Feliz Dia del Amigo

Actually, today is an International Holiday. It is Friend Day (El Dia del Amigo). Although I’ve never heard of it, nor have I celebrated it in the U.S., it appears to be a big deal here, and we had a small fiesta at el comedor (food, CocaCola, wine) in addition to our little game.

We changed our “amigo invisible” because two of the participants dropped out. This time I picked Elva, which is actually perfect. She was the first mother and cook to truly break the ice and has always been very sweet, asking me questions about my time here, where I’ve traveled to, what I study, everything.

Also, this past week I went to her house to paint tiles with her kids. Using the term “kids” may be an understatement, as I think “breeding ground” might be a little more appropriate. Elva, nicknamed “La Gorda” for her obvious appearance, has seven daughters. The sixth is 12 (which I found out when she accompanied me back to el comedor after painting), so I assume the seventh is probably 10. She has un monton de nietos (grandchildren). Ironically, with seven daughters, almost all of the grandkids are boys—there had to have been at least 8, if not more. And they all live in the same house that has a total of two small rooms with multiple bunk beds.

She was extremely inviting and even fed me lunch, even though normally I would go back to el comedor to eat after a painting excursion. Having her as my “amigo invisible” is perfect, as it will be my way of thanking her for her welcoming generosity.

I’ve decided to give her a gift that is specifically for her. With so many kids running around, I doubt she ever has time or money to buy anything for herself. I actually found a necklace that Laura made which is simple but very beautiful (and I even got a great discount since I know the maker!).

We don’t find out who our “amigo invisible” is, but we thank everyone and wish every one a Feliz Dia del Amigo! Elva seemed to really like her necklace! But I think I’ll write her a “secret” note tonight explaining its significance and how she isn’t allowed to lend it to her daughters! It was fun and I was able to have an excuse to take pictures to have memories of all the wonderful women I’ve met at el comedor. I am altogether very happy that the swine flu caused a temporary shutdown of the classroom allowing me this time to get to know the women who run the place.

I was supposed to meet the worker today—but of course, as society is here, everything runs slower—so the meeting has been delayed until tomorrow. Valeria and I will take a taxi to haul all of the remaining tiles to el comedor in the morning and go through the blueprints with the worker (IF all goes according to plan, which it never seems to).