| 20 de Julio, 2001 |
Viernes |
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Mi
despertador
My alarm
clock
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I brought an alarm clock,
but there's really no need for one around here. Two of the resident roosters
start up around 3:00 AM, and at 5:00 they are joined by another that can really
shake the rafters. It's amazing how loud a rooster can be at close range.
Monday through Friday the kids go to school, 8 to 12. Then lunch. Then
the older ones return for more classes; the younger stay here at the hogar to
clean, study, and play, in that order. That gives me the morning to do some web
work largely uninterrupted. Concentration, however, is a thing hard to come by
here...
The kids are wonderful. They had remembered the date of my
expected return, and scolded me for being a few days late. Given the
difficulties of travel in this country, I figured a couple days wouldn't make a
difference… Wrong. |
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I taught my first Excel class yesterday to Benjamin, an
ex-resident who now works for the Hogar. We whipped up a quick monthly budget.
I was surprised to find that Microsoft provided for the Guatemalan unit of
currency, the Quetzal (Q). So was Benjamin, for that matter -- Guatemalans are
kind of used to being ignored by mainstream western culture.
We played
pick-up soccer at nearby park with some local kids. Soccer is such a perfect
sport for the Third World; it requires no gear except a ball. Goals are marked
by two rocks, and each may be narrowed by a quick kick while no one's watching.
Goals of the losing team can shrink quite fast. |
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Magdalena lavando ropa
Magdalena washing
clothes
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Evely cociendo
Evely sewing |
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Tonight there's a huge party in the town center.
Merengue music is loud even at our considerable distance. With a dark misty
sky, the mission glowing white in the distance, and the music it becomes very
clear to me exactly where I am: deep in the interior of a Central American
country. Then it starts to rain.
The weather has been wonderful, which
has been my usual experience in Guatemala. Sunny cool days here in the
mountains, with occasional showers in the afternoon. Kind of like spring in
Denver, only year-round. |
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| De Los Niños |
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Como estan? Yo estoy bien, pero me gusta mucha molestar
a todos. Me gusta jugar mucho tambien, par ejemple, Futbol, Scrabble, y Romy
(un juego de numeros). Me gusta estudiar. Me quiero graduar, y despues trabajar
licenciada, possiblemente in Quetzaltenango. Mi mejors amigos son
Féderico, Evely, Eduardo, Maria Alejandra, Bartola, y
Mayra.
How are you? I am well, but I really like to bother everyone.
I also like to play, for example, soccer, Scrabble, and Romy (a game of
numbers). I like to study. I would like to graduate, and afterwards work as a
lawyer, possibly in Quetzaltenango. My best friends are Féderico, Evely,
Eduardo, Maria Alejandra, Bartola, and Mayra.
Wilma |
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