mishaps, never anything too serious. There are also some words that I just cannot wrap my tongue or brain around, like the word for “fun” a little 3 letter word that becomes a 10 letter tongue twister, I just stay away from that word all together and use the word “happy” instead. Instead of saying “this was so much fun” I say “this made me so very happy” it works. I have come so far with my Spanish and now I am sad to leave because I know it will just wilt away after I leave and then if I come back I will have to start all over again....or is it like riding a bike? No se’.
Buses......by golly I think I’ve got them figured out
As chaotic as everything else is, the city bus system here is awesome, bear in mind I am comparing it too Africa, Peru and Paris.....not Canada, I have never taken a city bus in Canada. You can go anywhere within the city and municipality of Mazatlan on a city bus (except to Stone Island of course) Way out on the edge of town where Jorge and I go with the puppet truck on what looks like a donkey path we meet city buses. You just have to know which bus goes where, and I can now go anywhere I need to go by bus, no need for the ripper offer taxi drivers anymore. Only once did a bus break down when I was on it, if you saw these buses you would be amazed that that has only happened once to me. I’ve come a long way since living at “Wal-Mart?”
A little sadness
My time here is almost up and I have to think about leaving. I didn’t get to travel as much as I had wanted too. I somehow got too comfortable here and got caught up in everyday life and time just flew by too fast for me. The day I bought my ticket I was quite depressed and had no energy anymore. I felt like I may as well just go home right away instead of feeling this way for another 4 weeks. The very next day a friend took me quading all over the Island and I had so much fun that I almost forgot about my plane ticket home. We went through the coconut plantations, the orange, papaya, lemon and mango groves, Nopale fields (cactus) cow fields, shrimp farms, saw crocodiles, turtles, chickens ( found 3 eggs) cows, all kinds of birds, crabs, bee hives, ant farms, ostriches, goats, donkeys and horses. As we stopped for a break to rub the dust out of our eyes and slurp up 2 coconuts I remembered, 4 more weeks and then no more coconuts for me. On the way home we took the beach way and as the damp salty ocean air blew over me I felt a sadness over come me again. I was sad about having to leave this life behind but I was also very sad that I am so sad to leave. I have a blessed life in Canada, good job, good home, a great family, an awesome church and wonderful friends, what is missing for me there? Why can I not be as content there as I am here? It makes me sad that I am not excited to go home. What is missing? It has to be more than fresh papayas, coconuts and salty ocean air. What is it?
The most beautiful students ever and a Casa Damasco story
Today I announced to my class that I only had 2 more weeks left to teach them (I’m choosing not to work during my last week here) The next question of course was “are you coming back next ear”? I so badly wanted to say yes, but yet didn’t want to give them false hope. I told them I hoped so. Almost all of the students gave me hugs after class today; they are not going to make leaving easy for me. The school director has also asked me if I am coming back next year and if I would be willing to teach here on Stone Island. They have never been able to find volunteers that are willing to come out here to teach and so have not implemented an English program out here yet. I could be the one to change that. I would have loved to be able to teach right here but when I first made the arrangement to teach I didn’t know I would living out here yet. I know I also can’t make that commitment unless I can commit to coming back for at least 4 years in a row, there is no sense in teaching for one year and then if I don’t come back and there is no one to take over after me they have to drop the program. It would be so awesome to be able to give the kids on this Island the opportunity to learn English, for free. Ohhhh I have a story.........
There was a gentleman at Casa Damasco that had fallen on hard times, he was homeless and had no job and of course had no money. He ended up in the hospital with some illness (I can’t remember) while in the hospital someone noticed that his English was very good and after he recovered and was ready to be released he was given a job at the hospital as a security guard. Shortly after that another staff member that had some connection at a big fancy resort in the Golden Zone managed to get him a job as a security guard there. He now has a good job and has managed to save up enough money to rent a little apartment and is doing very well, he would not have been given this job had he not had any English. He may never get rich and fat with this job but he should always be able to pay his rent and buy his food, which certainly beats living on the street or staying at a crowded homeless shelter. Bless the person that taught this man English ( he may just have learned it himself) , bless the person that took the time to notice his English and bless the person that took the initiative to find him a job....this person could have just paid him no attention, he was after all just another homeless person.
My Espanol
I now know enough Spanish to finally be understood, which is sometimes not a good thing. Now that the people can actually understand what I am saying I have to be extra careful what I say. For example, I told my vegetable guy that I needed to buy 2 eyes, and he understood me very clearly..... and started laughing, which is when I realized that I had mixed up the words for eyes and garlic.....they are different by only one vowel and I can’t seem to get them straight. I have had a few more of these funny little mishaps, never anything too serious. There are also some words that I just cannot wrap my tongue or brain around, like the word for “fun” a little 3 letter word that becomes a 10 letter tongue twister, I just stay away from that word all together and use the word “happy” instead. Instead of saying “this was so much fun” I say “this made me so very happy” it works. I have come so far with my Spanish and now I am sad to leave because I know it will just wilt away after I leave and then if I come back I will have to start all over again....or is it like riding a bike? No se’.
Buses......by golly I think I’ve got them figured out
As chaotic as everything else is, the city bus system here is awesome, bear in mind I am comparing it too Africa, Peru and Paris.....not Canada, I have never taken a city bus in Canada. You can go anywhere within the city and municipality of Mazatlan on a city bus (except to Stone Island of course) Way out on the edge of town where Jorge and I go with the puppet truck on what looks like a donkey path we meet city buses. You just have to know which bus goes where, and I can now go anywhere I need to go by bus, no need for the ripper offer taxi drivers anymore. Only once did a bus break down when I was on it, if you saw these buses you would be amazed that that has only happened once to me. I’ve come a long way since living at “Wal-Mart?”
A little sadness
My time here is almost up and I have to think about leaving. I didn’t get to travel as much as I had wanted too. I somehow got too comfortable here and got caught up in everyday life and time just flew by too fast for me. The day I bought my ticket I was quite depressed and had no energy anymore. I felt like I may as well just go home right away instead of feeling this way for another 4 weeks. The very next day a friend took me quading all over the Island and I had so much fun that I almost forgot about my plane ticket home. We went through the coconut plantations, the orange, papaya, lemon and mango groves, Nopale fields (cactus) cow fields, shrimp farms, saw crocodiles, turtles, chickens ( found 3 eggs) cows, all kinds of birds, crabs, bee hives, ant farms, ostriches, goats, donkeys and horses. As we stopped for a break to rub the dust out of our eyes and slurp up 2 coconuts I remembered, 4 more weeks and then no more coconuts for me. On the way home we took the beach way and as the damp salty ocean air blew over me I felt a sadness over come me again. I was sad about having to leave this life behind but I was also very sad that I am so sad to leave. I have a blessed life in Canada, good job, good home, a great family, an awesome church and wonderful friends, what is missing for me there? Why can I not be as content there as I am here? It makes me sad that I am not excited to go home. What is missing? It has to be more than fresh papayas, coconuts and salty ocean air. What is it?
The most beautiful students ever and a Casa Damasco story
Today I announced to my class that I only had 2 more weeks left to teach them (I’m choosing not to work during my last week here) The next question of course was “are you coming back next ear”? I so badly wanted to say yes, but yet didn’t want to give them false hope. I told them I hoped so. Almost all of the students gave me hugs after class today; they are not going to make leaving easy for me. The school director has also asked me if I am coming back next year and if I would be willing to teach here on Stone Island. They have never been able to find volunteers that are willing to come out here to teach and so have not implemented an English program out here yet. I could be the one to change that. I would have loved to be able to teach right here but when I first made the arrangement to teach I didn’t know I would living out here yet. I know I also can’t make that commitment unless I can commit to coming back for at least 4 years in a row, there is no sense in teaching for one year and then if I don’t come back and there is no one to take over after me they have to drop the program. It would be so awesome to be able to give the kids on this Island the opportunity to learn English, for free. Ohhhh I have a story.........
There was a gentleman at Casa Damasco that had fallen on hard times, he was homeless and had no job and of course had no money. He ended up in the hospital with some illness (I can’t remember) while in the hospital someone noticed that his English was very good and after he recovered and was ready to be released he was given a job at the hospital as a security guard. Shortly after that another staff member that had some connection at a big fancy resort in the Golden Zone managed to get him a job as a security guard there. He now has a good job and has managed to save up enough money to rent a little apartment and is doing very well, he would not have been given this job had he not had any English. He may never get rich and fat with this job but he should always be able to pay his rent and buy his food, which certainly beats living on the street or staying at a crowded homeless shelter. Bless the person that taught this man English ( he may just have learned it himself) , bless the person that took the time to notice his English and bless the person that took the initiative to find him a job....this person could have just paid him no attention, he was after all just another homeless person.
It's been awhile, I'm a puppeteer now
It’s been awhile.....I’m a puppeteer now
I haven’t written in a while and that’s certainly not because there’s nothing happening here, there is just never a dull moment here. I’ve been a little busy; there was 3 weeks that I had visitors from home, which was awesome. I got to be tour guide and so I didn’t have a chance to do any writing. It sure was great to share what feels like a total new lifestyle for me. Since I now know more people here on the Island I have actually had people stopping by house in the evening to chat, so I am not quite as alone in the evenings anymore. A lot of the regular North American volunteers with the La Vina Church have headed home and that has left the church a little short handed, which does happen every year at this time. Soooo....... I have inherited yet another job, puppeteer assistant. My good friend Jorge is a puppet master (among a lot of other things) he has an old (remember, old in Mexico and old in Canada are very very different) bread truck that he has modified to be a mobile Sunday school and a mobile puppet show, complete with a stage, a sound system (the Mexican kind) a tickle trunk and anything else you might need to have a puppet show in the middle of a dry dusty open field somewhere. ......and I mean dusty, oh I forgot to mention that this truck does not have functioning doors, they stay open all the time, so you must be careful to not fall off your green plastic lawn chair (there are no seats either) and roll out the door when Jorge hits a speed bump or slams on the brakes for some reason or other. The colonia that we go to on Fridays is a new colonia, which means that most people there are still living in their starter home, a tar paper shack. It’s a shack community just on the outskirts of Mazatlan, there is no indoor plumbing, no paved streets, no sidewalks, but they do have electricity. Every power line has a few handmade kites hanging from it, kite making and kite flying is the main entertainment here....that and us. It amazes me how these kids can make a kite out of plastic grocery bags, a few sticks and some old rags and they sour like birds and I can’t get a $20.00 kite to fly ( I own about 6 non-flying kites ) It looks like a little forgotten community in the middle of a dusty desert. When you see a dust cloud rolling in the distance you stop what you are doing and ponder for a bit as to who may be coming up the road, because a stranger does not drive by very often. Getting there through the back roads with the rickety, shagganappy and rattling bread truck is half the adventure. There used to be a bunch of us laughing and hanging on to each other in the truck and now there is usually just Jorge and I.....we still have fun, he laughs in Spanish and I laugh in English....actually his English is pretty good. I must say I have had a lot of fun and have many fine Mexican memories that I will just never forget being on this touring puppet show circuit. I should be thinking of how blessed I have been to be able to be a part of this for this long instead of being so sad to leave soon.
I haven’t written in a while and that’s certainly not because there’s nothing happening here, there is just never a dull moment here. I’ve been a little busy; there was 3 weeks that I had visitors from home, which was awesome. I got to be tour guide and so I didn’t have a chance to do any writing. It sure was great to share what feels like a total new lifestyle for me. Since I now know more people here on the Island I have actually had people stopping by house in the evening to chat, so I am not quite as alone in the evenings anymore. A lot of the regular North American volunteers with the La Vina Church have headed home and that has left the church a little short handed, which does happen every year at this time. Soooo....... I have inherited yet another job, puppeteer assistant. My good friend Jorge is a puppet master (among a lot of other things) he has an old (remember, old in Mexico and old in Canada are very very different) bread truck that he has modified to be a mobile Sunday school and a mobile puppet show, complete with a stage, a sound system (the Mexican kind) a tickle trunk and anything else you might need to have a puppet show in the middle of a dry dusty open field somewhere. ......and I mean dusty, oh I forgot to mention that this truck does not have functioning doors, they stay open all the time, so you must be careful to not fall off your green plastic lawn chair (there are no seats either) and roll out the door when Jorge hits a speed bump or slams on the brakes for some reason or other. The colonia that we go to on Fridays is a new colonia, which means that most people there are still living in their starter home, a tar paper shack. It’s a shack community just on the outskirts of Mazatlan, there is no indoor plumbing, no paved streets, no sidewalks, but they do have electricity. Every power line has a few handmade kites hanging from it, kite making and kite flying is the main entertainment here....that and us. It amazes me how these kids can make a kite out of plastic grocery bags, a few sticks and some old rags and they sour like birds and I can’t get a $20.00 kite to fly ( I own about 6 non-flying kites ) It looks like a little forgotten community in the middle of a dusty desert. When you see a dust cloud rolling in the distance you stop what you are doing and ponder for a bit as to who may be coming up the road, because a stranger does not drive by very often. Getting there through the back roads with the rickety, shagganappy and rattling bread truck is half the adventure. There used to be a bunch of us laughing and hanging on to each other in the truck and now there is usually just Jorge and I.....we still have fun, he laughs in Spanish and I laugh in English....actually his English is pretty good. I must say I have had a lot of fun and have many fine Mexican memories that I will just never forget being on this touring puppet show circuit. I should be thinking of how blessed I have been to be able to be a part of this for this long instead of being so sad to leave soon.
Ciaos in my classroom
Ciaos in my classroom today
I had complete ciaos in my classroom today, I thought the principle would come and escort me off the property and not ever let me come back. It was bad! Here’s the story; According to my curriculum that I was given I was supposed to teach the kids to count from 1 to 100 last week in one class, which is one hour. I don’t know where I went wrong but that did not happen. At the end of the hour about 90% of the kids could count from 1 to 10 and about 50 % could count to 20, as a teacher I had failed them somewhere so today I decided that instead of just moving on to the next subject that we would continue counting and hopefully get to 100. I had brought flashcards and decided we would play a game. I dealt every kid 5 cards and if they had the number that I called out they would give it me and the one who got rid of all his/her cards first would be the winner....sounds easy right? Well, as soon as they saw me take the cards out of my bag they went nuts, they were so excited. Chiqueta’s little brother was screaming he was so excited (she can explain) as I am dealing the cards out ciaos started, they could not contain themselves.....it was hilarious. At first they didn’t quit understand that the point was to get rid of all their cards but they thought the point was to jump out of their desks and race to me as fast as they could to be the first to give me the card (there was duplicates in the deck) well.....chairs went flying, one desk got tipped over and kids were falling all over each other, and they were screaming and yelling in excitement. It was unbelievable! Once the game was over and I had lead Jose #3 in his victory dance they wanted to play again, I knew if we were that noisy again we would get a visit from the principle so I made some rules (why didn’t I think of that first?) No screaming allowed, no getting out of your desk, I collect the cards. This time things went much smoother although a few kids just couldn’t stay in their desks, but there was no yelling. Oh what fun I am having! Can they count from 1-100 now? No. I talked to my director and asked if I should keep moving along or stay on this subject until they have mastered it, she says to move on but take 15 minutes or so out of each class to review the numbers until I am confident that they know them. When my class is over they have a 15 minute recess but if we are in the middle of something and the bell rings they don’t race out of the class, they stay to finish. Especially if I’ve handed out worksheets, they love work sheets and will always stay and finish them. So I think I will utilize this time for reviewing the numbers. I’ve been asked if I am coming back next year, I can choose a different grade or move up and stay with this class. The director asked me if I would be willing to teach all 6 classes on the Island, it has always been too hard to find volunteers to come here so they have never had English classes offered here. Am I coming back next year? I am being asked this over and over and I have no answer. A lot to think about, and to pray about.
I had complete ciaos in my classroom today, I thought the principle would come and escort me off the property and not ever let me come back. It was bad! Here’s the story; According to my curriculum that I was given I was supposed to teach the kids to count from 1 to 100 last week in one class, which is one hour. I don’t know where I went wrong but that did not happen. At the end of the hour about 90% of the kids could count from 1 to 10 and about 50 % could count to 20, as a teacher I had failed them somewhere so today I decided that instead of just moving on to the next subject that we would continue counting and hopefully get to 100. I had brought flashcards and decided we would play a game. I dealt every kid 5 cards and if they had the number that I called out they would give it me and the one who got rid of all his/her cards first would be the winner....sounds easy right? Well, as soon as they saw me take the cards out of my bag they went nuts, they were so excited. Chiqueta’s little brother was screaming he was so excited (she can explain) as I am dealing the cards out ciaos started, they could not contain themselves.....it was hilarious. At first they didn’t quit understand that the point was to get rid of all their cards but they thought the point was to jump out of their desks and race to me as fast as they could to be the first to give me the card (there was duplicates in the deck) well.....chairs went flying, one desk got tipped over and kids were falling all over each other, and they were screaming and yelling in excitement. It was unbelievable! Once the game was over and I had lead Jose #3 in his victory dance they wanted to play again, I knew if we were that noisy again we would get a visit from the principle so I made some rules (why didn’t I think of that first?) No screaming allowed, no getting out of your desk, I collect the cards. This time things went much smoother although a few kids just couldn’t stay in their desks, but there was no yelling. Oh what fun I am having! Can they count from 1-100 now? No. I talked to my director and asked if I should keep moving along or stay on this subject until they have mastered it, she says to move on but take 15 minutes or so out of each class to review the numbers until I am confident that they know them. When my class is over they have a 15 minute recess but if we are in the middle of something and the bell rings they don’t race out of the class, they stay to finish. Especially if I’ve handed out worksheets, they love work sheets and will always stay and finish them. So I think I will utilize this time for reviewing the numbers. I’ve been asked if I am coming back next year, I can choose a different grade or move up and stay with this class. The director asked me if I would be willing to teach all 6 classes on the Island, it has always been too hard to find volunteers to come here so they have never had English classes offered here. Am I coming back next year? I am being asked this over and over and I have no answer. A lot to think about, and to pray about.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
It Finally Happened
Let me tell you about the doors in my house, they are the typical Mexican doors that you will find in most of the homes here. They have no door knobs on the outside, just a keyhole. On the inside there is just a latch. So, as soon as you close the door it is always locked. I have two of these doors, one is my front door on top of the stairs and the other is the door that leads to the roof which is my fine dining room. When I first moved in I quickly made note of the fact that if I was on the roof and the wind slammed the door shut I would be locked out of my house and be stuck up on the roof. So I put a plan in place, whenever I would go into my dining room (on the roof) I would open the window in the door (the doors have a shutter window in them) so that if the door would slam shut I could reach my hand through the window and pull the latch, Such a clever plan. Today I forgot a step in the plan, because I only stepped into the dining room for 3 seconds to get something I didn’t open the window first. I tell it was a horrifying sound when that door slammed shut behind me. I was stranded on my roof...yep. I did have some options to consider though so I was not totally without hope, 3 of them to be exact. I was pretty sure I had left my front open when I came in, so all I needed to do was get off the roof and come back in through my front door. 2 ways to do that, one....jump off the roof, it isn’t very high but I was afraid of breaking an angle since I do have very weak angles. Option two would be to shimmy along side the edge of the roof, possibly 10 – 12 inches wide and I would loose about 3 inches where the windows are although by the windows I would have the bars to hang onto, the rest of the way I would just be hugging the wall. This is how the cats get up on roof, and get into my garbage; I call it the cat walk. Or there is option three, get the attention of someone walking by and ask them to walk up the stairs and walk in my front door (which I am still assuming is open) and open the door from the inside, this would of course all have to be done in Spanish which I was pretty confident I could do. I knew Senor Papa would not be by as he had already been here this morning, sometimes he comes more than once or at least he drives by sometimes but that would of course not happen today. So I weight my options and right away cross off jumping off the roof and decide that the whole Island doesn’t need to know how foolish I am (so I post this on the internet for the whole world to read instead) so I opt to shimmy along the catwalk which really wasn’t as scary as I had thought, it was rather easy, and sure enough the front door was open...what a relieve. Lesson learned is to always stick to the plan and put a backup plan in place, which is to get a rock to put in front of the door from now on. Just never a boring day here on the Island.
How Popular Am I
I’m not sure if I mentioned this before or not but Mary is a very popular name in Mexico, almost every house has at least one. Yesterday I met a lady whose name is Mary Lena, (this is also my name) but she goes by Lena because she has 2 sisters who are Mary Guadalupe, and Mary Rosa. Yep her mother named all her daughters Mary. Speaking of Mary, a lady from the Spanish church named Mary invited Lydia and I to her house last week for supper. I had an awesome time, and the food was awesome...oh it was so awesome. There are a wonderful, beautiful family of 3 girls, age 21, 17, 6 and one adorable little guy age 10. They are a family of 6 living in a little 2 bedroom house. Their kitchen is as big as my bathroom at home, take my bathtub out and put a fridge and stove there....now that I am picturing it my bathroom might even be bigger. The living room was a bookcase up against the wall and 2 chairs, the kitchen table as a small square table with 4 chairs. They seemed quite happy and did not have a problem inviting 2 guests over for supper. I think that families at home don’t even get to know each other because they don’t have to spend time together in the same room anymore. They sleep, eat and watch TV in separate rooms. I think we all have too much space and I am including me in this as well. I don’t even have to share a bathroom with my daughter and have certainly never had to share a bedroom with her. In two weeks my mother and daughter are both coming to visit me and we will all be sharing a bedroom and one bathroom....should be interesting. Mary knows they are coming and told me that she wants to have all of us over for supper when they come. The people here don’t mind being crowded; they have no problem with that at all. They are not used to ever having their own space. Before I lived in this little loft there was a family of 4 living in here. I can’t imagine having two little kids running around in here.
The Lord Taketh and He Giveth
A few weeks ago we had a lady dropped off at Casa Damasco by the police, there were a few different stories as to what happened to her but the end result was a broken back, an arm in a cast, a dislocated shoulder and a few stitches in the other arm. The first day that we met her she took a few teaspoons of water but no food, just swallowing the water seemed to be painful to her. We redressed her stitches and tried to get her to take more water but she would not. The second time we were there her condition had not changed a lot although they told us that she had eaten some baby food during the week. Last week she was awake and alert the whole time we were there and she ate about 2/3 of a jar of baby food, our hopes were high that she would recover. The very next day she passed away. I was surprised as she had looked so much better and had been so responsive to us. I really thought she was on the road to recovering, but I guess we really didn’t know what she was recovering from and what kind of life she had had. The pastor assured us that God had brought her back to us briefly so that she could prepare herself for going home, home where she will be forever safe in God’s loving arms. This is the second death like this that we have had there since I’ve been here. The sad news of her passing came the same day that we heard that money had been raised in the English Church to purchase a permanent home for Casa Damasco, a home that is much more suited for a long term care facility (which is what Casa Damasco really is) There is a 12 room house in Francisco Madero right beside the Red Dragon (prostitution house) The owner is serving a 25 year sentence in prison, for what I do not know but I could give a pretty good guess. In Mexico a 25 year sentence is actually 25 years, none of this early parole, getting out on good behaviour or any of those other get out of jail early cards that you can draw in Canada. Now we just need to pray that all parties involved will have the patients and knowledge needed to endure the long paper trail of purchasing property here; I’m hearing it’s a very complicated process and the seller being in prison could make it worst. Here is a link for Casa Damasco www.casadamasco.com
Update on a few things
The worms.....a few weeks ago I wrote about waking up one morning and finding a lot of worms in my house. They have never come back, I have not seen one single worm since then and I still do not know where they came from.
My plants......my plants that a neighbour gave me are now 3 weeks old and are all doing just fine. The plants that I planted from seeds that I had bought are not growing at all and 3 of the 4 plants that I bought in Mazatlan at a green house died.
Tranchilla in the water tank.......Who knows? What’s in the water tank is none of my business any more.
Alote.......is very good with chilli powder on it; corn will never be the same again when I go home.
Water Issues.......We are still on a 5 days with water and 8 days without water schedule but I have learned that during the 8 days without water I can still fill my tank at night and that way I don’t run out of running water. The problem with the hot water is that sometimes the pilot light on the hot water heater gets blown out by the wind (its outside) and then I have to wait until my land lady comes as she is the only one that has a key to get at the hot water heater. Right now I’ve had hot water for about 2 weeks straight....that’s a record.
Knitting...... I brought a whole suitcase of wool with me thinking I would just be knitting up a storm for lack of other things to do. I am almost finished my first project, a shawl. I seem to have found a lot of other things to do. I met a lady on the Island here that is in a wheel chair and I was surprised to see that she was knitting; it doesn’t seem to be very common here. When I leave I plan on giving her all my wool instead of dragging it back with me. I had 50 lbs of wool with me.....what was I thinking? Maybe it was brought especially for this lady in the wheel chair, yes, that’s right that was my plan. Oh wait, I already confessed that I came here without a plan. I ‘m so glad God’s in charge and not me.
Caldo.....is a sauce that goes on almost everything, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, chilaquiles, and some other things that I can’t spell. I’ve been trying to learn how to make this sauce and keep getting a different recipe from every person I ask. Today was my 3rd attempt and it was very good, finally. I think I’ve got it. Although I think this is like making bread, even though you use the same recipe each time sometimes it’s great and sometimes it‘s just not. I was hanging out at meat market this morning and a gentleman that owns a restaurant on the beach stopped by (just to hang out) and he gave me his recipe and I raced home immediately before I could forget anything and it was a success. By the way, the Spanish words for garlic and eyes are different by one letter only....an easy mix up.
The José saga......I now have 3 José’s in my class, we spend about 10 minutes at the beginning of each class deciding who will be who. They are a rather funny bunch.
Update on a few things
The worms.....a few weeks ago I wrote about waking up one morning and finding a lot of worms in my house. They have never come back, I have not seen one single worm since then and I still do not know where they came from.
My plants......my plants that a neighbour gave me are now 3 weeks old and are all doing just fine. The plants that I planted from seeds that I had bought are not growing at all and 3 of the 4 plants that I bought in Mazatlan at a green house died.
Tranchilla in the water tank.......Who knows? What’s in the water tank is none of my business any more.
Alote.......is very good with chilli powder on it; corn will never be the same again when I go home.
Water Issues.......We are still on a 5 days with water and 8 days without water schedule but I have learned that during the 8 days without water I can still fill my tank at night and that way I don’t run out of running water. The problem with the hot water is that sometimes the pilot light on the hot water heater gets blown out by the wind (its outside) and then I have to wait until my land lady comes as she is the only one that has a key to get at the hot water heater. Right now I’ve had hot water for about 2 weeks straight....that’s a record.
Knitting...... I brought a whole suitcase of wool with me thinking I would just be knitting up a storm for lack of other things to do. I am almost finished my first project, a shawl. I seem to have found a lot of other things to do. I met a lady on the Island here that is in a wheel chair and I was surprised to see that she was knitting; it doesn’t seem to be very common here. When I leave I plan on giving her all my wool instead of dragging it back with me. I had 50 lbs of wool with me.....what was I thinking? Maybe it was brought especially for this lady in the wheel chair, yes, that’s right that was my plan. Oh wait, I already confessed that I came here without a plan. I ‘m so glad God’s in charge and not me.
Caldo.....is a sauce that goes on almost everything, tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, chilaquiles, and some other things that I can’t spell. I’ve been trying to learn how to make this sauce and keep getting a different recipe from every person I ask. Today was my 3rd attempt and it was very good, finally. I think I’ve got it. Although I think this is like making bread, even though you use the same recipe each time sometimes it’s great and sometimes it‘s just not. I was hanging out at meat market this morning and a gentleman that owns a restaurant on the beach stopped by (just to hang out) and he gave me his recipe and I raced home immediately before I could forget anything and it was a success. By the way, the Spanish words for garlic and eyes are different by one letter only....an easy mix up.
The José saga......I now have 3 José’s in my class, we spend about 10 minutes at the beginning of each class deciding who will be who. They are a rather funny bunch.
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