Two days before Christmas - it all seems so strange! No snow, no family - but on the up side it is in the 70's at night with a cool breeze and absolutely wonderful plus we associate with many people who treat us like family and we get to love here. As I sit here at the computer all of the dogs in the neighborhood are barking. It reminds me of 1001 Dalmatians - I asked Scott if he thought they were talking to each other. He already thinks I'm crazy so I can say things like that to him!
Yesterday was an interesting day as we went shopping for Christmas presents for two girls in an o here. They are both 15 years old. One is an adult large and the other is an adult medium. After shopping for a while we decided why these women look like they are dressed in clothes that are too small. Their size mediums for women would fit and extra small woman at home. Perhaps they just don't make clothes big enough. We could hope that was the reason, huh?! I really wanted to work in an orphanage when we came here but they told us that the Americans were not wanted at the orphanages. I am anxious to see just what it is like. Anyway, coming out of the grocery store there were 6 or so people gathered around and a man sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. I stopped to see what was going on - the man against the wall was older, eyes wide open but dead as can be. No one seemed to know what to do so they just stood there looking at him. Someone had brought an oxygen tank but obviously thought it was too late. I thought about my EMT kids who would have immediately taken charge of the situation and realized how grateful I am that they have had that training. I've seen his face a hundred times since! How reaffirming it is when you see a body the spirit has left that there really are two separate entities.
Our lesson in Hainamosa was pretty much Scott's job since I was playing for another of Elder Esplin's baptisms. Of course it was supposed to begin at 5:00 and by 5:45 the guy they were baptizing hadn't shown up. They went out and called him and he finally came but when they got the clothes out for him something was wrong so they had to get white pants and a white shirt.
By 6:30 he was finally baptized. I did get an hour and a half of practice time! Scott can always teach without me. The Lord is amazing in His kindness to help us teach despite our lack of knowledge.
Today we decided to go to our own ward for the Christmas program. Yturraldies are grounded because the mission just sent out a notice that those driving here without an International Drivers Permit should cease driving immediately and arrange to get one. Both Scott and I have them so we're ok. Like I am ever going to use mine unless it is midnight and no one else is on the road! So they came to the ward with us.
Half and hour later we left for San Crystobol. For some reason there was lots of traffic. Sunday is usually a pretty good travel day. We are always passing dead dogs on the roads - it is just strange that there never are any other kinds of animals hit on the roads. We passed several stands with goats in various stages of being cooked. Two were alive tied to the fence. Three were whole goats being cooked on a spit thing over an open fire. I sure hope those two goats didn't know they were next!
Then we passed a pig barbeque - I did take a picture of that to pass on,
Is that enough to make you sick or what? The bottom one had been moslty sold. You could almost reach out your car window and grab it. It you wanted to that is!
To make up for the goat and pig roasts was this beautiful sunset along the ocean. I still can't get ussed to having the ocean right next to the road and know that there is no beacch area. If you go off the road you are in deep, deep water.
When Scott got home from is job this morning he said there were a thousand people on the corner. Of course I thought he was exaggerating but he wasn't. You can't see the people behind the trees. The government was giving the poor people bags of we don't know what for Christmas. You just had to pick up a ticket at the grocery store - not prove you were poor or anything. The way things go here I expected to see some violence but it seemed to go well. They had security guards everywhere! They let them out a line at a time to walk to the trucks to get their bags - they didn't come back so we don't know where they went from there. Apparently they had a beloved president who was blind that gave bags to the poor every Christmas so they keep his memory alive by keeping this going.
Yesterday was an interesting day as we went shopping for Christmas presents for two girls in an o here. They are both 15 years old. One is an adult large and the other is an adult medium. After shopping for a while we decided why these women look like they are dressed in clothes that are too small. Their size mediums for women would fit and extra small woman at home. Perhaps they just don't make clothes big enough. We could hope that was the reason, huh?! I really wanted to work in an orphanage when we came here but they told us that the Americans were not wanted at the orphanages. I am anxious to see just what it is like. Anyway, coming out of the grocery store there were 6 or so people gathered around and a man sitting on the floor leaning against the wall. I stopped to see what was going on - the man against the wall was older, eyes wide open but dead as can be. No one seemed to know what to do so they just stood there looking at him. Someone had brought an oxygen tank but obviously thought it was too late. I thought about my EMT kids who would have immediately taken charge of the situation and realized how grateful I am that they have had that training. I've seen his face a hundred times since! How reaffirming it is when you see a body the spirit has left that there really are two separate entities.
Our lesson in Hainamosa was pretty much Scott's job since I was playing for another of Elder Esplin's baptisms. Of course it was supposed to begin at 5:00 and by 5:45 the guy they were baptizing hadn't shown up. They went out and called him and he finally came but when they got the clothes out for him something was wrong so they had to get white pants and a white shirt.
By 6:30 he was finally baptized. I did get an hour and a half of practice time! Scott can always teach without me. The Lord is amazing in His kindness to help us teach despite our lack of knowledge.
Today we decided to go to our own ward for the Christmas program. Yturraldies are grounded because the mission just sent out a notice that those driving here without an International Drivers Permit should cease driving immediately and arrange to get one. Both Scott and I have them so we're ok. Like I am ever going to use mine unless it is midnight and no one else is on the road! So they came to the ward with us.
Half and hour later we left for San Crystobol. For some reason there was lots of traffic. Sunday is usually a pretty good travel day. We are always passing dead dogs on the roads - it is just strange that there never are any other kinds of animals hit on the roads. We passed several stands with goats in various stages of being cooked. Two were alive tied to the fence. Three were whole goats being cooked on a spit thing over an open fire. I sure hope those two goats didn't know they were next!
Then we passed a pig barbeque - I did take a picture of that to pass on,
To make up for the goat and pig roasts was this beautiful sunset along the ocean. I still can't get ussed to having the ocean right next to the road and know that there is no beacch area. If you go off the road you are in deep, deep water.
After traveling all day we are back safe and sound and know we have been blessed with safety yet another day.
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