GASP!

Yes, that's a bug that Joel and Nati caught last week with his new bug catcher from Home Group. It's a bug that saws off small branches on trees. Joel said that it clung to his shirt and pinched his skin when he was trying to put it in the container. I just shudder at the thought.

No one seems to know the real name of the bug. It's something like Serrucho, which Patro says means Sawing Bug. All I know is that I was pretty creeped out by the size. It was as big as my palm, although Joel pointed out it had a lovely iridescent back. He held onto it for a few days and then let it go. Until he finds the next "big one" crawling around my backyard.

Yesterday I saw a cockroach 4 cm long and then this afternoon I thought what I saw was a large bat flying around our patio. As I got closer, I realized it wasn't a bat, it was a giant moth. I'm not going to sleep well tonight, are you?

Workin' Folks

Last week, Carl and I started our job. It's been a long time in coming since we've been here for almost three months...THREE MONTHS! Anyways, we were looking forward to starting; so much to do!

Actually we started working before we started working. A Learning Tour came from West Coast MCC (folks from Reedley, Dinuba, Bakersfield...all near Fresno, sniff, sniff) and so we had to organize the guest houses and food for them during our last week of language classes. It turned out quite well and even our kids got into the work mode. Well, they made themselves super friendly with anyone in the group that could read; interacting with people is part of our job!

*On a side note, our homegroup from Fresno sent a care package along with the group that totally made our week. There was some pretty neat stuff, especially Joel's bug catcher and Kezia's fishy friend. Thanks guys!!*

So the work and learn team came and went, we learned probably more than they did, and then it was off to the regular work.

What do we do?

Well, Carl's main task right now is cleaning up the large deposito that has all the spare furniture, the tools, and tons of junk. It's a huge workshop and Carl is in his glory organizing it. That's what he does most days with Pedro. They are also fixing up vehicles, or taking them to be repaired, and then making a maintenance check list for all the buildings. They will probably start on that next week if Carl and Pedro get the deposito cleaned up and organized. After that, there will be a ton of work to do around here, if we have it in the budget. If not, then Carl and Pedro will have to prioritize which projects get done. There is also a MCC home being set up for new workers in Charagua, and so Carl and Pedro will buy all the large appliances for that.

A big part of our job has to do with money, buying stuff, budgeting, I'm sensing. Everything that doesn't fall under programs, is for us to keep track of. That's something that Carl and I enjoy. It's something we did with our own finances before we started with MCC. And goodness, we actually enjoy keeping track of every-single-little-tiny expense for our PMR!

My job keeps me in the office for now. I've been working on budgeting for the common meal, writing memos in English and Spanish, which take me f-o-r-e-v-e-r. My goal is to knock off 10 minutes off each memo, so maybe by spring it'll only take me 20 minutes! Ha ha! Then working on hypothetical support staff schedules, talking with program staff about cleaning in the buildings, laundry, child care needs. Then I dash off and chat with the support staff and find out what their perspective is on their jobs, what they do, and what they don't do. Today I emailed a few campo workers, made headway on a hosting budget plan for work and learn tours that come, and started to read over a peace and justice educational plan...thankfully it was in English. I think that was the point....

I'm sorry that I don't have pictures to post, but I knew that Carl would frown at me if I said, "Hey Carl, the kids are asleep, let's go pose in front of our desk for the blog!" So, maybe I'll take the camera around tomorrow and show pictures off later.

You're probably wondering what our kids do all day while we work. Well, all three are home with Nati, but they aren't always at home. Stay tuned for a later installment, "Summer Fun in November!" or something like that....

End of School

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Last Friday was Joel's and Kezia's last day of school. We were informed by the teachers that they should bring a shirt that can be painted on. I wondered what they needed it for, but we sent them along with a spare blank t-shirt.

That day, when Carl and I came to pick them up, we were astonished to see a number of older students completely covered in paint; in their hair, over their face, all over their clothes. It was quite the sight. And I was thinking, hmmm....I wonder what the deal will be with our kids and their spare t-shirt. Would that be enough?!

As we came into the courtyard, we saw that the younger kids weren't armed with bottles of paint, just markers and they were writing all over their shirts. Joel had every girl in his class sign his shirt, his school shirt....sigh, but thankfully we sent him in the shirt that already had a stain. What happened to the spare shirt I sent? As I thought more about it, I realized his signed shirt would be a great keepsake. Apparently it's school tradition here in Santa Cruz to have your school shirt signed on the last day, and it just escalates to paint as the kids get older.

In the evening was their school program. We had invited Nati, and Lynn and Laurie had invited Juana along. Since we have no family here, Nati and Juana were like the Tia's coming along to watch the kids.

I was expecting some kind of cheezy song and dance routine, but Joel and Kezia said something about being birds, so when we got there, I was kind of curious to see what there would be. When it started, it was a pleasant surprise.

The theme of the evening was "Mi Precioso Mundo" or My Precious World. There was no narration during the show, but it was a musical presentation of our earth, animals, how we pollute the earth, and then finally how we can clean, protect, and preserve it for generations to come. The music was beautiful, the costumes were very creative, and it sort of reminded me of a juvenile olympic closing ceremonies. I even got a little lump in my throat! It amazed me how the program included children from pre-kinder all the way up to 8th grade.

The following was the write up in the program: (I apologize for the mispellings of the words that need accents, but I'm not typing on a Spanish keyboard!)

Este acto esta dedicado a la proteccion y al cuidado de nuestro mundo evitando que las basura y contaminacion destruyan este hermoso obsequio de la naturaleza. Nuestro mundo es un preciado tesoro que no fue encomendado temporalmente, de cuyo estado somos responsables al momento de entregar a las nuevas generaciones.

Which means that this program/act is dedicated to the protection and care of our world, avoiding trash and contamination that destroy this beautiful gift of nature. Our world is a prized treasure that is not entrusted temporarily, of who's state we are responsible at the moment to deliver to the new generations.

It was a very good program and Joel and Kezia were excited to be a part of it. Kezia was thrilled that her teachers put glitter all over her and the other girls and hairsprayed their hair. It was a great way to end the year. The kids hugged and kissed their teachers good-bye. All the profesoras wanted to know if they were coming back next year. Of course!

(I had plans to upload a little video of the program, but after an all day attempt, I'm going to just paste a link to Lynn and Laurie's blog for you to see their great video of the program...sigh....internet these days!)

So for the amazing Closing Program, click HERE!

Take a Peek

I figured it was time to show a few more pictures of the kids. Just a little look into this past week. We've all finished classes and Carl and I are starting work, but I'll blog about that in a bit. In the meantime, while we catch our breath, enjoy the pictures!

What Skills!

This is how it all started:

Two weeks ago, Kezia said that she really didn't like her velcro shoes anymore. She really wanted to wear the shoes with laces. I told her that she didn't know how to tie her shoes and if she wore the shoes to school, her teachers couldn't be tying and retying her shoes all day long.

Well, she was very insistent that she wanted to wear the shoes and was sure that the laces wouldn't ever come undone. I asked her, "What happens if they do?" And she replied without a blink of an eye, "I'll just learn to tie my shoes."

Who ever heard of a three year old learning to tie their shoes? I admired her determination, but wondered what would come of this business of wearing laced shoes to school.

A few days ago, Kezia was in her room getting her shoes on. It was taking longer than the usual forever time, and so Carl went in to see what was taking her so long. As he went in, he saw that she was attempting to tie her shoes.

When he watched longer, he realized that she wasn't just attempting, she was actually doing it! He could hardly believe his eyes. Neither of us had taught her! She was so proud of herself, and I was feeling a bit humbled by not having more faith that she could learn if she had the determination to do so. Apparently, she had asked one of the other MCC children, Clara to help her. Thanks Clara!

Oh, the Parties

Since Joel and Kezia have been attending a local Spanish school, our family has been acquainted with the birthday party tradition for school aged kids; well the tradition here at our school.

Starting the second week of school, and each and every week, there has been an invitation in their agendas for a birthday party. How it works is the party is at school, and we send along a gift for the celebrated child. I think it's a great idea because everyone gets invited and we as parents aren't shuttling our kids all over the city to birthday parties. I'm sure the teachers are none that thrilled with losing 4 hours a week in instruction time to birthday parties. Oh well, the kids are having fun.

A few weeks ago, Laurie and I decided to stop the madness of trying to get a gift with one day's notice and stock up on some little gifts from Nueva Feria. She bought a bunch of modeling clay packs and I bought a bunch of puzzles. We were good to go, gifts on a moments notice!

We also were under the impression that it was customary not to put your child's name on the gift. It was supposed to be anonymous from whom the gift was from (which was kind of nice, because then we didn't feel pressure to get something in order to save our kids' pride in front of their classmates). Also, the goodie bags from the parties were getting more and more elaborate, and so Laurie and I had a slight tinge of guilt knowing that our gifts probably cost only half of what the goodie bag cost.

Well, last week, Joel and Kezia had THREE birthday parties...and this week was one more....so it was kind of crazy at our house trying to wrap these crazy puzzles in the morning before school. One particular morning, I pulled out an invitation at 7:30 and realized Joel had to bring a gift. I looked at the invitation and read what I thought said, Ariel. I yelled to Carl, "Get the Barbie puzzle and pink paper and wrap a present, we have to leave in 10 minutes." And Carl dashed to the closet and wrapped the gift in no time flat. He stuffed the present into Joel's bag and off we went. The thought did cross my mind that the invitation was a Ben 10 invite, but I figured that it was because Joel was a boy and the girls would have gotten Hello Kitty or something (like they've done with the goodie bags).

Once we arrived at school, I sent Joel into his classroom and off he went, excited about the party. A few days later, someone was asking Joel about all the parties in his class. He was telling them they have cake and pop, a pinata (though different from the Mexican kind), party hats, music, dancing...."It's a TON of fun, and the best part is that we get to quit working early!". He went on to tell them that they bring a gift for the kid and then the teacher writes their name on the gift, the person who is bringing the present.

Huh? I thought the names weren't on the present!

At potluck last night, Laurie got news of how the names are really printed on the gift and her and I were now feeling really embarrassed about our cheap gifts. Great, they are going to think we are some frugal North Americans! As we were talking, I told her about our crazy morning when we had to quickly pack the present for Ariel in Joel's class. Ariel? Laurie said it wasn't Ariel, it was Adiel, and Adiel is a BOY. Ahhhhh.....!

So not only did I pack a CHEAP puzzle but
I packed a BARBIE puzzle for a BOY
and if that wasn't bad enough,
POOR Joel had his name attached to this said gift!

Laurie, Lizette and I just howled at the table with laughter at this mistake and wondered what those parents and teachers thought of us. Here we are, the Spanish as a Second Language family. The family who has no clue what's going on. Oh, the S.S.L. folks will learn in time!

Music and Mangos

It Doesn't take Much

This past Wednesday I went back to Nueva Feria with my tutor, Delicia, on a mission. I heard from another volunteer that you can purchase cocoa without sugar. Pure, dark, lovely, bitter, cocoa.....it just gives me shivers thinking of all the goodies that can be made.

So after a 30 minutes of wandering through the crowds, we finally found the little counter that sells dried fruits, nuts, and cocoa. I was so thrilled. I asked how much, and the gal said 20 Bs for 1 kilo. Hah! That's a STEAL! So I told her I wanted one kilo and she looked at me, and I said, yes, I said I wanted an entire kilo of cocoa, (because what happens if I can't find it again for a while, I have to be prepared). She started to fill and measure a bag and we soon realized that 1 kilo would be the entire cocoa stock they had. I was pretty pleased with my prize. Funny how a large bag of cocoa for less than 3 bucks can make me smile all day.

It doesn't take Much.

Yesterday we had a meeting with a few other volunteers to plan for a learning team that is coming this weekend. I realized pretty quickly that I wasn't at this meeting to be informed of what was going on, but to take on responsibilities and start our job as hosts. But we're still in language class? How are we suppose to take on another thing with our schedule? Sigh, well, I don't feel that anything we will be doing is unreasonable (in fact I'm looking forward to it), it's just that being told you have responsibilities with 2 days notice isn't really that great. Plus, it's not just us, but we have to inform support staff of extra duties they have. I think I've realized that communication doesn't just have to do with getting things done like we task oriented North Americans tend to think, but it is more about being considerate of other people. A little note in the mailbox, a chat in the yard last week would have made the difference. When people know what is going on then they feel valued and important.

It doesn't take Much.

This weekend we sorted through our home, cleaning out desks, cupboards, organizing bulletin boards. Lately it's felt like we've been living in someone else's house, and someone else's clutter! So we organized things, we got rid of a lot of junk and started to put up some pictures. I had a folder filled with photos from home that I had been meaning to put up, but hadn't gotten around to it. We made two bulletin boards of pictures, one for the dining room/kitchen and the other for the kids' room. It was amazing how moving a few things around and putting up our own pictures on the walls and fridge made this place feel like home. All this week people walked in and commented on how homey it felt. All we did was tidy up a few things.

It doesn't take Much.

So as I've been thinking about the positive and challenging things this week, I'm reminded that it's not in the big things that tend to leave an impression or impact us, but the small things. It's the words and tone spoken in passing in the yard, it's the little note you received in the mail, it's a bag of cocoa!, it's the phone call with a friend, it's pictures on a wall. The negative things in my life are seldom big huge problems, but tiny little things that scratch away at my spirit, like the saying says, Death by a Thousand Cuts.

And it's the same with the positive things. I have been thrilled with getting a bag of chips from bible study to take home for the kids (which turned into a late night snack for two pseudo-Spanish students!), or tickled pink by a picture that the kids drew. The pat on the shoulder when you feel weary that lifts your spirits, or being capable of taking a taxi home....small little things that in the grand scheme of things don't seem that significant, but make a big impact on your outlook on life.

Looking and watching very closely, I begin to see the value in the little things. I begin to be more deliberate with those smaller items in life. Watching more closely to be cautious about how things may hinder others, and being more free with doling out the positive.

It doesn't take Much.

Feria Ciencia

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Last week, De la Sierra had their annual Feria Ciencia, the Science Fair. All the students were participating, and so Joel and Kezia's classes had displays in their courtyard on how to recycle and remake paper, and how to recycle different objects. The fair was held over lunch hour, and many parents, grandparents, and older students filed through their small courtyard to see what they had displayed.

Joel sat with a bunch of his classmates and fooled around a lot. There was so much going on, the teachers couldn't really keep 20 some 5 year olds sitting still and proper on their seats. It was encouraging to me to see him happy and interacting with his friends (even though he was suppose to be behaving, well whatever...). Kezia was a bit overwhelmed with the noise and all the people. She had a caterpillar to display that she made, and it was to help people think about all the animals and insects that benefit when we clean up our garbage. But she didn't know what to say when people came and asked her questions in Spanish. It was REALLY loud, and she's just learning the language. So after 15 minutes, her teacher said that it was fine if I took her off to the side until the fair was done. She was happier to be close to me.

It was interesting to witness all the activity and to see what the kids had done to prepare for the fair. When we were walking home, I asked the kids if they enjoyed it, and Joel said it was a bit loud but it was fun not to have to work in class. Kezia said she was disappointed because she couldn't answer any questions in Spanish. Well, I told her that next year when the Science Fair is on, she'll know so much Spanish that she'll be able to talk to anyone. That made her smile.

I'll post a little video that Lynn took, just to give you a peek at the fair, hear the volume and see what the kids' school courtyard looks like.