Was to tired last night to blog so have a tiny bit of catching up to do. Saturday is pretty much a study and lesson day for us. Did get a few loads of washing and some cooking done also. Washing here takes constant attention as the only thing it does automatically is spin around. Other than that you have to turn on the water to fill the wash tub, pull the clothes apart from the knot they get in so they will get some what clean, drain the tub, fill it up again to rinse, rinse the clothes by hand, drain the tub, put the clothes in the spinner, set spin timer then when done get them out and find places to hang them to dry. So you have to be right there! Then you hope it is not so humid that they won't dry. But other than that I am grateful to not be scrubbing clothes on a rock in the street as we have seen others do.
We went out to Hainamosa for lessons to find a ward activity in the room we have lessons in and the tables we normally use filled with homemade crafts. They certainly were having fun! We found some tables and went back to the Relief Society room and actually had a good lesson. Maybe we should teach in the smaller room all of the time. Elder Esplin was there. He really thought he would be transferred but wasn't - I personally am glad he is still there. He's doing an awesome job there. They have another baptism next week so I will see him again when I play for the baptism. Jose, one of our music students and the Young Men's president in his ward was the bouncer guarding the door because all of the neighborhood kids come in to play and get refreshments whether they are LDS or not. They swarm in the courtyard to play basketball, baseball, and just have room to run around. The naked man was between the two sides of the road - I can't imagine why someone hasn't either turned him into the police or found him some clothes! He was there yesterday when we passed there too but you would think no one ever noticed he is totally (almost) naked. He does have some kind of a thing tied around his waist but no lower than that. BIZARRE!
Sunday morning we left to pick up the kids at 8:30. We keep wondering if we are doing the right thing by taking them without their parents but once we get them in the car we realize they need the affection and attention we give them. Perhaps they will remember as they grow older something that will make them want to change the way they are living. Maybe not....When we got there a neighbor/extended family member was ready to come with us but Alta Gracia's kids weren't there.
Oglidia came out with the kids to tell us they hadn't had water for 11 days and they might be getting a little today. Sure enough, as we came back there was water running down the little channel they have on one side of the street and the kids were throwing it at each other with buckets while others were trying to catch what they could and were washing off the street. On one side of the street, which is barely wide enough for one car, there was a three foot wide and deep hole where they were trying to fix the pipe. Needless to say, it was a pretty harrowing drive for me - not Scott- he loves driving in scary places!
On the ground level they mixed the cement by hand then with a shovel they threw it up to the next level of the scaffolding (?), then those men would do the same thing up to the next level, then those on top would take their shovels and throw if over to where the man on top was standing and he would put it inside to make the floor for another level. And we think it is hard work when we have cement poured and we just have to help smooth it out!
We dropped the kids off at home and drove back to our apartment to get some lunch and the books and table we usually put in the back seat but have to leave at home so the kids will have somewhere to sit. Grabbed them and left for San Crystolbol. It is such a pretty drive there.
Both sides of the road are covered by trees and climbing vines. They even have mountains up here!!
This was the Canastica Ward's first day with the keyboards and you would have thought someone had given them a million dollars. They were grinning from ear to ear! It was such fun to see their excitement. This is a big class though, we need to round up three or four more tecladas. (Notice all of the men)
We went out to Hainamosa for lessons to find a ward activity in the room we have lessons in and the tables we normally use filled with homemade crafts. They certainly were having fun! We found some tables and went back to the Relief Society room and actually had a good lesson. Maybe we should teach in the smaller room all of the time. Elder Esplin was there. He really thought he would be transferred but wasn't - I personally am glad he is still there. He's doing an awesome job there. They have another baptism next week so I will see him again when I play for the baptism. Jose, one of our music students and the Young Men's president in his ward was the bouncer guarding the door because all of the neighborhood kids come in to play and get refreshments whether they are LDS or not. They swarm in the courtyard to play basketball, baseball, and just have room to run around. The naked man was between the two sides of the road - I can't imagine why someone hasn't either turned him into the police or found him some clothes! He was there yesterday when we passed there too but you would think no one ever noticed he is totally (almost) naked. He does have some kind of a thing tied around his waist but no lower than that. BIZARRE!
Sunday morning we left to pick up the kids at 8:30. We keep wondering if we are doing the right thing by taking them without their parents but once we get them in the car we realize they need the affection and attention we give them. Perhaps they will remember as they grow older something that will make them want to change the way they are living. Maybe not....When we got there a neighbor/extended family member was ready to come with us but Alta Gracia's kids weren't there.
Oglidia came out with the kids to tell us they hadn't had water for 11 days and they might be getting a little today. Sure enough, as we came back there was water running down the little channel they have on one side of the street and the kids were throwing it at each other with buckets while others were trying to catch what they could and were washing off the street. On one side of the street, which is barely wide enough for one car, there was a three foot wide and deep hole where they were trying to fix the pipe. Needless to say, it was a pretty harrowing drive for me - not Scott- he loves driving in scary places!
Carlos, Gregory, Maria AltaGracia, Alta Gracia Maria, Eliana, Cati
On the way they were working on this building - Scott says it was a Latin American cement pump.
We dropped the kids off at home and drove back to our apartment to get some lunch and the books and table we usually put in the back seat but have to leave at home so the kids will have somewhere to sit. Grabbed them and left for San Crystolbol. It is such a pretty drive there.
This was the Canastica Ward's first day with the keyboards and you would have thought someone had given them a million dollars. They were grinning from ear to ear! It was such fun to see their excitement. This is a big class though, we need to round up three or four more tecladas. (Notice all of the men)
It seemed that we barely got everything set up and it was time to take them all down and head out to Oriental. They made our high counselor, who had been so good to help us, a bishop so we're on our own. We did decide to have a recital to give the students something to work for so we'll see how that goes..... Sarah,one of my favorite students who speaks English, was very sick with the flu today. She came anyway which probably wasn't the best choice. I volunteered my husband to take her home but her parents were both at the church. She wanted to stay where her mother was because "she just felt better being where she was". I thought that was sweet coming from an 18 year old or any age for that matter.
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