I'm out of time lately. Brazilian sisters who helped in the kitchen are gone and we have to do everything they did. I get up together with the girls at 5:45 AM and we go straight to the kitchen... and I spend most of my day there except when I go to school to teach English or have lunch break. If there is nothing to do in the kitchen then there is a girl who needs help with her homework or there is someone who wants her hair braided, I need to do the laundry, we have evening meetings, worship meetings, and then I still need to find time to take a shower. So my days are quickly gone. But they all are of great value! Usually there are some girls helping in the kitchen and I get to talk and sing with them. They have started to show some interest and motivation to learn English - soI teach them some English songs and they ask for English words and learn them. I'm really happy about that! I got to teach Ligretto (Dutch Blitz) to the older girls! And I think they got it. Few more games and they might become faster than me :D And Ligretto is the best game where they can practice what they've learned in their English classes - colors and numbers. Therefore during the game they joyfully shout out which card they need in English. Way to go :)
And sister Ondina has returned to Rincon! (Yes, Ondina not Undine how I have been calling her so far. There was a little misunderstanding. So now I'm making a correction that she's the same sister who came with me on the bus and then later by taxi to Rincon - Ondina). And I was unusually happy to see her. She was in Corumba all this time seeing her dentist. Now she has returned here to fix the children's teeth... and there is a lot of work. There are many black holes :D When I saw her I had a feeling that I had met someone from my previous life - someone who was there before Rincon. She showed me her dentist's office, now I know A LOT about dentist's machines, liquids, materials... I don't get to talk to other dentists about these things usually. Now I had the chance :)
My bathroom is ready, but it still needs some improvements before I can use it entirely. Local workers have not completed some things. Brother John looked at it and said: Of course... it's Bolivia :D And he also said it looks like they have tried to make a swimming pool not a bathroom :D
And it's a CRAZY mosquito season. There was a mosquito reunion in my new bathroom last night. I walked in there last night and there was an unusually loud buzz... I turned on my flashlight - WOW - a bazillion of them! They all hung out in my new abode. But they're in every humid place these days.
Getting online has become more exclusive simply because there is not enough time... so please accept that I'm not online so often :) You are in my thoughts and prayers every day! May God give you great joy today!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Other than bloody days and crazy night life...
Something new and interesting happens every day. For example, about OMO. Have you heard of such washing powder? So, Undine and I were at a shop in Puerto Suarez, Bolivia and she suggested I buy OMO because it will be very useful to me. OK, if she says so. Turns out OMO does everything! Of course you wash your clothes with it, but it is also used to wash the dishes, floors, furniture, glass, sinks, tiles and everything else you might want to wash. OMO is good for everything!
Then I was learning Bolivian anthem with the girls. If it is sung so often here I should get acquainted with it. I wrote down all 9 verses and we sung it. I loved that author of the lyrics is HOSE IGNASIO! Those who remember once legendary serial "The rich also cry" (first decent soap shown in Latvia) will understand my excitement about his name :)
I love that they make covers for everything! Girls have made covers for all their books and notebooks. But they are not nice plastic slips our kids in Latvia can buy. So what they use for book covers... once I was organizing the storage room and found several boxes with used plastic bags and other pieces of plastic. I asked Velta, if I can throw them away because I thought they were useless scraps. But I learned that they are stored there for children to cover their books when the school starts. They also use magazines, posters and calendars... and when Sunday school starts all teachers receive notebooks. And they also have covers!!! From very interesting scientific articles. And everyone also received a pen that doesn't write. How do I know so well what was given to them? Because I received such gift myself. Late on Saturday night I received a message that I have to teach a Sunday school class next morning!!! WOW! One teacher couldn't come and she asked me to substitute her because there is no one else who could do it... OK, I agreed. So on Sunday I had this unique opportunity to teach a group of 13 boys (4th, 5th and 6th grade) - all in Spanish! I really don't know how much they understood :D But we learned the Bible verse very well. It was a big challenge because younger kids are having a hard time understanding wrong Spanish. So I had to use all my knowledge of grammar to be able to speak fairly well. Then I taught them the "Si, Christo me ama" song in English and Latvian. They sung with a great passion :D I really like those kids... it's OK that I still have "some" imperfections in my Spanish...
"Simba" which means a braid is one of the most popular words lately. Girls noticed that I know how to french braid. Therefore every night and every morning there is a dark head that needs a hairdo. Their hair is so nice! They all have dark, dark and thick, thick hair - kind of hair they'd show in a Pantene shampoo commercial. Beautiful!
Then I have discovered that magazines have some really interesting reading material! So far I've been too lazy to read magazine articles, I just looked at the pictures. One day when the weather was bad and I wasn't feeling well, I spent more time in my room and checked what Zanda had given me - some Latvian women magazines. And now I tell her a big Thank you! I had never read magazines with such interest before - from cover to cover! And all of a sudden it all seemed so interesting and important :D So if anyone has a chance to send me some reading material , I'd be REALLY happy :) I will have some time to read... and my only literature here are English, Latvian and Spanish Bibles. They have earned a new value, too. I see and understand many things like I've never understood before. Now I'm reading Acts with an excitement I have never had before. But sometimes I want to read something different, too, you know? :) But in general I'm not picky about reading material :) I'll take anything!
OK, that's all for now. Tonight's electricity minutes are coming to an end. Sweet dreams :)
Then I was learning Bolivian anthem with the girls. If it is sung so often here I should get acquainted with it. I wrote down all 9 verses and we sung it. I loved that author of the lyrics is HOSE IGNASIO! Those who remember once legendary serial "The rich also cry" (first decent soap shown in Latvia) will understand my excitement about his name :)
I love that they make covers for everything! Girls have made covers for all their books and notebooks. But they are not nice plastic slips our kids in Latvia can buy. So what they use for book covers... once I was organizing the storage room and found several boxes with used plastic bags and other pieces of plastic. I asked Velta, if I can throw them away because I thought they were useless scraps. But I learned that they are stored there for children to cover their books when the school starts. They also use magazines, posters and calendars... and when Sunday school starts all teachers receive notebooks. And they also have covers!!! From very interesting scientific articles. And everyone also received a pen that doesn't write. How do I know so well what was given to them? Because I received such gift myself. Late on Saturday night I received a message that I have to teach a Sunday school class next morning!!! WOW! One teacher couldn't come and she asked me to substitute her because there is no one else who could do it... OK, I agreed. So on Sunday I had this unique opportunity to teach a group of 13 boys (4th, 5th and 6th grade) - all in Spanish! I really don't know how much they understood :D But we learned the Bible verse very well. It was a big challenge because younger kids are having a hard time understanding wrong Spanish. So I had to use all my knowledge of grammar to be able to speak fairly well. Then I taught them the "Si, Christo me ama" song in English and Latvian. They sung with a great passion :D I really like those kids... it's OK that I still have "some" imperfections in my Spanish...
"Simba" which means a braid is one of the most popular words lately. Girls noticed that I know how to french braid. Therefore every night and every morning there is a dark head that needs a hairdo. Their hair is so nice! They all have dark, dark and thick, thick hair - kind of hair they'd show in a Pantene shampoo commercial. Beautiful!
Then I have discovered that magazines have some really interesting reading material! So far I've been too lazy to read magazine articles, I just looked at the pictures. One day when the weather was bad and I wasn't feeling well, I spent more time in my room and checked what Zanda had given me - some Latvian women magazines. And now I tell her a big Thank you! I had never read magazines with such interest before - from cover to cover! And all of a sudden it all seemed so interesting and important :D So if anyone has a chance to send me some reading material , I'd be REALLY happy :) I will have some time to read... and my only literature here are English, Latvian and Spanish Bibles. They have earned a new value, too. I see and understand many things like I've never understood before. Now I'm reading Acts with an excitement I have never had before. But sometimes I want to read something different, too, you know? :) But in general I'm not picky about reading material :) I'll take anything!
OK, that's all for now. Tonight's electricity minutes are coming to an end. Sweet dreams :)
Friday, February 18, 2011
Important information
In order to survive in the middle of jungle, keep this in mind:
- always hold a shoe in your arm when opening the closet, because almost every time there is a cockroach you should kill QUICKLY for they, frights, run as fast as years!
- buy a mosquito repellent that does actually work. I have one that is useless and thus I always have mosquito bites. And these mosquitoes are much faster than Latvian ones. Firstly, they bite you much less noticeably, secondly, they notice that you intend to kill them much sooner. So you have to be really fast if you want to kill any.
- don't yawn in darkness if your hand is not in front of your mouth - you could find a happy nimble friend in your throat.
- if your nose is itching during the night know that it's not running nose! It is a tiny insect that is looking for a home.
- if you haven't worn a closed toe shoe for just a few days, definitely look inside before you put your foot there. Most probably someone has made some nets there and is sleeping there already.
- if you need to go anywhere in the middle of night, definitely, definitely light your way because you might step on a living creature.
- If in the middle of the night you think a little cat is nibbling by the door and wants to be let outside, don't worry - a little wild cat has not strayed in. It's the big frog that has gotten into your room and now wants to go outside to be with its relatives.
- If you eat anything outside the kitchen, make sure your hand that holds the treat is above your waist because that food might end up in a dog's stomach.
- If you feel like someone is trying to get into your room during the night, scratches the roof, tries to cut a hole in your door or window, don't worry because it's not as bad as it seems. All those noises have a natural explanation.You will not always find out this explanation, therefore you will feel afraid. But try not to be afraid! Always keep in mind that even after the most terrifying night comes a sunny morning!
Bloody Saturday
I have no better word to describe last Saturday. It was bloody, indeed. But don't panic - I'm well and so are other Rinconians. The blood came from a cow because it was butchered. Workers butcher a cow every Saturday morning. Probably it was cow's husband this time, I didn't notice such delicate details. Locals told me a joke that bull's greatest insult is being called a cow after its death :D
So we divided this killed animal in different parts - a part of it was given for selling to local people, the other part is for meals for the whole Rincon household. And I was really surprised that one such cattle is enough to feed about 16 people every day + to be sold to about 30 customers; each of them buys several kilograms for their families. I had this unforgettable experience to be at the kitchen with older girls, we had to divide the cow into certain pieces. So I was as close to the cow as I've never been... I was in its lungs, throat, heart and other body parts. WOW! And the weirdest thing was that it was still really warm in some places... and there was so much blood. I apologize to those who have weaker nerves, but I really wanted to share this experience because I had never done it before. I was cutting the cow with my big knife for about an hour... then I literally got sick of it and I did something a lot nicer - something that didn't involve blood. It was a sweet and pleasant task - we made a cake for Velta. We celebrated 50 years of her ministry in Rincon on Sunday. There will be another anniversary on February 25 - she will turn 75... and most of these years have been spent in Rincon working hard, persistently and unceasingly. Therefore she really had deserved a big cake which we succeeded to make. I had to decorate it. Oh how I loved it after all that blood! I stirred a really sweet frosting we later colored with all kinds of artificial food colors. The cake turned out really tasty on the inside and pleasing to the eye on the outside. I really hope that one day I'll have enough time to add some pictures to my stories.
I could add to this past Saturday that in my previous post about 1 month away from Latvia I got too excited too soon about being used to living creatures on this side of the world. I have some new night adventures. The big night-moths have begun to crash on my forehead! Yes - on my forehead! And why? Why should they do it? And then there are new black beetles that crawl under my blanket and in other places, where it's impolite to crawl... awful feeling!!! And then the cockroaches... oh.. but thank God Velta gave me some ant poison that also works for cockroaches. The poison is a white powder that you put on the floor and in the morning you sweep away the dead bodies. Good stuff! I recommend :)
So we divided this killed animal in different parts - a part of it was given for selling to local people, the other part is for meals for the whole Rincon household. And I was really surprised that one such cattle is enough to feed about 16 people every day + to be sold to about 30 customers; each of them buys several kilograms for their families. I had this unforgettable experience to be at the kitchen with older girls, we had to divide the cow into certain pieces. So I was as close to the cow as I've never been... I was in its lungs, throat, heart and other body parts. WOW! And the weirdest thing was that it was still really warm in some places... and there was so much blood. I apologize to those who have weaker nerves, but I really wanted to share this experience because I had never done it before. I was cutting the cow with my big knife for about an hour... then I literally got sick of it and I did something a lot nicer - something that didn't involve blood. It was a sweet and pleasant task - we made a cake for Velta. We celebrated 50 years of her ministry in Rincon on Sunday. There will be another anniversary on February 25 - she will turn 75... and most of these years have been spent in Rincon working hard, persistently and unceasingly. Therefore she really had deserved a big cake which we succeeded to make. I had to decorate it. Oh how I loved it after all that blood! I stirred a really sweet frosting we later colored with all kinds of artificial food colors. The cake turned out really tasty on the inside and pleasing to the eye on the outside. I really hope that one day I'll have enough time to add some pictures to my stories.
I could add to this past Saturday that in my previous post about 1 month away from Latvia I got too excited too soon about being used to living creatures on this side of the world. I have some new night adventures. The big night-moths have begun to crash on my forehead! Yes - on my forehead! And why? Why should they do it? And then there are new black beetles that crawl under my blanket and in other places, where it's impolite to crawl... awful feeling!!! And then the cockroaches... oh.. but thank God Velta gave me some ant poison that also works for cockroaches. The poison is a white powder that you put on the floor and in the morning you sweep away the dead bodies. Good stuff! I recommend :)
Saturday, February 12, 2011
1 month
... away from Latvia. I can "celebrate" such an "anniversary" today, February 8th. And I can say that it has been one of the most colorful and unforgettable months of my life! And it has literally flown by.
I've gotten used to the spooky night hours when I have to fall asleep accompanied by horse, donkey, dog, frog, bird, grasshopper and other animal created sounds. I've gotten a little used to my brothers cockroaches who peek out of my closet or drawers quite regularly. Now I'm not just terrified by them but I also try to kill them... and sometimes I succeed :) Now I know, what's inside of them :D I'm not so surprised to literally be face to face with a horse, donkey or a donkey-horse, a fat, furry pig momma, or a curious ayoreo as soon as I walk out of a building or turn around the corner :) I take easier the big furry spiders and gigantic warms... Time heals all the wounds :D Also mine :D
I understand what girls are saying to me better and better, although there are many, many things I still don't understand. But I have faith I will eventually! Velta said she started to speak Spanish normally after 4 months of being here. So, I've still got time! But I really want to be able to speak soon... I need to talk to these girls so much! But patience, patience and again patience! It's my Top 1 word now!
It was raining all they long today. And raining really hard. So the school was cancelled because no kid has an umbrella and they can't walk to school. So I didn't have to teach 4 English classes today. But I hang out with my chicas instead. I showed them my photo album from Latvia. They were so excited to see so many "white people" :D And it was even more exciting for me to listen to their comments! They were so surprised to see my home in Jelgava - they were surprised they people live in SUCH BIG houses (I have a two-storied house), then they were surprised how it's possible to have white snow on the ground, they were surprised to see the beach and Jelgava palace. Someone said I look fat in a picture. Other one asked if Agrita (Dreska) is my sister, they asked if Toms (Asnevics) is my father :D They asked if Toms (Svoks) is my son! (I love that they assumed I had a baby on the other side of the world I had left for 6 months :) ) They asked if Parsla is my twin because we look the same. They loved all the people who wore boots because they don't wear them. And almost all of them loved my brother Karlis and they said he's really good looking. And they couldn't recognize me in pictures I had curly hair. These and other unique comments came from their mouths in abundance! It's Tuesday night 7:46 PM and girls come to Velta's house to buy cookies and waffles, They're always, always hungry! Did I mention that ALWAYS? And they'll eat anything... But I can understand them actually because their meals are very simple... So they spend all their coins for cookies... my lovely, brown girls...
I've gotten used to the spooky night hours when I have to fall asleep accompanied by horse, donkey, dog, frog, bird, grasshopper and other animal created sounds. I've gotten a little used to my brothers cockroaches who peek out of my closet or drawers quite regularly. Now I'm not just terrified by them but I also try to kill them... and sometimes I succeed :) Now I know, what's inside of them :D I'm not so surprised to literally be face to face with a horse, donkey or a donkey-horse, a fat, furry pig momma, or a curious ayoreo as soon as I walk out of a building or turn around the corner :) I take easier the big furry spiders and gigantic warms... Time heals all the wounds :D Also mine :D
I understand what girls are saying to me better and better, although there are many, many things I still don't understand. But I have faith I will eventually! Velta said she started to speak Spanish normally after 4 months of being here. So, I've still got time! But I really want to be able to speak soon... I need to talk to these girls so much! But patience, patience and again patience! It's my Top 1 word now!
It was raining all they long today. And raining really hard. So the school was cancelled because no kid has an umbrella and they can't walk to school. So I didn't have to teach 4 English classes today. But I hang out with my chicas instead. I showed them my photo album from Latvia. They were so excited to see so many "white people" :D And it was even more exciting for me to listen to their comments! They were so surprised to see my home in Jelgava - they were surprised they people live in SUCH BIG houses (I have a two-storied house), then they were surprised how it's possible to have white snow on the ground, they were surprised to see the beach and Jelgava palace. Someone said I look fat in a picture. Other one asked if Agrita (Dreska) is my sister, they asked if Toms (Asnevics) is my father :D They asked if Toms (Svoks) is my son! (I love that they assumed I had a baby on the other side of the world I had left for 6 months :) ) They asked if Parsla is my twin because we look the same. They loved all the people who wore boots because they don't wear them. And almost all of them loved my brother Karlis and they said he's really good looking. And they couldn't recognize me in pictures I had curly hair. These and other unique comments came from their mouths in abundance! It's Tuesday night 7:46 PM and girls come to Velta's house to buy cookies and waffles, They're always, always hungry! Did I mention that ALWAYS? And they'll eat anything... But I can understand them actually because their meals are very simple... So they spend all their coins for cookies... my lovely, brown girls...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)