2/16/2013

   Well it is Saturday night and I am not nearly as beat as I was last Saturday.  That could be because our 5:30 lesson cancelled. On the drive along the ocean to La Caleca there were orange leaves floating through the air and onto the road.   I couldn't see the leaves on the trees so couldn't imagine where they were coming from.  As we turned the last corner to go to the church there were two trees with leaves that were turning orange and falling to the ground.  Aha !  Fall at last!  Who knows what season they think it is..  It is the first sign of leaves changing color and dropping off the trees that I have seen and here it is January.
    Our class at Caleca was a fun one today.  They are beginning to play the finger number hymns and are so excited.  Wish it was that easy for them to learn to play the actual notes. When we left class four of our students were climbing on a motorcycle:

    Bet that is comfortable for the one sitting on the gas tank!
       We left there in time for our 12:30 lesson at Las Melinas.  They have someone come each week and start the generator so we can have power for the keyboards.  We had four more students than we had keyboards so they were sharing.  It was a bit like musical chairs!  Towards the end of class Scott was in the middle of lecturing about something and I noticed his teaching must have been more physical than mine:

         His shirttail was all the way untucked!  Didn't see him doing anything that active and he hadn't left the room.......  Who says teaching music isn't rough????

           Left there in time to get out to our 3:00 pm lesson at Hainamosa.  There was no power - so no
air-conditioning or electricity to run the keyboards.  It was ok for the first lesson because we are still on conducting.  We started with 10 and ended up with 14.  Scott was so frustrated because we are three weeks into the lessons and he has to start from the first with the new students.  They told us that there are four more coming next week.  That's it.. . .we can't just keep starting at the beginning again  or we will never get to the end. This class has as many non-members as it does members.  They had just heard from others about the class but they have not even announced it in the wards yet.  So that could mean trying to work in another lesson tine for another group.  Paciencia - paciencia- pctiencia..
That's what Pres. Anderson tells us every time we meet with him.  If ever there was a place that you needed to exercise patience, it is hear.  Our 5:00 class was cancelled because there was no power.
In all honesty, that was just fine with me!!!  Not a very dedicated teacher, am I.  One sweet thing happened in Hainamosa.  The older man who plays the guitar and used to open the building for us brought us his favorite American song book - with music only Melia could play.  But he wanted to give it to us because it had been "such a pleasure to know us" .  Sweet, huh?!
  I have noticed one thing - white people look pretty pastey these days.  One of the new couples here is in our Spanish class with another new couple from Africa.  The Ewells had served a mission in  Africa.  When we introduced Elder Ewell to the African couple, he threw up his arms and said, "I am so happy to see you.  You don't know how good it is to see a face with color." 
   For the last three weeks as we have driven home from Hainamosa, there have been these guys dressed in these white costumes with gorilla masks.  It actually has been a bit frightening because they are right in the road.  Finally got a picture of one tonight:

  When we got home Yturraldes were looking out their window and called to invite us up to supper.  That was so nice for us because we hadn't been home all day!  Still hope they don't leave until we do.....