Yeah, I know you may be thinking, "big deal, it's just a month....seems like you just left yesterday." But I can tell you for sure that from my perspective, it's a milestone to get past the first month. And for some others, like best friends, my "granny Evelyn", and my family, they've felt nearly every bump in the road along with me these last 4+ weeks. My friend Ginny said something simple, honest, and from her heart yesterday, and it has stuck with me: I thought that coming here would be the hardest thing I'd have to do. But I was wrong. Staying here will even more difficult (and she thinks about her daughter's upcoming visit here and about her visit back in the states next month). All in all, we know and we remind ourselves that God has been good and He's been faithful.
You know the small things in life can make such a difference! Today at lunch, the biggest meal of the day, I had part of a chicken breast! I was SO happy! I actually had meat! If you know me well, you know I'm quite carnivorous. The previous day for lunch we were served boiled potatoes, cheese quesadillas, beans, half an ear of corn, and hard french rolls. I love all of them but would not eat all of those carbohydrates in one sitting if given the choice. For dinner last night I had a small portion of spaghetti noodles with marinara sauce and rolls. You know, before coming here, I can hardly ever remember being hungry....as proven by the size of my waist. But I have been hungry a lot here...not that food is being withheld....it's just lacking in protein. Last night all I could think of was how much I'd love to have a huge steak or about 1/2 of a baked chicken. However, at least here in Antigua I have access to close stores and restaurants. In El Salvador, I won't have those options within walking distance that I can go to anytime I feel like it and my meals will be rice and beans essentially everyday. So, I guess I'll just enjoy these carbs for now.
Oh...guess what...I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow. Yikes! We'll see how it goes. I don't think anyone here has hardly ever seen much less cut somebody's hair the way I wear mine. Of course, my mother wouldn't mind if I'd try a style that's a bit more traditional.
As I mentioned in the email attached to this posting, please pray for my best friend's dad, Harold. Kim just told me her dad was admitted to UVA hospital this afternoon. Pray not only for him and the doctors, but for the family too. I feel bad that I'm not there to be at Kim's side...there to decipher medical info for the family as I usually do when friends and family are ill...and there just to lend a hand. I feel like I've abandoned my post and abandoned my best friend.
I only just remembered that this weekend is Memorial Day weekend. I wish I hadn't remembered. Oh how I'd love to be at my Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Edward's annual picnic. (And I wouldn't mind the food either!) Thinking of this holiday brings so many fond memories of family and friends. Well...let me get to thinking of something else! It's time for the weekend with it's usual chores: studying, doing my wash by hand, and updating my Excel spreadsheet to account for every penny that's been spent. By the way, it's amazing how careful I've become to not let my clothes get too dirty since I've started to wash them myself! Sometimes on weekends I watch a DVD movie on my computer. I even found a little store that sells individual microwave popcorn bags! Yee Haw! Like I said, it's the small things in life! Hope you have a good weekend!
Friday, May 25, 2007
More winds of change
Friday May 25th
It seem like I've worked hard to find a routine and a couple of good friends, ...and here come the winds of change- again.
The first thing to change was my teacher...which has been a very good thing. Unfortunately Ginny and Kevin (G&K) have been the next change. I've mentioned G&K several times in previous postings, and they were like family to me. They're only a bit older than me and we're on similar heart and faith paths. They're new missionaries, live in the room beside mine, and suffer through school and bug bites with me. Yesterday they left to assist their ministry in the capitol, Guatemala City. They're starting a repeating cycle of 10 days in the city (1.5hr away), 4 days in school (M-F). It was hard to see them leave yesterday. I had become particularly close with G. We unloaded about life onto each other. While you can try your best to understand and feel what's going on here and in my heart, you can't quite get it unless you've walked this path. G&K are walking the same path. For the last month, we ate most of our meals together, walked to and from school together, lamented over school and homework together, helped each other with our studies, picked each other's heart, etc. No, they won't even be able to return to my house. Their room has already been reserved for someone else. So now....well....I don't really know. Before coming here, I never understood what a lose it would be to not have the small routines of life. I know this seems a bit over the top, but it seems like the small bit of comfort I had is no longer there.
Additionally, the # of students has increased by 3 for a total of 7 for all of this past week. This doesn't include the 4 family members and the dog. And I thought that bathroom time was limited and precious before! The revolving door for students in the umpteen language schools in this city is amazing. There's constantly students coming and going...another reason it's hard to make friends. As of this Sunday, 2 others in the house are leaving, and we'll be down to 3 students, which is good and bad. Good for obvious reasons, but bad because that means the dynamics of the house will once again be in flux as more students move in and then out. (The 2 that leave Sunday were here just for a special project for 1 week.) Actually, for about 4 hr yesterday, it seemed I might have to move out too due to a miscommunication in the school office. I am so thankful that was corrected before my spot was filled. I have become fond of my little room and even it's quirks and hope I don't have to give it up to someone else. I have 2 single beds in my tiny room, so it's possible I'll be kicked back downstairs to the rooms with no ventilation and no dresser if 2 people come who want to room together.
All in all, though, I know for sure that God has always been, and still remains in control...and He's working good for me in my life even when I can't see it. Perhaps he has some other folks he wants me to meet. Perhaps He's still teaching me that I'm supposed to lean solely on Him, and not on the friendship of anyone else. I don't know. But last Wed the following Bible verse was part of the devotional book I use: "I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10. I've known that verse by heart for years...and yet I read it with new eyes and it was as if my heart had never heard it before. And the previous night I'd read a very condensed story of William Carey, and his well known quote really stuck to me: "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God." (Please forgive me if I haven't quoted this exactly right from my memory.) This along with the verse in Isaiah give me great encouragement.
It seem like I've worked hard to find a routine and a couple of good friends, ...and here come the winds of change- again.
The first thing to change was my teacher...which has been a very good thing. Unfortunately Ginny and Kevin (G&K) have been the next change. I've mentioned G&K several times in previous postings, and they were like family to me. They're only a bit older than me and we're on similar heart and faith paths. They're new missionaries, live in the room beside mine, and suffer through school and bug bites with me. Yesterday they left to assist their ministry in the capitol, Guatemala City. They're starting a repeating cycle of 10 days in the city (1.5hr away), 4 days in school (M-F). It was hard to see them leave yesterday. I had become particularly close with G. We unloaded about life onto each other. While you can try your best to understand and feel what's going on here and in my heart, you can't quite get it unless you've walked this path. G&K are walking the same path. For the last month, we ate most of our meals together, walked to and from school together, lamented over school and homework together, helped each other with our studies, picked each other's heart, etc. No, they won't even be able to return to my house. Their room has already been reserved for someone else. So now....well....I don't really know. Before coming here, I never understood what a lose it would be to not have the small routines of life. I know this seems a bit over the top, but it seems like the small bit of comfort I had is no longer there.
Additionally, the # of students has increased by 3 for a total of 7 for all of this past week. This doesn't include the 4 family members and the dog. And I thought that bathroom time was limited and precious before! The revolving door for students in the umpteen language schools in this city is amazing. There's constantly students coming and going...another reason it's hard to make friends. As of this Sunday, 2 others in the house are leaving, and we'll be down to 3 students, which is good and bad. Good for obvious reasons, but bad because that means the dynamics of the house will once again be in flux as more students move in and then out. (The 2 that leave Sunday were here just for a special project for 1 week.) Actually, for about 4 hr yesterday, it seemed I might have to move out too due to a miscommunication in the school office. I am so thankful that was corrected before my spot was filled. I have become fond of my little room and even it's quirks and hope I don't have to give it up to someone else. I have 2 single beds in my tiny room, so it's possible I'll be kicked back downstairs to the rooms with no ventilation and no dresser if 2 people come who want to room together.
All in all, though, I know for sure that God has always been, and still remains in control...and He's working good for me in my life even when I can't see it. Perhaps he has some other folks he wants me to meet. Perhaps He's still teaching me that I'm supposed to lean solely on Him, and not on the friendship of anyone else. I don't know. But last Wed the following Bible verse was part of the devotional book I use: "I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10. I've known that verse by heart for years...and yet I read it with new eyes and it was as if my heart had never heard it before. And the previous night I'd read a very condensed story of William Carey, and his well known quote really stuck to me: "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God." (Please forgive me if I haven't quoted this exactly right from my memory.) This along with the verse in Isaiah give me great encouragement.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Liz- my new teacher
Thursday 5-24-07
After Dina, the teacher I was supposed to have, didn't show up on Monday I was assigned Liz. She's 26, separated from her husband, and living with her 2 young kids and grandmother in her grandmother's home (and has done so since her mother died when she was 3 yr old). She's athletic, energetic, has fresh ideas, and seems to be a good match with my crazy personalty. On our first full day together, she asked me to read a cute book that is designed for parents to read to preschoolers. It took me about 15 min to read the easy 12 page book. Yikes! Joshua, my nephew announced to me yesterday that he's starting to read....and I thought, yeah, me too, and I'll bet he's doing better at it than I am! Along with the usual grammar and vocabulary homework, she assigned me the task of reading about Deborah in the Bible and then preparing to tell her the story the next day. She didn't know the story about Deborah, and I'll admit I hadn't read it in years and didn't remember a thing about it. It's actually a pretty cool story (Judges chapter 4) and I enjoyed stumbling through it with Liz the next day. Unlike my previous teacher, she likes to mix in activities with the lectures, thank goodness! I really do thank God for Liz. I believe this is who He chose for me for now. I'm not saying I won't have other teachers in the future...who knows...but I'm enjoying her for now. And it's a good thing because I'm no longer able to ride of the waves of somewhat familiar territory. Everything I'm studying now is brand new.
After Dina, the teacher I was supposed to have, didn't show up on Monday I was assigned Liz. She's 26, separated from her husband, and living with her 2 young kids and grandmother in her grandmother's home (and has done so since her mother died when she was 3 yr old). She's athletic, energetic, has fresh ideas, and seems to be a good match with my crazy personalty. On our first full day together, she asked me to read a cute book that is designed for parents to read to preschoolers. It took me about 15 min to read the easy 12 page book. Yikes! Joshua, my nephew announced to me yesterday that he's starting to read....and I thought, yeah, me too, and I'll bet he's doing better at it than I am! Along with the usual grammar and vocabulary homework, she assigned me the task of reading about Deborah in the Bible and then preparing to tell her the story the next day. She didn't know the story about Deborah, and I'll admit I hadn't read it in years and didn't remember a thing about it. It's actually a pretty cool story (Judges chapter 4) and I enjoyed stumbling through it with Liz the next day. Unlike my previous teacher, she likes to mix in activities with the lectures, thank goodness! I really do thank God for Liz. I believe this is who He chose for me for now. I'm not saying I won't have other teachers in the future...who knows...but I'm enjoying her for now. And it's a good thing because I'm no longer able to ride of the waves of somewhat familiar territory. Everything I'm studying now is brand new.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
End of week 3
Whew..week 3 done! Have I learned all I should in 3 weeks I wonder. Sometimes I feel like I'm really gaining groud, and sometimes the ground wins. As my friend and student Ginny said: in America we take English class from day one in school all the way until we graduate from high school, and then even more in college. What in the world makes us think we can learn a new language in a matter of weeks or months?
She's got a point!
My teacher tells me that technically, per the calendar, winter began on May 1st. However, the people here will tell you that there's just really 2 seasons, rainy season and dry season. And tourists here say it's the land of eternal Spring. But in some ways I can see how it kind of resembles winter. For the last 1.5 weeks, the sky has been white and overcast, kind of like winter at home. A couple of days this week, my room has been 68 beautiful degrees when I wake up in the morning. I love this temp! The natives here are wearing sweaters and jackets, sometimes hats. I'm still in my pedal pusher pants and t-shirts. It might get into the low 80s during the day time, but I wouldnt' say it's been really warm in the last 2 weeks. Due to the cloud cover, we haven't seen much of the beautiful surrounding volcanic mountains recently either. All the native people here are suprised that the rainy season which usually starts by May 1 hasn't happened. The sky often looks like rain late in the afternoon and into the evening, but we've only seen a couple of showers so far. Fine with me!
Almost a week ago it started to sink into my brain that this was not a mission trip. Unlike all my other week or two long mission trips, I wasn't going home. When you go on a mission trip you can go full tilt and put up with almost anything, knowing that you will only be in these conditions for a week or so before you return to the comforts of home and your routines. Still seems a bit strange to me.
Thought you'd get a kick out of something I saw this AM on the way to school. 2nd time I've seen it. A very small white pick up truck with a simple white shell over the hauling bed of the truck. Painted on the side of the truck: Volunteer Ambulance. Here's the trick: There's no tail gate or window or anything on the back. I could see straight into the back and see the stretcher. I supposed things are tied down somehow, but I'll sure that it makes for an interesting trip.
Oh, and if anyone asks...I have no idea of how the unused unattached toilet that sits up on top of the roof somehow ended up in a students room beside their bed! :)
Love yall!
She's got a point!
My teacher tells me that technically, per the calendar, winter began on May 1st. However, the people here will tell you that there's just really 2 seasons, rainy season and dry season. And tourists here say it's the land of eternal Spring. But in some ways I can see how it kind of resembles winter. For the last 1.5 weeks, the sky has been white and overcast, kind of like winter at home. A couple of days this week, my room has been 68 beautiful degrees when I wake up in the morning. I love this temp! The natives here are wearing sweaters and jackets, sometimes hats. I'm still in my pedal pusher pants and t-shirts. It might get into the low 80s during the day time, but I wouldnt' say it's been really warm in the last 2 weeks. Due to the cloud cover, we haven't seen much of the beautiful surrounding volcanic mountains recently either. All the native people here are suprised that the rainy season which usually starts by May 1 hasn't happened. The sky often looks like rain late in the afternoon and into the evening, but we've only seen a couple of showers so far. Fine with me!
Almost a week ago it started to sink into my brain that this was not a mission trip. Unlike all my other week or two long mission trips, I wasn't going home. When you go on a mission trip you can go full tilt and put up with almost anything, knowing that you will only be in these conditions for a week or so before you return to the comforts of home and your routines. Still seems a bit strange to me.
Thought you'd get a kick out of something I saw this AM on the way to school. 2nd time I've seen it. A very small white pick up truck with a simple white shell over the hauling bed of the truck. Painted on the side of the truck: Volunteer Ambulance. Here's the trick: There's no tail gate or window or anything on the back. I could see straight into the back and see the stretcher. I supposed things are tied down somehow, but I'll sure that it makes for an interesting trip.
Oh, and if anyone asks...I have no idea of how the unused unattached toilet that sits up on top of the roof somehow ended up in a students room beside their bed! :)
Love yall!
New school woes
It's amazing that I can go from a taco in the morning to crumbs and tears in the afternoon.
Let me explain. Yesterday morning I was journaling that somehow I felt very loved. I can't exactly explain it, but I just felt like I was warmly being hugged and loved. It reminded me of a taco I ate the previous day. You see, a taco here is not like a taco in the USA. It's a flat tortilla that gets a tiny bit of stuff (maybe meat and/or beans?) put on it, then it's rolled up to the diameter of my thumb and about 6" long. Anyhow, I felt like a taco...rolled up in love as I sat on my bed yesterday morning. As you may have guessed, the day went downhill quickly. Shortly after starting class, my teacher told me she wanted to "talk" to me. She revealed with tears in her eyes that she was sorry she had not taught me well and that I was not satisfied. I was stunned. She went on to say that the Director had shard my "confidential" weekly evaluation with her and completely raked her over the coals for not doing a good job. I was flabbergasted! Now here's the truth: I was quite frustrated with her teaching style. It's been almost entirely lecture and readings from my textbook. As I've looked around and as I've listened to other students, there are lots of other creative techniques being used by teachers. In retrospect, I wish I had simply asked her to change it up a bit. I guess I thought she was the teacher with years of experience, she knew best, and I kept thinking maybe things would change. But instead, I scored her as "poor" in the area of creativity, and "fair" in the area of having a plan for each week. She's quite disorganized and seems to fly by the seat of her pants.
What I've just learned is that the Director put a good bit of pressure on her in the very beginning by telling her that everything must go very well with me so that future missionaries from my organization, HIS, will come to this school. Therefore, the poor review got blown from a mole hill into a mountain.
I felt terrible that her trust and friendship with me was really screwed up, and our class time yesterday felt a bit strained. To make things worse, I found out at the end of the day, that she called the director and said she would not be coming to work next week. I don't know if it's related to all the drama of yesterday, or if something unrelated has happened. I hope the later. I know her well enough to know that a week w/o pay would be a true hardship. But I left school yesterday with a heavy heart and additionally, having done some reviewing for my test on Tues, I felt like I hadn't learned anything. Additionally, I felt like I may not ever be able to write things on the evaluation w/o something similar happening. And I'm concerned that all future teachers will also be put under pressure.
I went home, laid on my bed and cried. Really cried. All I could repeatedly think was, "this is too hard God...I want to go home....I can't do this." I eventually fell asleep and was awoken about 30 min later in time for dinner. Later in the evening I thought, how in the world did I go from feeling like a taco in the morning to feeling like I was crushed into crumbs and tears in the afternoon? The answer? I'm human, to start with. And I let my shield down and allowed Satan to bring in feelings of doubt, etc. The good news...God is still (and always has been) in control. He understands and He'll repair the relationship bridges that have been damaged. Ultimately, He'll take care of everything. His track record with me is perfect. I know He called me here, and I'm not leaving unless He tells me to.
So, on Monday I will get a new teacher. She'll review more with me for my exam on Tues. Then I'll start Grade B after my exam on Tues. I already know this new teacher, Dena. She's excellent. And I already know she's been promised to someone else the following week. But I have confidence God will put me with just the right teacher when the time comes.
Fortunately, the little group of students that live on the roof of out house have become like a little family unit. And they picked up my spirits. After dinner we found a small store that had microwave bags of popcorn (about 70 cents per bag. We bought 2 bags and sodas. We sat together on Ginny and Kevin's bed and watched a DVD movie on the computer. Kind of like what I enjoyed doing at home, sitting together with friends, watching a movie, talking, etc.
Today is a new day and I'm feeling better about things. And I guess I better get to studying pretty soon!
Let me explain. Yesterday morning I was journaling that somehow I felt very loved. I can't exactly explain it, but I just felt like I was warmly being hugged and loved. It reminded me of a taco I ate the previous day. You see, a taco here is not like a taco in the USA. It's a flat tortilla that gets a tiny bit of stuff (maybe meat and/or beans?) put on it, then it's rolled up to the diameter of my thumb and about 6" long. Anyhow, I felt like a taco...rolled up in love as I sat on my bed yesterday morning. As you may have guessed, the day went downhill quickly. Shortly after starting class, my teacher told me she wanted to "talk" to me. She revealed with tears in her eyes that she was sorry she had not taught me well and that I was not satisfied. I was stunned. She went on to say that the Director had shard my "confidential" weekly evaluation with her and completely raked her over the coals for not doing a good job. I was flabbergasted! Now here's the truth: I was quite frustrated with her teaching style. It's been almost entirely lecture and readings from my textbook. As I've looked around and as I've listened to other students, there are lots of other creative techniques being used by teachers. In retrospect, I wish I had simply asked her to change it up a bit. I guess I thought she was the teacher with years of experience, she knew best, and I kept thinking maybe things would change. But instead, I scored her as "poor" in the area of creativity, and "fair" in the area of having a plan for each week. She's quite disorganized and seems to fly by the seat of her pants.
What I've just learned is that the Director put a good bit of pressure on her in the very beginning by telling her that everything must go very well with me so that future missionaries from my organization, HIS, will come to this school. Therefore, the poor review got blown from a mole hill into a mountain.
I felt terrible that her trust and friendship with me was really screwed up, and our class time yesterday felt a bit strained. To make things worse, I found out at the end of the day, that she called the director and said she would not be coming to work next week. I don't know if it's related to all the drama of yesterday, or if something unrelated has happened. I hope the later. I know her well enough to know that a week w/o pay would be a true hardship. But I left school yesterday with a heavy heart and additionally, having done some reviewing for my test on Tues, I felt like I hadn't learned anything. Additionally, I felt like I may not ever be able to write things on the evaluation w/o something similar happening. And I'm concerned that all future teachers will also be put under pressure.
I went home, laid on my bed and cried. Really cried. All I could repeatedly think was, "this is too hard God...I want to go home....I can't do this." I eventually fell asleep and was awoken about 30 min later in time for dinner. Later in the evening I thought, how in the world did I go from feeling like a taco in the morning to feeling like I was crushed into crumbs and tears in the afternoon? The answer? I'm human, to start with. And I let my shield down and allowed Satan to bring in feelings of doubt, etc. The good news...God is still (and always has been) in control. He understands and He'll repair the relationship bridges that have been damaged. Ultimately, He'll take care of everything. His track record with me is perfect. I know He called me here, and I'm not leaving unless He tells me to.
So, on Monday I will get a new teacher. She'll review more with me for my exam on Tues. Then I'll start Grade B after my exam on Tues. I already know this new teacher, Dena. She's excellent. And I already know she's been promised to someone else the following week. But I have confidence God will put me with just the right teacher when the time comes.
Fortunately, the little group of students that live on the roof of out house have become like a little family unit. And they picked up my spirits. After dinner we found a small store that had microwave bags of popcorn (about 70 cents per bag. We bought 2 bags and sodas. We sat together on Ginny and Kevin's bed and watched a DVD movie on the computer. Kind of like what I enjoyed doing at home, sitting together with friends, watching a movie, talking, etc.
Today is a new day and I'm feeling better about things. And I guess I better get to studying pretty soon!
Friday, May 18, 2007
My health
Thought you'd like to know that I'm now realtively healthy. The respiratory stuff is over...thank you God. I'd think I'd loose some weight if you'd consider how much my daily activity has sky-rocketed by me walking to and from school and anywhere else I want to go. But I don't know that'll happen due to the high amount of carbs that we're fed...rice, beans, tortillas, etc.
Unfortunately, it seems that several of us in the house have gotten eaten alive recently. Ginny and Kevin were eaten badly last week, but improved greatly when they had to go out of town Thurs-Sun. It was particularly bad on the top of their feet. The day after they left, I started to have the same sort of bites on my feet, and it quickly spread just as theirs had. Last Wed I had 9 new bites on my right shin alone that happened sometime between supper and bedtime. I looked my bed over thoroughly, under the sheets, under the mattress, in the seams of my clothes (for lice) etc. The sheets are changed weekly by the housemom. It doesn't look like a mosquito bite at all, it's much smaller, and much more itchy, and I'm not aware of when I'm being bitten. The good news is that today I'm much better and I've had over 24hr without any new bites. And if I can keep my hands off my current bites, then I pray this will all go away. The bad news it that Ginny and Kevin have started to get bites again on their feet and a few other places. I pray that this insantity stops, and that they get over their bites quickly and that it doesn't start again with me.
For every time I've ever been on a medical team and I told a person diagnosed with lice that they had to wash everything they had in very hot water (bed linens, clothes, towels)...I am sincerely sorry. Not that the information was wrong...but I sure do have empathy for their process. I don't know that I had lice...I kind of doubt it. But when I was considering it as a possibility, it occured to me that my ability to wash anything in remotely hot water was a near impossibility. I am currently washing my clothes by hand in order to save money. But I have looked into local laundry places, and have found that not one single place has hot water. We don't have hot water (or screens on our windows) in our house either. We just have the "widow maker" (I mentioned in a previous blog) on our shower to make it warm. There are no large pots on our house, and I can't even imagine trying to put 2 or 3 t-shirts into a put to boil for 10 min, then wait for it to cool off so I can touch it and hang it out, and then repeating the process for all of my clothes. My jeans would consume just one pot. So, my empathy has sincerely deepened.
On a lighter note...I've found a special at the local store. You can buy the following combination: a can of Raid bug spray taped to a bottle of fabric softeneer. Let me say it again, TIG. This is Guatemala.
Unfortunately, it seems that several of us in the house have gotten eaten alive recently. Ginny and Kevin were eaten badly last week, but improved greatly when they had to go out of town Thurs-Sun. It was particularly bad on the top of their feet. The day after they left, I started to have the same sort of bites on my feet, and it quickly spread just as theirs had. Last Wed I had 9 new bites on my right shin alone that happened sometime between supper and bedtime. I looked my bed over thoroughly, under the sheets, under the mattress, in the seams of my clothes (for lice) etc. The sheets are changed weekly by the housemom. It doesn't look like a mosquito bite at all, it's much smaller, and much more itchy, and I'm not aware of when I'm being bitten. The good news is that today I'm much better and I've had over 24hr without any new bites. And if I can keep my hands off my current bites, then I pray this will all go away. The bad news it that Ginny and Kevin have started to get bites again on their feet and a few other places. I pray that this insantity stops, and that they get over their bites quickly and that it doesn't start again with me.
For every time I've ever been on a medical team and I told a person diagnosed with lice that they had to wash everything they had in very hot water (bed linens, clothes, towels)...I am sincerely sorry. Not that the information was wrong...but I sure do have empathy for their process. I don't know that I had lice...I kind of doubt it. But when I was considering it as a possibility, it occured to me that my ability to wash anything in remotely hot water was a near impossibility. I am currently washing my clothes by hand in order to save money. But I have looked into local laundry places, and have found that not one single place has hot water. We don't have hot water (or screens on our windows) in our house either. We just have the "widow maker" (I mentioned in a previous blog) on our shower to make it warm. There are no large pots on our house, and I can't even imagine trying to put 2 or 3 t-shirts into a put to boil for 10 min, then wait for it to cool off so I can touch it and hang it out, and then repeating the process for all of my clothes. My jeans would consume just one pot. So, my empathy has sincerely deepened.
On a lighter note...I've found a special at the local store. You can buy the following combination: a can of Raid bug spray taped to a bottle of fabric softeneer. Let me say it again, TIG. This is Guatemala.
Children's Hospital
Last Sunday I was put in touch with a gentleman, Dick, from the USA. Super nice guy. He's been living here for 4.5 yr and his specialty is speciality wheelchairs for Latin America. Long story, but the bottom line is that the person gets measured, pictures are taken of the person in need, and (via a Christian organization in Arizona) the wheelchair is fitted for the person and delivered to them.
Back to last Sunday. Last Sunday Dick took me and several others to the "children's hospital" in town. Very sad place...at least parts of it. We were well warned that we were going to see things that we weren't going to like. Flies all over a kids who can't move themselves. Kids with wet diapers...well actually a bed sheet pinned onto them...because diaper change times are at 7am, noon, and 4pm. Period. Nothing from 4pm until 7am the next day. Why? I really don't know. Dick has put almost every kid (birth to 20something) into a wheelchair if they needed it. One guy, 22yr old, has just gained tremendous independence when Dick got him an electric wheelchair controlled by a joy stick on his right foot rest. He has bad cerebral palsy and his arms fling around spastically out of control. But his feet act as hands and he's even taught himself to write with a pencil between his right big toe and the next toe. One kid is labeled as autistic, and he bangs his head against the rails on his bed that are higher than he is tall. Therefore he wears a helmet. We were told that he is confined to his metal crib with high rails (really looks like a cage to me) 24hr/day. Know why? Because he can walk. Yes, you heard me right. He can walk, and they don't have personnel to keep up with wherever he might wander to. A 50 cent lock on the main gate that leads to his section would seem a better idea to me. Dick was called into one very rural poor community to pick up a malnourished kid to bring him to the hospital to be admitted into their malnourishment ward. The kid had been in a program in his town to improve his weight and now was stable enough to be moved. He was six years old and 18 lb!!!! Good grief! He's now 8 and a chunky happy 32 lb. There's another kid that asks desperately all the time to be picked up, but we were told by the staff to not pick him up because he would cry for hours afterwards wanting more attention. Around 3pm Dick showed us a wall that was double lined with wheelchairs. He told us that the kids are put to bed for the night around 2pm. It makes life easier for the staff.
On a positive note, Dick told us example after example of how things had changed for the better...albeit very slowly. And he encouraged us to volunteer whenever we could. One person had already started to volunteer the week before. She said she wasn't exactly welcomed with warm open arms since she wanted to get kids out of their cages and change their diapers more often, and feed them the bottle that wasn't finished earlier. Go figure. I'll go volunteer when I can.
Back to last Sunday. Last Sunday Dick took me and several others to the "children's hospital" in town. Very sad place...at least parts of it. We were well warned that we were going to see things that we weren't going to like. Flies all over a kids who can't move themselves. Kids with wet diapers...well actually a bed sheet pinned onto them...because diaper change times are at 7am, noon, and 4pm. Period. Nothing from 4pm until 7am the next day. Why? I really don't know. Dick has put almost every kid (birth to 20something) into a wheelchair if they needed it. One guy, 22yr old, has just gained tremendous independence when Dick got him an electric wheelchair controlled by a joy stick on his right foot rest. He has bad cerebral palsy and his arms fling around spastically out of control. But his feet act as hands and he's even taught himself to write with a pencil between his right big toe and the next toe. One kid is labeled as autistic, and he bangs his head against the rails on his bed that are higher than he is tall. Therefore he wears a helmet. We were told that he is confined to his metal crib with high rails (really looks like a cage to me) 24hr/day. Know why? Because he can walk. Yes, you heard me right. He can walk, and they don't have personnel to keep up with wherever he might wander to. A 50 cent lock on the main gate that leads to his section would seem a better idea to me. Dick was called into one very rural poor community to pick up a malnourished kid to bring him to the hospital to be admitted into their malnourishment ward. The kid had been in a program in his town to improve his weight and now was stable enough to be moved. He was six years old and 18 lb!!!! Good grief! He's now 8 and a chunky happy 32 lb. There's another kid that asks desperately all the time to be picked up, but we were told by the staff to not pick him up because he would cry for hours afterwards wanting more attention. Around 3pm Dick showed us a wall that was double lined with wheelchairs. He told us that the kids are put to bed for the night around 2pm. It makes life easier for the staff.
On a positive note, Dick told us example after example of how things had changed for the better...albeit very slowly. And he encouraged us to volunteer whenever we could. One person had already started to volunteer the week before. She said she wasn't exactly welcomed with warm open arms since she wanted to get kids out of their cages and change their diapers more often, and feed them the bottle that wasn't finished earlier. Go figure. I'll go volunteer when I can.
Cow tongue didn't work
Fri 5-17-07
Just thought I'd let you know that eating cow tongue didn't help. I and the other students in the house had hoped that eating the tongue of a Spanish cow would help our own tongues to speak the language better. Nope...didn't work.
What did work is some of the tricks I made up to learn some of my vocabulary words. Picture this...in my notebook I drew a crude picture of an oven with the little window on front...and showed a horn (like from a bull) inside the oven. Got it in your head? Well, the word for oven in Spanish is " el horno"...ta dah...get it? Next picture...I drew a microwave and inside it's little window I drew several small Honda motorcycles. Wanna guess? The word for microwave in Spanish is microondas (almost micro hondas...well it worked for me). Since that day a week ago I've been tidal waved by gazillions of more words, and there aren't enough tricks in the world that can help I'm afraid. Sometimes this Spanish language thing makes me want to put my head into a wall. Let me give you one (of the possible zillion) examples: If any verb ends in "zar" such as the Spanish verb "almorzar" meaning to have lunch (a very important word!), then I must remember that the "zar" changes to "ce", but only if I want to say "I have lunch" and only in present tense, (not if you, he, she or we have or had or will have lunch). Got the idea? Like I said...I could put my head into a wall at times just due to the crazy rules.
I'll have my Grade A test on Tuesday. It has 6 pages (90 something questions) and an oral component where a person reads you a paragraph in Spanish then asks you questions to see if I comprehended it. Yeah, right!
Just thought I'd let you know that eating cow tongue didn't help. I and the other students in the house had hoped that eating the tongue of a Spanish cow would help our own tongues to speak the language better. Nope...didn't work.
What did work is some of the tricks I made up to learn some of my vocabulary words. Picture this...in my notebook I drew a crude picture of an oven with the little window on front...and showed a horn (like from a bull) inside the oven. Got it in your head? Well, the word for oven in Spanish is " el horno"...ta dah...get it? Next picture...I drew a microwave and inside it's little window I drew several small Honda motorcycles. Wanna guess? The word for microwave in Spanish is microondas (almost micro hondas...well it worked for me). Since that day a week ago I've been tidal waved by gazillions of more words, and there aren't enough tricks in the world that can help I'm afraid. Sometimes this Spanish language thing makes me want to put my head into a wall. Let me give you one (of the possible zillion) examples: If any verb ends in "zar" such as the Spanish verb "almorzar" meaning to have lunch (a very important word!), then I must remember that the "zar" changes to "ce", but only if I want to say "I have lunch" and only in present tense, (not if you, he, she or we have or had or will have lunch). Got the idea? Like I said...I could put my head into a wall at times just due to the crazy rules.
I'll have my Grade A test on Tuesday. It has 6 pages (90 something questions) and an oral component where a person reads you a paragraph in Spanish then asks you questions to see if I comprehended it. Yeah, right!
Saturday, May 12, 2007
1st 2 wks- TIG
Saturday May 12th
Wow 2 weeks! It's been generally good, but man does it sometimes seem like it's been 2 months! My correspondence in this update will assume that you've ready my most recent "update #3" email. Please email me if you did not receive this.
I've been writing this in my head for a long time...so much I want to tell you about. So I've got the feeling this is going to be quite long. You may want to read it in sections and at more than one sitting. Just thought I'd warn you.
Let's see...what kind of trouble have I gotten into? Well, last Sunday after talking to a couple of friends and family members, I was feeling rather melancholic, so I decided to take a walk. I got lost. REAL lost. I intended to explore the other side of town (that I've never gone to before) and decided while I was there I'd stop at the Bodegona (think Wal-Mart Latino style but very unorganized)to pick up a couple of things I'd like to have for school. Anyhow, there are several doors, and I didn't end up exiting the same doors that I entered. Big mistake! I based my turns on leaving the opposite doors. Next thing I know it's the "ite" of twilight and I could hear a storm in the distance, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that I was not in a good section of town and had no idea which turn would get me out of trouble. I just kept walking. Ended up leaving the bad section but found myself walking beside what seemed like a never ending tall white-washed wall on one side (maybe a jail?) and a field on the other side and not a single soul in sight. Don't think I wasn't praying! I finally ran across a guard at the wall and he told me that I needed to go about 8 blocks one way, then 6 blocks another way...and then who knows what. Oh, by the way, yes, I did have a map with me. But it's only useful in the main part of the city because there are no street signs anywhere else. Even in the city, the signs are not necessarily intact or correct. There's a particular intersection that has a different street name on each of the 4 corners. (Street signs are painted or nailed on the sides of buildings...if they're there at all.) Later I ran across an old man and asked him how to get to Central Park. His eyes got really big and told me that it was a long, long ways off. Great! By now it was truly dark and the rain had started and lightning was not too far off. Eventually I started seeing more life and figured I was on the right track. Stopped a couple more times to ask for directions. Can't tell you how glad I was to see Central Park! When I entered the house it was 9pm! I was exhausted, physically and emotionally, but so thankful to the Lord that He watched over me. It has occured to me that I could've very easily been captured and harmed, and not a soul would know it. Nor would anyone know where to look for me if they noticed I was missing. I looked a little into purchasing a cell phone, but it's not in my budget and the system used here may not work in El Salvador. So for now I think I've decided to not get a cell...although I will probably need one for safety eventually in El Salvador, but in the meanwhile will try to be a bit smarter.
Let's see..what other trouble have I been in? Oh, I almost got run over by a took-took. A took-took is faster than a mo-ped and kind of shaped like a golf cart with 3 wheels (one wheel in front). They're cheaper than taxis, drive like maniacs and think nothing of making extra lanes where there are no lanes. Except for businesses that cater to tourist (like coffee shops), most don't open until 9am or so but stay open later than the USA. But the traffic on the local roads are in full swing by noon. As I was coming home for lunch...about 5 long blocks btw school and home, I crossed a busy intersection. A took-took decided to go around the car stopped in front of him, and then cross over a lane and make a turn onto the street I was crossing. As some friends/students say, "TIG" (This is Guatemala.) Keep in mind, that due to the cobble stone roads (and usually sidewalks), you can only look up but so much because of missing stones. Can't tell you how often I and other American turn our ankles or nearly fall. No problem...I had about a foot between me and the took-took! Anyhow, God is good and the guardian angels are working overtime.
The streets here amaze me. You can find new and ancient models of cars and trucks, motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles with entire families aboard, took-tooks, horse drawn carriages, and people on horseback- all sharing the same road space at the same time. You name it, and it's here.
YWAM (Youth With A Mission) has a coffee shop btw my house and school. It's know as the hang out for gringos (Americans). It's a nice play to go sbut has limited business hours due to the lack of volunteers. Really nice folks though. I went there last Thursday for a church service done entirely in English. What a blessing! Beside it is a church that I attended last Sunday. I heard some familiar worship songs being played, and just followed the music until I found the church. It's funny how I thought I knew words to a bunch of worship songs, but when it came time to sing along side the Spanish folks, I could hardly remember any of the words. I'm told that they sometimes have a projector running to show the words on the wall. Hope this will happen soon! Per the tradition in Latin America, there was a person playing keyboards as background music the entire time the preacher speaks. Unfortunately, if the pastor said something dramatic, then the music follows suit, and thus drowns out the translator standing beside the pastor. But, TIG.
One of the hardships I've run into is the lack of anything familiar. Not my bed, not my hall bathroom that I share with others, not the climate/altitude, not the language that still seems like Greek to me most of the time, not the roads I walk, not the ability to know what food or locations are safe, not my daily routines, etc. Nothing, that is...except God...and I'm positive that's His point. Before I left the states I knew he was asking me, "Am I enough (for you)" I told Him yes. There's not a day that goes by that He doesn't still ask me..."am I still enough for you...am I sufficient?" The answer is still "Yes Lord, but I didn't know it would be this hard." You see, I'm extraordinarily blessed to have been surrounded by realms of friends back home...you guys. I always knew that if I was down or having trouble of any sort, that I could depend on my friends to be there for me. Now...everything has changed. Yes, you, my friends, are still there...but it's not the same. That first week, when reality came crashing down on me and I seemed a world away from anything familiar or comforting...well, it was really tough. And wouldn't you know that my Palm Pilot (that I'd taken so much time to carefully load with every one's phone numbers) had somehow erased all my phone numbers that I'd collected over the years. Additionally, my best friend was in Honduras on a mission trip. Additionally that week my "Uncle Joe" died and one of my good friend's mother died. I even had difficulty in accessing the internet. It felt like there wasn't a soul I could reach out to...and that too was His point and plan. When the weekend finally arrived I was able to use my computer to call home. If you know me, you know that there's very little I value more than my nephews and niece. I called my nephew on Sat. to wish him a happy birthday (that I hated to miss) and he wanted to know why I wasn't there...why I wasn't coming to his birthday. My heart broke for him..of course he can't understand...he was just turning 5. Those sort of things are hard.
I never thought of it before...never needed to...but our rituals at the time of death (like the family night visitation, the funeral service itself, gathering with friends and family to talk about good memories) are part of the way we process death. Have you ever been far away when a close friend or close relative died and you could not be a part of any of the services? I haven't until now re: my Uncle Joe. As strange as it sounds, I didn't know how to grieve. There were no rituals to help me process. It, like so many other things, was a new hurdle to overcome...and more difficult than I'd imagined.
Speaking of friends, I've made friends with the other students in the house... Amelia from Taiwan (really quiet and shy) and especially a neat couple (Ginny and Kevin Holmes) who are just a little older than I am and also brand new missionaries. I've always been able to make friends easily, but now there's a larger than normal risk involved. The problem is that the friends leave. You see, each student can study one day or one year...it's up to the individual. And it seems that you've no sooner gotten to be friends with someone before they're packing up to leave. The house is in a constant rotation of students. Not only does this rotation happen among students, but also with the YWAM folks since they rotate in and out pretty often. So you have to know going into it, that if you get too attached, you're going to get hurt again. This too has been tough already. Nevertheless, I've become pretty good friends with Ginny and Kevin. They and one other student can be seen in the picture labeled as the "penthouse". Their room is the one standing all beside itself on the roof. My room is beside theirs. Ginny and Kevin work with the very poor people who live in the huge Guatemala City dump. It's an extraordinarily dangerous place to work. They will soon start a rotation (to accommodate teams from the USA to help at the dump) of studying for one week, then traveling an hour to the city to stay for a week, and etc. I will miss them when they're not here.
This past Friday late afternoon I was talking (via Skype on my computer...great invention!)to my best friend/roommate. I won't go into details, but she was having a super hard day. The reality of me not being there had hit her in the face as she came home to an empty house...and it seemed overwhelming. Added to her stress was some very real concerns over her dad's health. It broke my heart to not be there to comfort my best friend of 14 years like I always had before. We'd always been there for each other. Now I wasn't there... and in fact I was part of the reason for the heartache. We both knew these days would come. We both know and agree that I'm doing the right thing...but it doesn't mean it's easy. We both left the conversation sad and in tears. My face still showed signs of my tears as I walked home from school. I prayed, "Lord, you are enough, but I sure could use somebody with skin on, and so could my friend. Please bring us comfort." I knew there wasn't a soul that I could go to. It was getting dark and I didn't want to go at this late hour and use the internet cafe and moan to someone else via the internet. And I knew I was going home to an empty house since all the other students were out for the evening or weekend. Then God showed up. As I walked the narrow, wobbly sidewalk towards home, I passed a YWAM member that I'd met earlier that day. He saw my red eyes and face, and stopped to show his care. There it was...help with skin on. God came through...again. When I got home, I spent some time in prayer before dinner. Knowing that my heart was downcast, I decided to do something new and radical to serve God- and therefore escape the "poor pitiful me" party that I may have thrown for the rest of the night. I joined some YWAMers for street evangelism at Central Park. I wasn't much help with my pathetic Spanish...but I could pray. It was a beautiful night and there were a good number of folks in the park. I paired up with Mark. He didn't beat people over the head...he didn't even carry a Bible. He just asked people if they had 5 min and he used a hands on illustration to demonstrate the Gospel. It was amazing! The 1st two guys we approached were about 20-something I'd say. Bottom line...they accepted Christ! Mark said that folks here were often very receptive, and the harvest was ripe for picking. Later we approached another couple of guys..maybe 20 years old. They too were very interested. When Mark asked them where they'd go if they died tonight in their sleep, they both calmly said they'd go to hell. Wow! Mark presented His story and sincerely told them this was a big decision...a decision only they could make...when suddenly it sounded like we were caught in gunfire. Ends up that we were just really really close to some really loud firecrackers set off by some teenagers who were enjoying the reactions. But it made for a good illustration that in a blink...any of us could die. And who knows how many opportunities we'll have to change out eternal destiny. Ultimately, both guys said they would think things over and asked for some literature. Not a bad ending to a really tough afternoon. I was so pumped up when I came home that I decided to stay up and hand wash my clothes. More on that later.
Some good news...my temporary residency card has come in and is in the hands of Teri at HIS. It expires near the end of July. My real residency card should be available for me to pick up when I have my break from school at the end of June.
School is going pretty well. I study like crazy, but not so sure how much of it sticking. But all I can do is my part, and I'm leaving the rest up to God. ALL prayers are welcome! I'm very glad I went back to Grade A. I will probably take the Grade A exam early to mid next week, then on to Grade B. Woo hoo!
Oh, there's another God story I wanted to tell you about. A really good friend of mine has discovered that her employer will match funds for donations made to a charitable organization. She jumped thru all the hoops with her employer, then sent her personal check (along with the blank form to be filled out for the matching funds) to me at the HIS mailing address as I instructed her. The courier delivered it to the wrong home in El Salvador. If it wasn't for a kind, honest, English speaking recipient, my friend would not have known the check was mishandled, and I no idea the check was on the way. After many calls (initiated by the recipient to my friend) between several people, the very sizable check was retrieved and now is safely waiting for me at HIS. Thank you God...again.
I got to ride the public bus this week as part of a school field trip to a macadanian nut farm. Those who have visited Latin America know that we usually call this the chicken bus...for good reason. Like I said earlier, the guardian angels have been working over-time. I'm very glad to have that experience past me and it's OK if I never do it again. The chicken bus is like a school bus, except the benches are longer, making the isle quite narrow. Now I know I'm a big girl, but in order to pass btw seats, I had to turn sideways and push myself through the opening. Add to this that after a few stops, there were at least 3 people sitting on each bench (and hanging well into the isle...including me). So that anytime someone got on or off the bus there was quite a shuffling of folks and getting really close to others was just the norm. I also took a field trip to the local market with my teacher in order to learn the names of fruits and veggies (particularly the types that I've never seen before...not grown in the US as far as I know). In building after building, row after row after row after row there were connected wooden booths or people spread out with the produce on the ground. It all looked alike, and I have no idea of how you'd ever know where you were or how to get out and which exit it the correct one? I was honestly kind of nervous. There are constantly reports of vandalism or worse at the market...the crush of people always up against me...being called at by vendors constantly...the noise level...the heat...the smell of raw meat hanging from hooks, row after row...YUCK! Like I said earlier...it's OK if I never go back. On a good note, they also had numerous vendors of fresh flowers...wow...what an amazing gathering of colors! And they also had numerous vendors of 2nd hand clothes. Hmmm...interesting. All I bought were some peaches (which are just slightly bigger than a gold ball for some reason) and a round bar of soap specifically made for washing clothes. Most people here wash their clothes by hand. They don't have the money for a machine, nor the wiring or plumbing necessary for it. After having my laundry done once by the local laundry place, I decided that's it's too much for my budget too. I'll be glad to have access to machines when I return to HIS.
Oh, there goes that blasted bell again. My house is surrounded by 3 major noise makers: a very busy road often traveled by loud smelly diesel trucks and ambulances with wailing sirens, a large Catholic church (with it's never ending bells), and a school associated with the church. We've noted that the church bells don't seem to ring at any particular time, nor does the number of rings seem logical. Per my teacher, the number of rings is unpredictable and not important, and can be rung for one of at least 3 reasons: announcing an upcoming service (possibly several times as reminders), announcing a death or birth, and/or announcing a celebration (a festival recognized by the Catholic church of which there are many, or the birthday or anniversary or a member). It seems the bells are ringing nearly all the time. The school bells are set to announce classes as they start and stop through the day. However, it seems that the bells are on a 24hr system...regardless of whether school is open or not. Grrrr! Fortunately, I think I'm beginning to tune them out. Between firecrackers, bells, and sirens, I think I could go crazy at times.
Speaking of crazy....I ate cow tongue this week! As students, we eat very traditional Guatemalan foods. But fortunately, Elizabeth knows where to draw the line. This week there were 2 times where the family ate one thing and the students were offered something a little more mundane...thank you Jesus! Last weekend the family ate pig livers and fried pig skins....I gratefully declined. A couple of days ago, the family ate cow tongue. I think it was boiled and had salsa on it. I again declined, but after one student tried it, I decided to walk on the wild side and try it too. If I didn't know what I was eating, it wouldn't have been too bad. It tasted kind of like what I thought tongue would taste like.
The mosquitoes haven't been too bad...have seen just a handful although now that rainy season is upon us I guess things could change. None of the windows here have screens, and I'll roast if my windows and door aren't open at night. So I hope the mosquitoes don't get bad. However, several of us have been eaten by something that doesn't leave a mark like a mosquito. I only have a few as compared to Ginny and Kevin. Hoping it's not bed bugs or skin lice. Yuck!
We've only had one significant earthquake tremor since I've arrived. Last Tues we had a 4.6 tremor per the US news on the internet. It was the talk of the day among students. Immediately following the tremor, due to our roof top view, we could easily see smoke billowing out of the closest volcano. Quite a picture for my collection. The town sits in the valley surrounded by beautiful volcanic mountains. Lately, since rainy season is close, the mountains have been hiding behind the clouds. The temperatures are moderate during the day and comfortable at night. Recently my room has been around 76 when I went to bed. Not bad at all if you compare it to the stupid heat that El Salvador is experiencing. Quite glad I'm here and not there right now!
OK...I think I've about caught you up and rambled enough. I'll try not to write a full length novel in the future...but will instead will cut it into more manageable chunks. Please continue to email me and tell me about your life, the struggles and the good stuff, and let me know how I can pray for you. Thanks for listening to me ramble as I share my life. Love you guys! Deb
Wow 2 weeks! It's been generally good, but man does it sometimes seem like it's been 2 months! My correspondence in this update will assume that you've ready my most recent "update #3" email. Please email me if you did not receive this.
I've been writing this in my head for a long time...so much I want to tell you about. So I've got the feeling this is going to be quite long. You may want to read it in sections and at more than one sitting. Just thought I'd warn you.
Let's see...what kind of trouble have I gotten into? Well, last Sunday after talking to a couple of friends and family members, I was feeling rather melancholic, so I decided to take a walk. I got lost. REAL lost. I intended to explore the other side of town (that I've never gone to before) and decided while I was there I'd stop at the Bodegona (think Wal-Mart Latino style but very unorganized)to pick up a couple of things I'd like to have for school. Anyhow, there are several doors, and I didn't end up exiting the same doors that I entered. Big mistake! I based my turns on leaving the opposite doors. Next thing I know it's the "ite" of twilight and I could hear a storm in the distance, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that I was not in a good section of town and had no idea which turn would get me out of trouble. I just kept walking. Ended up leaving the bad section but found myself walking beside what seemed like a never ending tall white-washed wall on one side (maybe a jail?) and a field on the other side and not a single soul in sight. Don't think I wasn't praying! I finally ran across a guard at the wall and he told me that I needed to go about 8 blocks one way, then 6 blocks another way...and then who knows what. Oh, by the way, yes, I did have a map with me. But it's only useful in the main part of the city because there are no street signs anywhere else. Even in the city, the signs are not necessarily intact or correct. There's a particular intersection that has a different street name on each of the 4 corners. (Street signs are painted or nailed on the sides of buildings...if they're there at all.) Later I ran across an old man and asked him how to get to Central Park. His eyes got really big and told me that it was a long, long ways off. Great! By now it was truly dark and the rain had started and lightning was not too far off. Eventually I started seeing more life and figured I was on the right track. Stopped a couple more times to ask for directions. Can't tell you how glad I was to see Central Park! When I entered the house it was 9pm! I was exhausted, physically and emotionally, but so thankful to the Lord that He watched over me. It has occured to me that I could've very easily been captured and harmed, and not a soul would know it. Nor would anyone know where to look for me if they noticed I was missing. I looked a little into purchasing a cell phone, but it's not in my budget and the system used here may not work in El Salvador. So for now I think I've decided to not get a cell...although I will probably need one for safety eventually in El Salvador, but in the meanwhile will try to be a bit smarter.
Let's see..what other trouble have I been in? Oh, I almost got run over by a took-took. A took-took is faster than a mo-ped and kind of shaped like a golf cart with 3 wheels (one wheel in front). They're cheaper than taxis, drive like maniacs and think nothing of making extra lanes where there are no lanes. Except for businesses that cater to tourist (like coffee shops), most don't open until 9am or so but stay open later than the USA. But the traffic on the local roads are in full swing by noon. As I was coming home for lunch...about 5 long blocks btw school and home, I crossed a busy intersection. A took-took decided to go around the car stopped in front of him, and then cross over a lane and make a turn onto the street I was crossing. As some friends/students say, "TIG" (This is Guatemala.) Keep in mind, that due to the cobble stone roads (and usually sidewalks), you can only look up but so much because of missing stones. Can't tell you how often I and other American turn our ankles or nearly fall. No problem...I had about a foot between me and the took-took! Anyhow, God is good and the guardian angels are working overtime.
The streets here amaze me. You can find new and ancient models of cars and trucks, motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles with entire families aboard, took-tooks, horse drawn carriages, and people on horseback- all sharing the same road space at the same time. You name it, and it's here.
YWAM (Youth With A Mission) has a coffee shop btw my house and school. It's know as the hang out for gringos (Americans). It's a nice play to go sbut has limited business hours due to the lack of volunteers. Really nice folks though. I went there last Thursday for a church service done entirely in English. What a blessing! Beside it is a church that I attended last Sunday. I heard some familiar worship songs being played, and just followed the music until I found the church. It's funny how I thought I knew words to a bunch of worship songs, but when it came time to sing along side the Spanish folks, I could hardly remember any of the words. I'm told that they sometimes have a projector running to show the words on the wall. Hope this will happen soon! Per the tradition in Latin America, there was a person playing keyboards as background music the entire time the preacher speaks. Unfortunately, if the pastor said something dramatic, then the music follows suit, and thus drowns out the translator standing beside the pastor. But, TIG.
One of the hardships I've run into is the lack of anything familiar. Not my bed, not my hall bathroom that I share with others, not the climate/altitude, not the language that still seems like Greek to me most of the time, not the roads I walk, not the ability to know what food or locations are safe, not my daily routines, etc. Nothing, that is...except God...and I'm positive that's His point. Before I left the states I knew he was asking me, "Am I enough (for you)" I told Him yes. There's not a day that goes by that He doesn't still ask me..."am I still enough for you...am I sufficient?" The answer is still "Yes Lord, but I didn't know it would be this hard." You see, I'm extraordinarily blessed to have been surrounded by realms of friends back home...you guys. I always knew that if I was down or having trouble of any sort, that I could depend on my friends to be there for me. Now...everything has changed. Yes, you, my friends, are still there...but it's not the same. That first week, when reality came crashing down on me and I seemed a world away from anything familiar or comforting...well, it was really tough. And wouldn't you know that my Palm Pilot (that I'd taken so much time to carefully load with every one's phone numbers) had somehow erased all my phone numbers that I'd collected over the years. Additionally, my best friend was in Honduras on a mission trip. Additionally that week my "Uncle Joe" died and one of my good friend's mother died. I even had difficulty in accessing the internet. It felt like there wasn't a soul I could reach out to...and that too was His point and plan. When the weekend finally arrived I was able to use my computer to call home. If you know me, you know that there's very little I value more than my nephews and niece. I called my nephew on Sat. to wish him a happy birthday (that I hated to miss) and he wanted to know why I wasn't there...why I wasn't coming to his birthday. My heart broke for him..of course he can't understand...he was just turning 5. Those sort of things are hard.
I never thought of it before...never needed to...but our rituals at the time of death (like the family night visitation, the funeral service itself, gathering with friends and family to talk about good memories) are part of the way we process death. Have you ever been far away when a close friend or close relative died and you could not be a part of any of the services? I haven't until now re: my Uncle Joe. As strange as it sounds, I didn't know how to grieve. There were no rituals to help me process. It, like so many other things, was a new hurdle to overcome...and more difficult than I'd imagined.
Speaking of friends, I've made friends with the other students in the house... Amelia from Taiwan (really quiet and shy) and especially a neat couple (Ginny and Kevin Holmes) who are just a little older than I am and also brand new missionaries. I've always been able to make friends easily, but now there's a larger than normal risk involved. The problem is that the friends leave. You see, each student can study one day or one year...it's up to the individual. And it seems that you've no sooner gotten to be friends with someone before they're packing up to leave. The house is in a constant rotation of students. Not only does this rotation happen among students, but also with the YWAM folks since they rotate in and out pretty often. So you have to know going into it, that if you get too attached, you're going to get hurt again. This too has been tough already. Nevertheless, I've become pretty good friends with Ginny and Kevin. They and one other student can be seen in the picture labeled as the "penthouse". Their room is the one standing all beside itself on the roof. My room is beside theirs. Ginny and Kevin work with the very poor people who live in the huge Guatemala City dump. It's an extraordinarily dangerous place to work. They will soon start a rotation (to accommodate teams from the USA to help at the dump) of studying for one week, then traveling an hour to the city to stay for a week, and etc. I will miss them when they're not here.
This past Friday late afternoon I was talking (via Skype on my computer...great invention!)to my best friend/roommate. I won't go into details, but she was having a super hard day. The reality of me not being there had hit her in the face as she came home to an empty house...and it seemed overwhelming. Added to her stress was some very real concerns over her dad's health. It broke my heart to not be there to comfort my best friend of 14 years like I always had before. We'd always been there for each other. Now I wasn't there... and in fact I was part of the reason for the heartache. We both knew these days would come. We both know and agree that I'm doing the right thing...but it doesn't mean it's easy. We both left the conversation sad and in tears. My face still showed signs of my tears as I walked home from school. I prayed, "Lord, you are enough, but I sure could use somebody with skin on, and so could my friend. Please bring us comfort." I knew there wasn't a soul that I could go to. It was getting dark and I didn't want to go at this late hour and use the internet cafe and moan to someone else via the internet. And I knew I was going home to an empty house since all the other students were out for the evening or weekend. Then God showed up. As I walked the narrow, wobbly sidewalk towards home, I passed a YWAM member that I'd met earlier that day. He saw my red eyes and face, and stopped to show his care. There it was...help with skin on. God came through...again. When I got home, I spent some time in prayer before dinner. Knowing that my heart was downcast, I decided to do something new and radical to serve God- and therefore escape the "poor pitiful me" party that I may have thrown for the rest of the night. I joined some YWAMers for street evangelism at Central Park. I wasn't much help with my pathetic Spanish...but I could pray. It was a beautiful night and there were a good number of folks in the park. I paired up with Mark. He didn't beat people over the head...he didn't even carry a Bible. He just asked people if they had 5 min and he used a hands on illustration to demonstrate the Gospel. It was amazing! The 1st two guys we approached were about 20-something I'd say. Bottom line...they accepted Christ! Mark said that folks here were often very receptive, and the harvest was ripe for picking. Later we approached another couple of guys..maybe 20 years old. They too were very interested. When Mark asked them where they'd go if they died tonight in their sleep, they both calmly said they'd go to hell. Wow! Mark presented His story and sincerely told them this was a big decision...a decision only they could make...when suddenly it sounded like we were caught in gunfire. Ends up that we were just really really close to some really loud firecrackers set off by some teenagers who were enjoying the reactions. But it made for a good illustration that in a blink...any of us could die. And who knows how many opportunities we'll have to change out eternal destiny. Ultimately, both guys said they would think things over and asked for some literature. Not a bad ending to a really tough afternoon. I was so pumped up when I came home that I decided to stay up and hand wash my clothes. More on that later.
Some good news...my temporary residency card has come in and is in the hands of Teri at HIS. It expires near the end of July. My real residency card should be available for me to pick up when I have my break from school at the end of June.
School is going pretty well. I study like crazy, but not so sure how much of it sticking. But all I can do is my part, and I'm leaving the rest up to God. ALL prayers are welcome! I'm very glad I went back to Grade A. I will probably take the Grade A exam early to mid next week, then on to Grade B. Woo hoo!
Oh, there's another God story I wanted to tell you about. A really good friend of mine has discovered that her employer will match funds for donations made to a charitable organization. She jumped thru all the hoops with her employer, then sent her personal check (along with the blank form to be filled out for the matching funds) to me at the HIS mailing address as I instructed her. The courier delivered it to the wrong home in El Salvador. If it wasn't for a kind, honest, English speaking recipient, my friend would not have known the check was mishandled, and I no idea the check was on the way. After many calls (initiated by the recipient to my friend) between several people, the very sizable check was retrieved and now is safely waiting for me at HIS. Thank you God...again.
I got to ride the public bus this week as part of a school field trip to a macadanian nut farm. Those who have visited Latin America know that we usually call this the chicken bus...for good reason. Like I said earlier, the guardian angels have been working over-time. I'm very glad to have that experience past me and it's OK if I never do it again. The chicken bus is like a school bus, except the benches are longer, making the isle quite narrow. Now I know I'm a big girl, but in order to pass btw seats, I had to turn sideways and push myself through the opening. Add to this that after a few stops, there were at least 3 people sitting on each bench (and hanging well into the isle...including me). So that anytime someone got on or off the bus there was quite a shuffling of folks and getting really close to others was just the norm. I also took a field trip to the local market with my teacher in order to learn the names of fruits and veggies (particularly the types that I've never seen before...not grown in the US as far as I know). In building after building, row after row after row after row there were connected wooden booths or people spread out with the produce on the ground. It all looked alike, and I have no idea of how you'd ever know where you were or how to get out and which exit it the correct one? I was honestly kind of nervous. There are constantly reports of vandalism or worse at the market...the crush of people always up against me...being called at by vendors constantly...the noise level...the heat...the smell of raw meat hanging from hooks, row after row...YUCK! Like I said earlier...it's OK if I never go back. On a good note, they also had numerous vendors of fresh flowers...wow...what an amazing gathering of colors! And they also had numerous vendors of 2nd hand clothes. Hmmm...interesting. All I bought were some peaches (which are just slightly bigger than a gold ball for some reason) and a round bar of soap specifically made for washing clothes. Most people here wash their clothes by hand. They don't have the money for a machine, nor the wiring or plumbing necessary for it. After having my laundry done once by the local laundry place, I decided that's it's too much for my budget too. I'll be glad to have access to machines when I return to HIS.
Oh, there goes that blasted bell again. My house is surrounded by 3 major noise makers: a very busy road often traveled by loud smelly diesel trucks and ambulances with wailing sirens, a large Catholic church (with it's never ending bells), and a school associated with the church. We've noted that the church bells don't seem to ring at any particular time, nor does the number of rings seem logical. Per my teacher, the number of rings is unpredictable and not important, and can be rung for one of at least 3 reasons: announcing an upcoming service (possibly several times as reminders), announcing a death or birth, and/or announcing a celebration (a festival recognized by the Catholic church of which there are many, or the birthday or anniversary or a member). It seems the bells are ringing nearly all the time. The school bells are set to announce classes as they start and stop through the day. However, it seems that the bells are on a 24hr system...regardless of whether school is open or not. Grrrr! Fortunately, I think I'm beginning to tune them out. Between firecrackers, bells, and sirens, I think I could go crazy at times.
Speaking of crazy....I ate cow tongue this week! As students, we eat very traditional Guatemalan foods. But fortunately, Elizabeth knows where to draw the line. This week there were 2 times where the family ate one thing and the students were offered something a little more mundane...thank you Jesus! Last weekend the family ate pig livers and fried pig skins....I gratefully declined. A couple of days ago, the family ate cow tongue. I think it was boiled and had salsa on it. I again declined, but after one student tried it, I decided to walk on the wild side and try it too. If I didn't know what I was eating, it wouldn't have been too bad. It tasted kind of like what I thought tongue would taste like.
The mosquitoes haven't been too bad...have seen just a handful although now that rainy season is upon us I guess things could change. None of the windows here have screens, and I'll roast if my windows and door aren't open at night. So I hope the mosquitoes don't get bad. However, several of us have been eaten by something that doesn't leave a mark like a mosquito. I only have a few as compared to Ginny and Kevin. Hoping it's not bed bugs or skin lice. Yuck!
We've only had one significant earthquake tremor since I've arrived. Last Tues we had a 4.6 tremor per the US news on the internet. It was the talk of the day among students. Immediately following the tremor, due to our roof top view, we could easily see smoke billowing out of the closest volcano. Quite a picture for my collection. The town sits in the valley surrounded by beautiful volcanic mountains. Lately, since rainy season is close, the mountains have been hiding behind the clouds. The temperatures are moderate during the day and comfortable at night. Recently my room has been around 76 when I went to bed. Not bad at all if you compare it to the stupid heat that El Salvador is experiencing. Quite glad I'm here and not there right now!
OK...I think I've about caught you up and rambled enough. I'll try not to write a full length novel in the future...but will instead will cut it into more manageable chunks. Please continue to email me and tell me about your life, the struggles and the good stuff, and let me know how I can pray for you. Thanks for listening to me ramble as I share my life. Love you guys! Deb
Mothers Day
Happy Mothers Day to my mom, to all who have fondly treated me as a daughter/granddaughter (like my Granny Evelyn that I love dearly), and to all of you who are mothers. It is with considerable sadness that I realize that I won't be able to hug or receive a hug from my mom. And my heart particularly goes out to those of you (particularly my good friend Christy and my cousins Joey and Bobby, etc) that have lost their mom's this year.
Mothers Day here is always May 10th. Per the usual tradition here, it started at 3AM with pick up trucks that have huge speakers in the bed of the truck going up and down all the streets playing (actually blaring beyond the point of distortion) the traditional "Mothers Day Songs" in order to alert everyone that it's time for the celebrations to begin. That means that nearly everyone started to loudly play the songs in their homes to show honor for their mother. This was also followed by fireworks (not the pretty kind you see in the sky...these are the just the pop-pop-pop type that throw off paper and smoke and they loudly burst- sounding much like the firing of a gun. This is also done to signify the start of this much celebrated day. Oh- I forgot to mention that the numerous Catholic churches also rang their bells as part of the early AM celebration. My teacher tells me that a mom may receive flowers, gifts, a meal at a restaurant, etc at some point during the day. Larger employers give moms (only moms) the day off or a little bit of extra pay. At the end of the day, more fireworks and bell ringing around 10pm signify that the day of celebration is over. Thank you God!
Mothers Day here is always May 10th. Per the usual tradition here, it started at 3AM with pick up trucks that have huge speakers in the bed of the truck going up and down all the streets playing (actually blaring beyond the point of distortion) the traditional "Mothers Day Songs" in order to alert everyone that it's time for the celebrations to begin. That means that nearly everyone started to loudly play the songs in their homes to show honor for their mother. This was also followed by fireworks (not the pretty kind you see in the sky...these are the just the pop-pop-pop type that throw off paper and smoke and they loudly burst- sounding much like the firing of a gun. This is also done to signify the start of this much celebrated day. Oh- I forgot to mention that the numerous Catholic churches also rang their bells as part of the early AM celebration. My teacher tells me that a mom may receive flowers, gifts, a meal at a restaurant, etc at some point during the day. Larger employers give moms (only moms) the day off or a little bit of extra pay. At the end of the day, more fireworks and bell ringing around 10pm signify that the day of celebration is over. Thank you God!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Antigua Quirks
Sat 5-5-07
You know, sometimes it's the little things that make a difference, both positive and negative. Here are some of Antigua's "little things" that give it personality. ALL of the streets are cobblestone, along with most of the sidewalks. A few stones are missing here and there just to keep life interesting. It pays to keep your eyes focused on where you're stepping as you go from place to place.
The bathroom has a charm of it's own. NO toilot paper can be put in the toilot- it ALL goes in the trashcan because their plumbing cannot handle the paper. Fortunately, the trashcans are emptied often. The water in Antigua is turned off around 10 or 11 nightly, and comes back on around 4am. There is no hot water in most places, including my house. The traditional shower head is replaced with a large special shower head that has wires running to it. We call it a "widow maker". It heats the water in the shower head just before it's sprayed out. All of these bathroom qwirks are very common all over Latin America.
My house is literally at the very end of a fairly long ally. The ally has one continuous wall on the left and right, with an occasional window and door. There are no spaces betweeen houses. The change in the color of pain on the ally wall and the door signify a different home. Sometimes the walls are kept up nicely and the windows are nicely decorated. And sometimes it's far from pretty. When the door is opened, it sometimes opens directly into a room with spare lighting and furniture. But sometimes the door opens into a patio/garden area with the actual house built aruond the garden. What surprises me is how you really can't judge the interior by the exterior. It kind of reminds me of people in general. What we present on the outside may be far from what's on the inside.
You know, sometimes it's the little things that make a difference, both positive and negative. Here are some of Antigua's "little things" that give it personality. ALL of the streets are cobblestone, along with most of the sidewalks. A few stones are missing here and there just to keep life interesting. It pays to keep your eyes focused on where you're stepping as you go from place to place.
The bathroom has a charm of it's own. NO toilot paper can be put in the toilot- it ALL goes in the trashcan because their plumbing cannot handle the paper. Fortunately, the trashcans are emptied often. The water in Antigua is turned off around 10 or 11 nightly, and comes back on around 4am. There is no hot water in most places, including my house. The traditional shower head is replaced with a large special shower head that has wires running to it. We call it a "widow maker". It heats the water in the shower head just before it's sprayed out. All of these bathroom qwirks are very common all over Latin America.
My house is literally at the very end of a fairly long ally. The ally has one continuous wall on the left and right, with an occasional window and door. There are no spaces betweeen houses. The change in the color of pain on the ally wall and the door signify a different home. Sometimes the walls are kept up nicely and the windows are nicely decorated. And sometimes it's far from pretty. When the door is opened, it sometimes opens directly into a room with spare lighting and furniture. But sometimes the door opens into a patio/garden area with the actual house built aruond the garden. What surprises me is how you really can't judge the interior by the exterior. It kind of reminds me of people in general. What we present on the outside may be far from what's on the inside.
Comforting Stars
Sat 5-5-07
Before I left, my favorite sister-in-law gave me a perfect gift. It's an 11x7 frame with pics of my 3 nephews and neice. Between the pics and a special original poem are small glow in the dark stars. She gave similar gifts to each of the kids, but their frame has a pic of me and some of the kids from the home. She told them that when they laid in bed at night, they could look for the stars (glowing from the frame) and they'll know where "DebDeb" is. On my 3rd night away from home I felt miserable and had a fever. I was coughing too much and was too hot to sleep. As I rolled onto my back, I saw stars on my ceiling. I'd never seen them before, and wondered if this was just due to my fever. But somehow they were so comforting, and I knew that The Maker of the heavens and earth would take care of me. (By the way, when I did not see the stars the next AM, I called and confirmed with the previous tenant that there were translucent stars painted on my ceiling :) Now, fast forward to my arrival in Antigua Guatemala for language school. I had requested a specific host family on recommendation from a previous student. They didn't have any more "student rooms", so they put me in their son's room. Do you want to guess what was on his celing? Yep, bunches of stars. I've continued to have difficulty sleeping since arriving, but the stars serve to be a reminder and a comfort. I've now moved upstairs to a "student room". These rooms are literally built onto the roof...up by the stars. Isn't God good?
Before I left, my favorite sister-in-law gave me a perfect gift. It's an 11x7 frame with pics of my 3 nephews and neice. Between the pics and a special original poem are small glow in the dark stars. She gave similar gifts to each of the kids, but their frame has a pic of me and some of the kids from the home. She told them that when they laid in bed at night, they could look for the stars (glowing from the frame) and they'll know where "DebDeb" is. On my 3rd night away from home I felt miserable and had a fever. I was coughing too much and was too hot to sleep. As I rolled onto my back, I saw stars on my ceiling. I'd never seen them before, and wondered if this was just due to my fever. But somehow they were so comforting, and I knew that The Maker of the heavens and earth would take care of me. (By the way, when I did not see the stars the next AM, I called and confirmed with the previous tenant that there were translucent stars painted on my ceiling :) Now, fast forward to my arrival in Antigua Guatemala for language school. I had requested a specific host family on recommendation from a previous student. They didn't have any more "student rooms", so they put me in their son's room. Do you want to guess what was on his celing? Yep, bunches of stars. I've continued to have difficulty sleeping since arriving, but the stars serve to be a reminder and a comfort. I've now moved upstairs to a "student room". These rooms are literally built onto the roof...up by the stars. Isn't God good?
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