Today was interesting in that we had no projects or anything that we could do. We just woke up and started reading English-Spanish Dictionaries until it was time for the girls to come home from school. I did learn a lot but I wish there was a better way. I helped a lot of the little girls with their homework. It was mostly handwriting and pronunciation exercises. It was nice knowing that I knew more Spanish than atleast some people here, haha.
The Madres finished up sewing the covers for the parking and we got one side put up. It looks good but will look better once we have all the hardware. Then I spent a lot of time just kicking the ball around with the girls until it began to rain. I suggested watching a movie to the Madres and they agreed. Scooby Doo 2 was the choice and it was a lot of fun.
Most of the girls don´t have school tomorrow so breakfast will be late and there will be a lot of time to work on my Spanish. I try to stay in conversation with atleast a few people at all times to help improve my speaking abilities. It seems to be working so far, but when they begin to speak fast I understand next to nothing.
Buenas noches a todo.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Day 6
Today was kind of slow due to the lack of things to be done. By the time I woke up, Madre Heno had already finished sewing two pieces together. The problem was, they were the wrong two pieces. I spent a couple of hours taking out 22 feet of stitching and then helped with the sewing to make sure the correct pieces were going together. It was an example of how delicate differences in language are. I had explained what I needed many many times, and still I wasn’t getting exactly the correct thoughts across. For technical projects, I will be drawing detailed pictures from now on.
As soon as the first large piece was done, the rain came. After that there was absolutely no project to work on. I volunteered to pick the girls up from school (they were extremely excited about that) and take Miriam, one of the oldest, to work. She is working at a dentist’s office as part of her curriculum to become a dentist. I was nervous for about an hour straight. In Mexico, no one stops at stop signs or red lights and no one has any regard for other people driving. Close calls are the norm and no one seems to care. It doesn’t help that most people walk and that means pedestrians all over the already poorly maintained roads. Another problem is the lack of planning in design. There are no big roads to help get places. It’s all small roads with no rhyme or reason. Getting directions from someone who knows NO English, while dealing with all of that, was a hell of an experience.
The Colonias trip was cancelled due to the rain. The roads are hard enough to drive when they are dry, but when they are wet they are impossible. So, the rest of the day dragged and I spent a lot of time talking to a few of the girls and trying to improve my Spanish. Tomorrow I plan on trying to learn a lot more so that I can begin holding conversations with the people I will be working with on the construction of the gazebo.
Buenas noches.
As soon as the first large piece was done, the rain came. After that there was absolutely no project to work on. I volunteered to pick the girls up from school (they were extremely excited about that) and take Miriam, one of the oldest, to work. She is working at a dentist’s office as part of her curriculum to become a dentist. I was nervous for about an hour straight. In Mexico, no one stops at stop signs or red lights and no one has any regard for other people driving. Close calls are the norm and no one seems to care. It doesn’t help that most people walk and that means pedestrians all over the already poorly maintained roads. Another problem is the lack of planning in design. There are no big roads to help get places. It’s all small roads with no rhyme or reason. Getting directions from someone who knows NO English, while dealing with all of that, was a hell of an experience.
The Colonias trip was cancelled due to the rain. The roads are hard enough to drive when they are dry, but when they are wet they are impossible. So, the rest of the day dragged and I spent a lot of time talking to a few of the girls and trying to improve my Spanish. Tomorrow I plan on trying to learn a lot more so that I can begin holding conversations with the people I will be working with on the construction of the gazebo.
Buenas noches.
Day 5
To start, I finished the holes for the covered parking (no small task, the ground here is basically cement) and cemented the poles into the ground. I also got the fabric we are using for the cover cut and ready to be sewn. I know everyone here is looking forward to the completion of this project. Even early in the morning, when the girls go to school, the vehicles are extremely hot. When they get picked up, it’s almost unbearable. Tomorrow Chris and I are going to meet David and his wife at the Colonias and the Madres will do the sewing for us.
The most interesting thing that has happened so far on this trip happened tonight. There are many times when I don’t really have anything specific to do, especially after the girls go to sleep. Tonight after they were sleeping, I was sitting with all of the Madres and I asked them if there were any projects that they would like me to work on when I am idle. After a bit of laughter amongst themselves, they said that they would like me to conduct English classes for them. I was all for it. I began right then and taught them some of the basic differences between the languages, the alphabet (the way to say the letters), numbers, and quite a bit of vocabulary. I told them I was going to make a list of vocabulary and give them a test next week! They definitely got a kick out of it and agreed to study.
Late tonight Ephrian (the guy who drives the girls to and from school and does a lot of work at the orphanage) will be driving 2 of the girls and 2 of the Madres to Victoria, Mexico. They are going for some kind of conference. I couldn’t quite make out exactly what it was, but I am nervous about their safety. I am sure everything will be ok, I just can’t help but worry about it.
I promised Lupita I would help her with her English homework tonight, so that is it from me.
The most interesting thing that has happened so far on this trip happened tonight. There are many times when I don’t really have anything specific to do, especially after the girls go to sleep. Tonight after they were sleeping, I was sitting with all of the Madres and I asked them if there were any projects that they would like me to work on when I am idle. After a bit of laughter amongst themselves, they said that they would like me to conduct English classes for them. I was all for it. I began right then and taught them some of the basic differences between the languages, the alphabet (the way to say the letters), numbers, and quite a bit of vocabulary. I told them I was going to make a list of vocabulary and give them a test next week! They definitely got a kick out of it and agreed to study.
Late tonight Ephrian (the guy who drives the girls to and from school and does a lot of work at the orphanage) will be driving 2 of the girls and 2 of the Madres to Victoria, Mexico. They are going for some kind of conference. I couldn’t quite make out exactly what it was, but I am nervous about their safety. I am sure everything will be ok, I just can’t help but worry about it.
I promised Lupita I would help her with her English homework tonight, so that is it from me.
Day 4
Due to the lack of sleep I have been getting, I basically went into a coma and didn’t wake up until about 11 this morning. I felt terrible but David and his wife were happy about it and glad we got some rest finally. After a nice Chinese buffet lunch we headed over to the hardware store and loaded my car down with concrete, post-hole diggers, and other hardware needed to install the covered parking. Afterwards it was time to head back to Mexico and get started working – I thought. We got back and apparently the girls had overdosed on sugar and were not going to let me do anything but play. After the trampoline, basketball, soccer, football, card games, some game I never got the hang of, 4 square, hopscotch, some other weird game, and then goodnights, I finally got to work on digging the holes. And that my friends, is almost an impossible task. The ground here is so hard it might as well be concrete. We’ll see how the rest of that goes tomorrow.
It feels as if we haven’t gotten that much done during the time we have been here. But, we actually have. Most of the planning is done, contacts have been established, and we are getting used to the hot weather. I look forward to completing some projects so that I can feel like we have fully accomplished something. Other than that, my Spanish continues to improve and I think I am finally getting the hang of conjugating my verbs on the fly. It took quite a bit of practice but it seems to be getting easier everyday. I hope all is well in the Estados Unidos con mi amigos y mi familia. Adios.
It feels as if we haven’t gotten that much done during the time we have been here. But, we actually have. Most of the planning is done, contacts have been established, and we are getting used to the hot weather. I look forward to completing some projects so that I can feel like we have fully accomplished something. Other than that, my Spanish continues to improve and I think I am finally getting the hang of conjugating my verbs on the fly. It took quite a bit of practice but it seems to be getting easier everyday. I hope all is well in the Estados Unidos con mi amigos y mi familia. Adios.
Day 3
Today started off with mopping up rain for an hour. Typically the windows for most of the rooms here stay open at night to help with cooling. Last night however, Nuevo Laredo had the heaviest rain it has had in 40 years. Everything, including my computer, was soaked. Thankfully nothing was damaged. I headed off to pick up the family that was staying at the hotel and made it back in time for breakfast. I then narrowly escaped getting my car stuck in the mud to get out and head off to church with all the girls.
Church was very interesting, as it was last time. I don’t understand a word being said and it seems as if it is tailored for children. It’s a lot of fun doing all the dances and singing the songs with the kids, but I’m looking forward to developing my Spanish skills so that I can know what’s going on. One thing they do each time is the ¨tren¨. Three lucky kids get inside this cardboard locomotive and all the kids line up behind and dance to a song about a train. Its a lot of fun for the kids.
After church we came back to the orphanage for lunch. As always it was delicious (hot dogs and macaroni and cheese). Peggy and I discussed plans for the summer with the Sisters and worked out a timeline. For the night we would go over to Laredo, Texas and meet David Morales. He is an amazing person and very gracious. He also owns a hardware store. He knows just about anything and everything and everyone we need to be able to accomplish great things here. I can already tell he will be a tremendous help and a valuable contact. We ate dinner as we talked about our ideas and dreams for Nuevo Laredo. His ideas are very closely related to mine and he has a lot of the same mentalities as I do. I am beyond excited to work with him and his wife down here.
Church was very interesting, as it was last time. I don’t understand a word being said and it seems as if it is tailored for children. It’s a lot of fun doing all the dances and singing the songs with the kids, but I’m looking forward to developing my Spanish skills so that I can know what’s going on. One thing they do each time is the ¨tren¨. Three lucky kids get inside this cardboard locomotive and all the kids line up behind and dance to a song about a train. Its a lot of fun for the kids.
After church we came back to the orphanage for lunch. As always it was delicious (hot dogs and macaroni and cheese). Peggy and I discussed plans for the summer with the Sisters and worked out a timeline. For the night we would go over to Laredo, Texas and meet David Morales. He is an amazing person and very gracious. He also owns a hardware store. He knows just about anything and everything and everyone we need to be able to accomplish great things here. I can already tell he will be a tremendous help and a valuable contact. We ate dinner as we talked about our ideas and dreams for Nuevo Laredo. His ideas are very closely related to mine and he has a lot of the same mentalities as I do. I am beyond excited to work with him and his wife down here.
Day 2
I think Chris would agree, the heat definitely hindered the night’s sleep. It’s hard for me to imagine that I will eventually get used to it. But, I’m sure I will.
We saw the girls today at breakfast and it was exactly what I imagined: non-stop. It was tough when I had 5 other guys with me. Now, it’s just about impossible to keep up with the whole group. As crazy as it is, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.
Today started off with breakfast and then a pool party with all the girls. They were split into two groups at two different times, but it still got me very worn out – and sunburned. The meeting with the architect went very well and she will be sending the plans for the azebo soon. I really missed being here and I really missed the girls. Having a day for fun before all the work starts was really nice.
After lunch we went to a Festival Musica that was held in the city theatre. The play depicted all the parables in the Bible, but with a comedic twist. Although I could understand very little of what was being said, it was very entertaining. The actors ranged from elementary school children to older high school and possibly early college age kids. The acting and singing was phenomenal. I was absolutely impressed at the skill and energy the kids had throughout the entire 3 hour show. The night ended with dropping all the girls off and going out for what Peggy called “our last meal.” She’s referring to the fact that we will be eating here at the orphanage for every meal from now on and will not have many chances to eat out like tonight. In observance, I ate quite a bit more than a normal person should eat.
The Spanish is definitely coming along well. I spent a lot of time talking with the older girls and they are teaching me a lot. I think it just hit me tonight that I will be here for 2 months. I’m excited about it and curious at the same time. We’ll see…
We saw the girls today at breakfast and it was exactly what I imagined: non-stop. It was tough when I had 5 other guys with me. Now, it’s just about impossible to keep up with the whole group. As crazy as it is, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.
Today started off with breakfast and then a pool party with all the girls. They were split into two groups at two different times, but it still got me very worn out – and sunburned. The meeting with the architect went very well and she will be sending the plans for the azebo soon. I really missed being here and I really missed the girls. Having a day for fun before all the work starts was really nice.
After lunch we went to a Festival Musica that was held in the city theatre. The play depicted all the parables in the Bible, but with a comedic twist. Although I could understand very little of what was being said, it was very entertaining. The actors ranged from elementary school children to older high school and possibly early college age kids. The acting and singing was phenomenal. I was absolutely impressed at the skill and energy the kids had throughout the entire 3 hour show. The night ended with dropping all the girls off and going out for what Peggy called “our last meal.” She’s referring to the fact that we will be eating here at the orphanage for every meal from now on and will not have many chances to eat out like tonight. In observance, I ate quite a bit more than a normal person should eat.
The Spanish is definitely coming along well. I spent a lot of time talking with the older girls and they are teaching me a lot. I think it just hit me tonight that I will be here for 2 months. I’m excited about it and curious at the same time. We’ll see…
Day 1
After a day full of snags, we finally made it. We crossed the border about 10:30 and got settled in by midnight. Chris and I are trying to get used to the heat right now. There is no AC in the building we are staying in for the summer and that has me worried. From someone who likes it cold when its time to sleep, this is going to take some serious adjusting.
The girls don’t know we are here and will undoubtedly be surprised in the morning. I got to talk to one of the oldest girls, Lupita, tonight before heading to bed. She assured me the girls will be very happy to see that we are here. They are also unaware of the pool party we have planned for tomorrow. Peggy has put together beach bags/purses for each girl with toys, drinks, snacks, and a towel embroidered with their name. I cannot wait to see their faces.
Peggy and I are also meeting with the architect for the orphanage tomorrow. We will be discussing plans to build a gazebo on site to provide MUCH needed shade for the summer. Currently the only shade outside is under the trampoline. Hopefully we can get the project underway soon. Other projects will follow soon afterwards.
For anyone I haven’t told, I am here with a guy from Austin named Chris Alexander. He recently graduated high school and will be going into the Coast Guard soon. He has already been a big help and is also excited about everything that we have planned for the summer.
Pictures and updates soon
The girls don’t know we are here and will undoubtedly be surprised in the morning. I got to talk to one of the oldest girls, Lupita, tonight before heading to bed. She assured me the girls will be very happy to see that we are here. They are also unaware of the pool party we have planned for tomorrow. Peggy has put together beach bags/purses for each girl with toys, drinks, snacks, and a towel embroidered with their name. I cannot wait to see their faces.
Peggy and I are also meeting with the architect for the orphanage tomorrow. We will be discussing plans to build a gazebo on site to provide MUCH needed shade for the summer. Currently the only shade outside is under the trampoline. Hopefully we can get the project underway soon. Other projects will follow soon afterwards.
For anyone I haven’t told, I am here with a guy from Austin named Chris Alexander. He recently graduated high school and will be going into the Coast Guard soon. He has already been a big help and is also excited about everything that we have planned for the summer.
Pictures and updates soon
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