I was greeted by a warm hug from Josue and an indignant question,
"Tia, where have you been? It is already past snack time. Where are the cookies?" Raquel ran up to second the inquiry. I laughed as I realized that Friday I had told a couple of the kids that Saturday was going to be a baking day. Saturday came and went without accomplishing baking, I apologized and promised that I would bake some cookies this afternoon. Jose Luis kept popping in and out of the kitchen to make sure I was actually baking cookies. I was chatting with my mom whilst baking, Jose Luis kept trying to talk to her.
"Are you going to come here?" He kept asking her. He refused to accept my words that she couldn't come because she lived too far away, he wanted her to answer.
"But she doesn't speak Spanish," I told him.
"Say something in Spanish." He demanded of my mother. She responded by telling him that she does not speak Spanish, "You don't speak Spanish?" He repeated back, then he transitioned rapidly to say, "Tia Susannah is making yummy bread!" (well... I use dough to make cookies, and they aren't hard like the store-bought, animal cracker like cookies that the kids normally eat... so I guess cookies qualify as "yummy bread.") Then as the time came for him to say goodbye to my mom and dad, he said repeatedly, "You behave now, okay?" (They were talking to each other and didn't realize that he was talking to them, that's why he was repeating himself.) I guess that he assumes that is a good way to say goodbye since we tias say that to him when we drop him off at school or get off our shifts, or just leave the room!
I was sick for the first couple days of this week, (like, in bed as soon as I got off my shift-) so that made my days not so pleasant, but the last couple days of the week were nice! Friday was my favorite week-day with the kids since I started working mornings!
I just had to take a short break from writing because Daniel was calling my name incessantly, so I opened the door and found a little group of sopping wet boys outside my door. The bathroom door was closed, I opened it to find a soaked tia with her hand over an open pipe. "Do you know anyone who can help us?" She asked, half desperately, half laughing. I called a friend and handed my phone to a tia. Abraham came up to me sobbing because he had gotten wet, "I want to change!" He wailed.
Jose Luis was pretending to freak out because he was soaked, but he likes getting wet so...
Josue was shivering and giggling, Daniel was trying to enter the bathroom because he wanted to get in on the spontaneous water park, Damaris was on her hands and knees on the ground, with a little sponge, trying to clean the rather large puddle of water, and Santiago had his pants hanging around his ankles and was chasing Yobani across the porch. It was quite the scene.
I know I say it a lot, but I am really adjusting to life here, I wish I could have adjusted sooner, but God knows His timing and His ways are best. Through my time of "not being adjusted" He taught me so much. It really is amazing though to finally be comfortable, and with my new schedule, I have more availability in the afternoons to get together with friends! (Something that I have wanted to do with people from my language classes but have thus far been prevented from because of my schedule.) In addition to that, I am loving baking on the weekends and sharing what I make with the kids and tias. It is so fun for me to make food and have people enjoy it. Being on my own and only cooking for myself has turned cooking into a boring necessity, but now that I am sharing it with people who like it, it makes it fun again! Earlier this week, I had made cookies and shared them with the kids at snack time. Raquel leaned over and whispered in my ear,
"Tomorrow you are going to make empanadas to share with us," then, glancing across the room at the other tias, she added, "but don't tell anyone that I told you to!"
Another event that happened this week I already shared on Facebook, but for the sake of posterity, I will share it here as well. ;)
The older tia ran into the bathroom to close the door and find a random toy that had been left there to stick in the hole under my door. Then they began moving the kids' outdoor toys to get to the rat. They chased it back and forth, along the side of the house, behind the garbage can (which got broken in the process) and behind an old washing machine and some gas cans. (My pride was relieved to hear screeches and gasps from the very brave Bolivians as well.) When they had finally killed it, they whacked a little longer than necessary. And neither wanted to touch it through the plastic bag to throw it away.
Then they decided to regale me with stories about how "this rat is big, but I've seen even bigger!" (Proceeding to indicate the size of a foot long rat) then the other tia began to talk very seriously how we must be careful because rats carry diseases and sometimes have rabies and have been known to chase people and bite them.
Oh, and another neat thing that God has done in my heart is to change my disappointment about not being able to come home for Christmas, to thankfulness that I will be able to spend it with these kids.
It is crazy, but on Tuesday it will be 18 weeks until I am boarding a plane to return home. This year is flying by!
That about sums up my week!
Have a joy-filled week!
"Tia, where have you been? It is already past snack time. Where are the cookies?" Raquel ran up to second the inquiry. I laughed as I realized that Friday I had told a couple of the kids that Saturday was going to be a baking day. Saturday came and went without accomplishing baking, I apologized and promised that I would bake some cookies this afternoon. Jose Luis kept popping in and out of the kitchen to make sure I was actually baking cookies. I was chatting with my mom whilst baking, Jose Luis kept trying to talk to her.
"Are you going to come here?" He kept asking her. He refused to accept my words that she couldn't come because she lived too far away, he wanted her to answer.
"But she doesn't speak Spanish," I told him.
"Say something in Spanish." He demanded of my mother. She responded by telling him that she does not speak Spanish, "You don't speak Spanish?" He repeated back, then he transitioned rapidly to say, "Tia Susannah is making yummy bread!" (well... I use dough to make cookies, and they aren't hard like the store-bought, animal cracker like cookies that the kids normally eat... so I guess cookies qualify as "yummy bread.") Then as the time came for him to say goodbye to my mom and dad, he said repeatedly, "You behave now, okay?" (They were talking to each other and didn't realize that he was talking to them, that's why he was repeating himself.) I guess that he assumes that is a good way to say goodbye since we tias say that to him when we drop him off at school or get off our shifts, or just leave the room!
I was sick for the first couple days of this week, (like, in bed as soon as I got off my shift-) so that made my days not so pleasant, but the last couple days of the week were nice! Friday was my favorite week-day with the kids since I started working mornings!
I just had to take a short break from writing because Daniel was calling my name incessantly, so I opened the door and found a little group of sopping wet boys outside my door. The bathroom door was closed, I opened it to find a soaked tia with her hand over an open pipe. "Do you know anyone who can help us?" She asked, half desperately, half laughing. I called a friend and handed my phone to a tia. Abraham came up to me sobbing because he had gotten wet, "I want to change!" He wailed.
Jose Luis was pretending to freak out because he was soaked, but he likes getting wet so...
Josue was shivering and giggling, Daniel was trying to enter the bathroom because he wanted to get in on the spontaneous water park, Damaris was on her hands and knees on the ground, with a little sponge, trying to clean the rather large puddle of water, and Santiago had his pants hanging around his ankles and was chasing Yobani across the porch. It was quite the scene.
I know I say it a lot, but I am really adjusting to life here, I wish I could have adjusted sooner, but God knows His timing and His ways are best. Through my time of "not being adjusted" He taught me so much. It really is amazing though to finally be comfortable, and with my new schedule, I have more availability in the afternoons to get together with friends! (Something that I have wanted to do with people from my language classes but have thus far been prevented from because of my schedule.) In addition to that, I am loving baking on the weekends and sharing what I make with the kids and tias. It is so fun for me to make food and have people enjoy it. Being on my own and only cooking for myself has turned cooking into a boring necessity, but now that I am sharing it with people who like it, it makes it fun again! Earlier this week, I had made cookies and shared them with the kids at snack time. Raquel leaned over and whispered in my ear,
"Tomorrow you are going to make empanadas to share with us," then, glancing across the room at the other tias, she added, "but don't tell anyone that I told you to!"
Another event that happened this week I already shared on Facebook, but for the sake of posterity, I will share it here as well. ;)
I was casually talking over Skype with my mom when I saw something out of the corner of my eye run from underneath my door directly under my bed. I like to think I'm brave, but seeing a large rat invading my cozy abode uninvited was FAR too much. I screamed one blood-curdling scream, and then promptly lost all sense of reason and started tearing up. There was NO way I wanted to get off of my bed while the rat was there, but neither did I want to stay in my room with the presumptuous rodent of unusual size. My mom advised me to scream louder to get the night tias' attention. My first thought was to text my friend's husband (they live ten minutes away) then I wouldn't have to leave my bed... but I was imagining the rat climbing my quilt and joining me on my bed and that was enough to thoroughly chill me to the bone. In my confusion, I managed to hang up on my mom. Working up enough courage to leap over Niagara Falls, I stepped on tiptoe as far away from the edge of my bed as possible, willing the rat to stay under my bed. Then I yanked the door handle... it didn't open. It was locked, my shaking hands managed the lock and I fled barefoot and trembling to the babyhouse.
The house was quiet and I couldn't find the tias. I mounted the stairs but didn't see anyone, on my way back down the older of the two tias peeked her head around the corner and called my name teasingly. I was hoping beyond hope that my brain would remember that I speak Spanish, but I also didn't want to look like the sissy white girl... so I tried to steady my voice and asked, "Do you know anything about rats? Because there is one under my bed and I don't get along with rats."
She gasped and the other tia appeared as well, they rushed around closing the doors to the house and arming themselves with mops.
They entered my room, the younger tia suggested that I might want to wait outside... a few minutes later after hearing lots of scuffling, they open the door and pass me my mirror "so that it doesn't get broken" and close the door again.The older tia ran into the bathroom to close the door and find a random toy that had been left there to stick in the hole under my door. Then they began moving the kids' outdoor toys to get to the rat. They chased it back and forth, along the side of the house, behind the garbage can (which got broken in the process) and behind an old washing machine and some gas cans. (My pride was relieved to hear screeches and gasps from the very brave Bolivians as well.) When they had finally killed it, they whacked a little longer than necessary. And neither wanted to touch it through the plastic bag to throw it away.
Then they decided to regale me with stories about how "this rat is big, but I've seen even bigger!" (Proceeding to indicate the size of a foot long rat) then the other tia began to talk very seriously how we must be careful because rats carry diseases and sometimes have rabies and have been known to chase people and bite them.
A few minutes later the rat and both tias come flying out of my room,
"do you want to climb onto something?" The younger tia asked.
They started laughing and said that they had heard me scream but had decided that it must have been someone passing on the street.
Oh, and another neat thing that God has done in my heart is to change my disappointment about not being able to come home for Christmas, to thankfulness that I will be able to spend it with these kids.
It is crazy, but on Tuesday it will be 18 weeks until I am boarding a plane to return home. This year is flying by!
That about sums up my week!
Have a joy-filled week!
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