So I kind of slept in today....I think till 8:30 or 9am, had some pancakes for breakfast (not like American pancakes, but good!) and then kind of straightened my things and made a to do list (my first, which if you know me well, I always have one so it's about time I have one here!). Then my host sisters started making the community map for my group (see picture). The purpose was to get a group of similar people together and have them draw their perception of our town, noting good and bad places. Fluvia, the oldest daughter, kind of ran the show. She was very concise and meticulous. After that, my host mom told me the water was ready for me to shave. We had been talking about how I need to shave since I hadn't since I arrived. This is just one instance where I feel like I have stepped back in time being told what to do and when to do it. She didn't mean anything by it and I appreciate her warming the water, it is just a process of getting used to giving up some freedoms to which I've grown accustomed.
After getting ready, I caught up on some homework for next week. We had a drama filled lunch. We all had lunch together (salad, rice, and fried fish). During lunch I found out that my sister, Siomi's, boyfriend's cousin had been shot....in our town! Her boyfriend had been at our house and then left to play soccer with his cousin. From what I have gathered, after the game they were driving home and some man who had just returned from the states and was messed up on drugs shot the boy in the head. The cousin ended up being taken to the hospital in the capital. My host sister was thus living by the phone all day and updating us constantly. Also during lunch, my host father's niece called. I found out that she just recently went to the US illegally and dodged immigration for 5 days in the desert with her son....ridiculous. We then began discussing the life of an illegal immigrant in the US and ended up talking about health care. Long story short, my host father told me about the natural remedy here for a tootache--rinse your mouth out with your own urine. If that wasn't sick enough lunch conversation, he told me abouot how he was at work late one night and had the worse toothache....and you guessed it: rinsed his mouth out with his own pee three times. He says it worked and he didn't even have to go to the dentist.
After lunch, my group met with the artesanas again shortly(see picture above of Bri in local clothes) and then I went with my host family to Escuintla, which is about 45 mins away and at a much lower altitude for Helen and Fluvia to shop. Highlights from the mall: had ice cream, McDonalds, and talked to mom on my cell for the first time. After the mall, we went to get Siomi a McFlurry since she stayed home by the phone. My host father cracked us all up when he tried to order it because he can NOT say McFlurry to save his life. We got home kind of late (8pm) and I talked to mom more, ate a bite for dinner (one Chile Relleno) and turned in early. We have a long day tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment