whims

this week

Hello all. Almost an entire week has passed. I guess a week isn't that much. Bit by bit I've been getting used to life here, which is helllllla different than anywhere I've ever been before. I take a taxi to see the boys everday and a "combe" back. It gets dark here around 6pm (and is totally overcast the rest of the day) and so when I leave the home at around 630, it feels like 9 or 10. One or two of the boys stands with me on the street as I wait because the area where the home is is kind of dangerous. The first night I took a combe home alone, the combe driver did something very strange. On my way home there's a toll road and a non toll road. COmbes take both depending on whether or not they want to pay the toll or not. This night not only did my combe not go on the toll road, but it turned down a back street, and turned off the lights insidet he bus! I had no idea where we were going or if they weregoing to stop and make us all pay them a bizzillion dollars or what. I realized then that I always have to be aware of where I am and what's going on because not only is this city pretty dangerous, I'm a pretty obvious target.

The majorityof my week has been pretty tranquil (sp). I've gone to see the boys every day and every day I learn a bit more about them and about how to interact with them. The time I spendwith them during the week si for homework. THey have to sit pretty quietly and work for 3 or 4 hours. The men who run the home say the at school they play more than study. Myjob is to makesure that the ones who don't have homework have something to do. I come home everynight and think andthink about activities I can do with them. But, it's great. THe boys are very sweet (at least with me) and I'm very happy I get to spend 4 months with them. I have to figure out how much a firend, sister, mother-figure, and authority figure I need to be. The two menthat run the home are very invested in the boys. ONeis great and affectionate and...normal. The other is really authoritarian and raises his voice a lot and put ridiculous limits on the boys. For example, they were doing an art project and he made it into a sort of competition about who could finish first. He was saying "hurry up" and "that's not nice" and stupid stuff. i had a hard timesitting there watch him be such a bastard to them. That, too, is something I'm going to have to figure out.

Religion: The home is very religious. THey have a chapel there that they use everyday for a service or two. I've sat in on two. They're Catholic. I go to learn aobut them and support the boys but sometimes it's hard for my to stand it. Yesterday in prayer, one ofthe men who leads the home talked baout the sin of abortion and homosexuality....I can't pray to that. I also went to a real mass with the boys yesterday. Apparently yesterday was the birthdya of the virgen Mary, so there was a special mass. I sat there, didn't take communion and I think that confused some of the boys. THe church was gorgeous, though. It's a comunity of Fransican Monks and the monks had painted the church themselves. Very impressive. At the end we all sang Happy Bday (in both english and spansih) to the Virgen Mary and had a cake in her honor :)

THis week I went out with a friend form the UWC commitee. We went to 'miraflores' which is the area thathas a lot of bars and restaurants. we walkeddown tothe sea. very nice. TOnight I'm going to a concert. Itshould be fun;a chance to make some more friends. tomorrow i'm going to the home of one of the women i met in the airport. cool,eh?

well, that's it.

paz....señorita, como se dice paz en inglés? señorita, como se dice loco en inglés? how are you...es cómo estás no? :)

posted by Marielly @ 12:05 PM