The mural looks great, but we still aren’t done and I’m getting a little tired. Each day Don Flores tells me about yet another thing I need to buy, some other product that will be necessary for something. Today’s request was paint thinner, although there is a chance we can’t use it at all since it might eat away at the polyurethane coating and the markers…that would be really bad. So we’re going to “test” it tomorrow and see what happens. Otherwise, we’ll just use the lacquer straight up, which is more difficult to apply since its thickness is similar to honey.
But I’d like to get done earlier tomorrow since I plan to bring cookies for the mothers to thank them for the past few weeks and to celebrate the completion of the mural and my last day with them before I go back to eating with the kids (they start coming on Monday).
I also asked him how much this would cost me. He told me originally that he charges 25 pesos per square meter. It sounds reasonable. The mural itself is a little over 7 square meters, but he was talking about 300 pesos!
I told him it’s about 8 square meters, coming out to 200 pesos, not 300. He agreed to that. Although I know it should be less, I figure I’ll round up to help him out. He lives in the neighborhood of el comedor, and since he injured his leg and can no longer work at the company he used to work for, I’m sure he could use the money.
But I must say, with all these trips to the paint store, and the prices of each item rising each time I go (even when I buy the same thing I did a week prior), the total cost of this mural is really reaching its limits. In reality, DukeEngage did not provide any money meant for any on-site projects. All the costs were for living, food, and medical expenses. Thank goodness I was able to put aside enough of each “pot” to pay for this project…phew.
And for the record, Amalia and the other mothers absolutely LOVE it.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
A New Record
A new record has been set by yours truly on the latest time ever to leave el comedor. The cooks had left over 3 hours beforehand. The nurse had even left almost 90 minutes beforehand. The workers and I did not leave until 7:30pm. Now, it may not seem all that late to you crazy-late-workers, but its actually not the wisest idea to be in Villa Floresta when it gets dark (around 7 or so), because it’s not the safest neighborhood.
Now don’t worry, I don’t plan on competing with myself to beat this record. In fact, starting at 5pm, I kept thinking we’d be gone within the next hour…and we just kept pasting tiles. It never seemed to end.
Luckily, this second nine-hour workday did prove to be successful. It started rough because Don Flores and his helper showed up at 11:30am when we scheduled for 10:30am. I guess that’s an improvement to be an hour late instead of an hour and a half late—but still. Tomorrow, we’re meeting at noon, and I asked him to PLEASE show up on time. I’m giving myself permission to go to his house at 12:05 to harass him if he’s not at el comedor at noon.
But we finished putting up all the tiles. All of them. Tomorrow is entirely devoted to putting in the grout. And Don Flores suggested a varnish to put over the grout and tiles to protect everything—which is exactly what I want. So Friday will be spent putting on the varnish. And then it will be done. It won’t have taken two days like Don Flores had originally guessed, but it’ll be done this week, and that is what is most important.
Now don’t worry, I don’t plan on competing with myself to beat this record. In fact, starting at 5pm, I kept thinking we’d be gone within the next hour…and we just kept pasting tiles. It never seemed to end.
Luckily, this second nine-hour workday did prove to be successful. It started rough because Don Flores and his helper showed up at 11:30am when we scheduled for 10:30am. I guess that’s an improvement to be an hour late instead of an hour and a half late—but still. Tomorrow, we’re meeting at noon, and I asked him to PLEASE show up on time. I’m giving myself permission to go to his house at 12:05 to harass him if he’s not at el comedor at noon.
But we finished putting up all the tiles. All of them. Tomorrow is entirely devoted to putting in the grout. And Don Flores suggested a varnish to put over the grout and tiles to protect everything—which is exactly what I want. So Friday will be spent putting on the varnish. And then it will be done. It won’t have taken two days like Don Flores had originally guessed, but it’ll be done this week, and that is what is most important.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A Long Day
I was at el comedor for almost nine hours today. I’m beat.
I showed up at 9:40am to be ready when Don Flores was supposed to arrive at 10am. He didn’t. Typical.
Valeria showed up around 10:30am and we walked to Don Flores house. He wasn’t there, again. His wife said he left to pick up supplies and planned to be at el comedor around 10. It appears the family doesn’t have a watch or clock because we told her it was already 10:30 and she looked surprised. So we waited.
Don Flores finally showed up around noon. He and his helper (some teenager) went about preparing the wall for the glue by “picando.” I don’t know how to say it in English because this department of vocabulary is unknown to me, but he used a chisel to pick at the wall and scrap off some of the paint. This took over three hours. During this time, I organized the order of the tiles, and starting tearing the blue and orange tiles from the cardboard backing holding each sheet together. My fingernails aren’t very happy with me. Also, after the cooks had eaten, I got a little help from two of the mothers, and later on, the nurse who comes regularly to take care of little kids in families around the neighborhood, helped me.
Don Flores original estimate was finishing the entire mural today and putting in the grout tomorrow. That was a lofty goal, and by 6:30pm we had finished a little less than half. However, we have all of tomorrow to finish it and we’ll put in the grout on Thursday. And once the letters are up for “La Floresta” the rest will be easy-breezy.
Tomorrow’s meeting time is 10:30am and I have higher hopes that he’ll show up on time. He no longer has an excuse to buy supplies…
It was a very successful day and I’m really excited how it looks so far. My only concern is whether or not the spray I put on the tiles to protect the marker will actually stay. Don Flores said he was cleaning them and a little bit wiped away. That’s really not good, especially since it could result in massive wear-and-tear over a short period of time—which is not what I want. Maybe I’ll try adding more “esmalte” tomorrow before we do the grout on Thursday…
I showed up at 9:40am to be ready when Don Flores was supposed to arrive at 10am. He didn’t. Typical.
Valeria showed up around 10:30am and we walked to Don Flores house. He wasn’t there, again. His wife said he left to pick up supplies and planned to be at el comedor around 10. It appears the family doesn’t have a watch or clock because we told her it was already 10:30 and she looked surprised. So we waited.
Don Flores finally showed up around noon. He and his helper (some teenager) went about preparing the wall for the glue by “picando.” I don’t know how to say it in English because this department of vocabulary is unknown to me, but he used a chisel to pick at the wall and scrap off some of the paint. This took over three hours. During this time, I organized the order of the tiles, and starting tearing the blue and orange tiles from the cardboard backing holding each sheet together. My fingernails aren’t very happy with me. Also, after the cooks had eaten, I got a little help from two of the mothers, and later on, the nurse who comes regularly to take care of little kids in families around the neighborhood, helped me.
Don Flores original estimate was finishing the entire mural today and putting in the grout tomorrow. That was a lofty goal, and by 6:30pm we had finished a little less than half. However, we have all of tomorrow to finish it and we’ll put in the grout on Thursday. And once the letters are up for “La Floresta” the rest will be easy-breezy.
Tomorrow’s meeting time is 10:30am and I have higher hopes that he’ll show up on time. He no longer has an excuse to buy supplies…
It was a very successful day and I’m really excited how it looks so far. My only concern is whether or not the spray I put on the tiles to protect the marker will actually stay. Don Flores said he was cleaning them and a little bit wiped away. That’s really not good, especially since it could result in massive wear-and-tear over a short period of time—which is not what I want. Maybe I’ll try adding more “esmalte” tomorrow before we do the grout on Thursday…
Monday, July 27, 2009
An Affirmation and a No-show
I got the good and the bad today.
First and foremost, Amalia has “okayed” the use of the wall we had originally planned to use. She was skeptical because she didn’t exactly understand the project. In fact, she hadn’t yet seen the layout. So today, Valeria and I explained the project, showed her the design and all the tiles, and the goal that it’ll be enjoyed by all of the families when they enter the dining hall. I guess she really liked the idea. So much so, in fact, that she asked me to paste it in the center of the wall (of the wall you immediately see upon entering) so that it’ll serve as a centerpiece for the entire dining hall. Her concern was being able to put up pictures, since they’ve had previous plans to make the room slightly more attractive with pictures—so the mural will serve as the center point. What could be better than that? I was thrilled and a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders; but I did my best not to appear too happy or too relieved so that Amalia wouldn’t rethink her decision.
However, the worker never showed up. We had set the time for 11, and by noon, we hadn’t seen him. Luckily, Maria knew where he lived, and Valeria and I went to his house. He wasn’t there. His daughter said he “would be coming soon.”
A lie. The daughter walked to el comedor about 20 minutes later to say her dad couldn’t make it today because he was doing other work, but would be there tomorrow. Wrong answer.
Valeria (she did most of the talking to make sure NOTHING was misunderstood) made it very clear that he HAS to be here tomorrow, or else we’ll find someone else. We told her the deadline for finishing it was Thursday (even though we have until Friday, I’ve learned it’s best to make the deadline earlier to take into account any problems, such as today’s no-show). We need all of those days to work since quite a few layers of different materials need to be applied to the wall prior to putting up the tiles, and they all need to completely dry. Even once the tiles are put up, they need between 24 and 48 hours before applying the grout. That takes a week.
After helping with the cooking and eating lunch, I stopped by the house once more to double check that the daughter had reached her dad and he knew to come tomorrow at 10am. According to both the daughter and son, it’s a sure thing.
Valeria will also come tomorrow to explain to the worker the importance of coming each day (she’s a saint).
I’m very happy that Amalia now approves, and she has even offered other options for workers if Don Flores (the current one) doesn’t pull through. I hope this works out...
First and foremost, Amalia has “okayed” the use of the wall we had originally planned to use. She was skeptical because she didn’t exactly understand the project. In fact, she hadn’t yet seen the layout. So today, Valeria and I explained the project, showed her the design and all the tiles, and the goal that it’ll be enjoyed by all of the families when they enter the dining hall. I guess she really liked the idea. So much so, in fact, that she asked me to paste it in the center of the wall (of the wall you immediately see upon entering) so that it’ll serve as a centerpiece for the entire dining hall. Her concern was being able to put up pictures, since they’ve had previous plans to make the room slightly more attractive with pictures—so the mural will serve as the center point. What could be better than that? I was thrilled and a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders; but I did my best not to appear too happy or too relieved so that Amalia wouldn’t rethink her decision.
However, the worker never showed up. We had set the time for 11, and by noon, we hadn’t seen him. Luckily, Maria knew where he lived, and Valeria and I went to his house. He wasn’t there. His daughter said he “would be coming soon.”
A lie. The daughter walked to el comedor about 20 minutes later to say her dad couldn’t make it today because he was doing other work, but would be there tomorrow. Wrong answer.
Valeria (she did most of the talking to make sure NOTHING was misunderstood) made it very clear that he HAS to be here tomorrow, or else we’ll find someone else. We told her the deadline for finishing it was Thursday (even though we have until Friday, I’ve learned it’s best to make the deadline earlier to take into account any problems, such as today’s no-show). We need all of those days to work since quite a few layers of different materials need to be applied to the wall prior to putting up the tiles, and they all need to completely dry. Even once the tiles are put up, they need between 24 and 48 hours before applying the grout. That takes a week.
After helping with the cooking and eating lunch, I stopped by the house once more to double check that the daughter had reached her dad and he knew to come tomorrow at 10am. According to both the daughter and son, it’s a sure thing.
Valeria will also come tomorrow to explain to the worker the importance of coming each day (she’s a saint).
I’m very happy that Amalia now approves, and she has even offered other options for workers if Don Flores (the current one) doesn’t pull through. I hope this works out...
Saturday, July 25, 2009
La Provincia de Jujuy
Where do I begin? Today was such a jam-packed fun-filled day I don’t think I’ll be able to recall it all. This excursion had “una ensalada” of people, as our guide Antonio put it. There were 6 Argentineans, 3 girls from Germany (who stuck together and arrived 40 minutes late to one of our meeting points, which limited our time at the church in the pueblito Uquia, which is only open for 1.5 hours every afternoon), 2 girls from Italy, 1 guy from Portugal, and me. We only conversed in Spanish, and I learned how to understand Spanish spoken with an Italian accent—it also was more interesting since their Spanish ability was similar to mine, so we each struggled with different types of language barriers. One of the Argentinean women had an American husband (from Arizona) who unfortunately didn’t go on the trip because he was tired…so I never got to meet him. But I did wander around with the wife and we enjoyed being the “single” women.
Our guide Antonio was funny to listen to because he loved to tell stories about past trips. As they are often the scapegoat, Antonio loved to make fun of the French. “Antonio, excuse moi, but the distance is 14km not 11km.” According to Antonio, the French treat their guide books like the Bible, and would counter any fact or numerical value that Antonio would cite. One time, he got into an argument with them to explain why it really is 11km and not 14km. They finally realized their misunderstanding and marked in the guidebook the mistake and said they would contact the company when they returned home, so future readers aren’t given the wrong information. He also recalled a story where a Japanese group didn’t know you don’t eat the outside of una humita or un tamal, and one Japanese lady had quite an experience. The outside of these entradas is similar to (or is) cornhusk (i.e. NOT to be eaten). So Antonio explained that now each time he stops to eat with a group, he clarifies that one should only eat the INSIDES of these courses.
We stopped at Purmamarca, Tilcara, Humahuaca, Uquia, Maimara, and San Salvador de Jujuy. We spent an average of 30 minutes at each site, so the pictures were taken quickly and one didn’t have time to think about whether or not they wanted to buy something. I felt so rushed.
Although the pace was a little fast, it was great to see so many places in one day, and each city had its own “special” thing. Purmamarca had a big feria (but so did all of them), Tilcara was home to the aborigine population that was holding a festival for Santa Ana, and all of the proceeds of buying trinkets there kept the indigenous population alive. We ate lunch in Humahuaca and were serenaded by a band with Argentinean instruments. The owner even played the accordion, and then demonstrated this oddly shaped horn, unique to Jujuy. It had a horribly loud, obnoxious sound—but hey, if its cultural, why not try to enjoy it? There was also a famous statue of Jujuy’s independence, and a sculpture of La Pachamama (Mother Earth—whose “day” is August 2nd this year). Uquia has a church with the famous paintings of the “Angeles Arcabuceros” (Armed Angels). They are literally paintings of angels with guns. Maimara was a quick roadside stop to take pictures of the cemetery. The cemeteries are almost always on the highest hill of a town; since the souls were closer to heaven, they believed they would arrive faster. Also, if any horrible weather came about, such as a flood, the cemetery wouldn’t be harmed. San Salvador de Jujuy is the province’s capital. We explored the church and the tiny feria.
There isn’t one thing that stood out, but overall it was a great trip and I met a lot of interesting people. One of the Italians and the guy from Portugal have both studied in Spain through Erasmus, and have visited Salamanca—so it brought back a few memories from the wonders of Spain. We also all enjoyed the company of a 10-year old, Ignacio (Nacho) who was traveling with his mom. He loved trying to learn different words in all of our first languages—how fun!
As a quick negative side note, still no news from Valeria.
Our guide Antonio was funny to listen to because he loved to tell stories about past trips. As they are often the scapegoat, Antonio loved to make fun of the French. “Antonio, excuse moi, but the distance is 14km not 11km.” According to Antonio, the French treat their guide books like the Bible, and would counter any fact or numerical value that Antonio would cite. One time, he got into an argument with them to explain why it really is 11km and not 14km. They finally realized their misunderstanding and marked in the guidebook the mistake and said they would contact the company when they returned home, so future readers aren’t given the wrong information. He also recalled a story where a Japanese group didn’t know you don’t eat the outside of una humita or un tamal, and one Japanese lady had quite an experience. The outside of these entradas is similar to (or is) cornhusk (i.e. NOT to be eaten). So Antonio explained that now each time he stops to eat with a group, he clarifies that one should only eat the INSIDES of these courses.
We stopped at Purmamarca, Tilcara, Humahuaca, Uquia, Maimara, and San Salvador de Jujuy. We spent an average of 30 minutes at each site, so the pictures were taken quickly and one didn’t have time to think about whether or not they wanted to buy something. I felt so rushed.
Although the pace was a little fast, it was great to see so many places in one day, and each city had its own “special” thing. Purmamarca had a big feria (but so did all of them), Tilcara was home to the aborigine population that was holding a festival for Santa Ana, and all of the proceeds of buying trinkets there kept the indigenous population alive. We ate lunch in Humahuaca and were serenaded by a band with Argentinean instruments. The owner even played the accordion, and then demonstrated this oddly shaped horn, unique to Jujuy. It had a horribly loud, obnoxious sound—but hey, if its cultural, why not try to enjoy it? There was also a famous statue of Jujuy’s independence, and a sculpture of La Pachamama (Mother Earth—whose “day” is August 2nd this year). Uquia has a church with the famous paintings of the “Angeles Arcabuceros” (Armed Angels). They are literally paintings of angels with guns. Maimara was a quick roadside stop to take pictures of the cemetery. The cemeteries are almost always on the highest hill of a town; since the souls were closer to heaven, they believed they would arrive faster. Also, if any horrible weather came about, such as a flood, the cemetery wouldn’t be harmed. San Salvador de Jujuy is the province’s capital. We explored the church and the tiny feria.
There isn’t one thing that stood out, but overall it was a great trip and I met a lot of interesting people. One of the Italians and the guy from Portugal have both studied in Spain through Erasmus, and have visited Salamanca—so it brought back a few memories from the wonders of Spain. We also all enjoyed the company of a 10-year old, Ignacio (Nacho) who was traveling with his mom. He loved trying to learn different words in all of our first languages—how fun!
As a quick negative side note, still no news from Valeria.
Friday, July 24, 2009
It was going TOO well
Something had to screw up, and it did. After a great day of painting tiles at two houses, with a total of 231, when I need 222 (in case some break), receiving a handmade scarf and hat from Elva as a gift, and learning to make tortillas, I got the bad news.
To make it even worse, Amalia wasn’t there to give me the bad news (even though she was at el comedor yesterday). Mari, the other main jefa wasn’t even there. I had to hear it from the third string jefa—thanks a lot.
I was leaving and wished everyone a good weekend and how I was excited to start pasting on Monday. Maria follows me out and says that Amalia told her I’m not allowed to use the wall we had originally planned to use. WHAT!?!?!?!
Amalia had given the “okay” over a month ago! I bought all the tiles over a month ago! I’ve been painting tiles with families for almost three weeks, and you tell me NOW, literally the last day I’ll be at el comedor PRIOR to starting the final step of the mural that I’m NOT allowed to use that wall?
I was so shocked with this news that my immediate reaction was in English, and I had to collect myself to ask “Why not?” And of course, Maria being the third-string, said she didn’t know and she was only relaying the message given to her by Amalia. Some nerve.
My two new wall options are as follows. One small wall inside the dining hall that has two windows in the middle—it would be physically impossible to put the mural there. The other option is to move all of the bookshelves standing against one of the walls and moving them to the other side and putting the mural on that wall. “But,” I said, “when we’re done pasting, the bookshelves will cover the entire mural!” Maria said they wouldn’t put the shelves back, and they would just stay on the other side. This could work if all three walls of the classroom weren’t already full of stuff—be it bookshelves or machinery or stacks of cardboard boxes filled with plastic tables bought by some previous volunteer that have yet to be used. Besides, the whole point of the mural was for the families to enjoy it while eating, and it wouldn’t be seen very often in the classroom. And I have no doubt in my mind, that eventually over time it would be covered up by paper or bookshelves, etc.
The original wall for the mural has never been used! There is nothing on that wall. Nothing. What could Amalia possibly need it for?
I am still shocked. I can’t believe she would do this, and so close to the end. It was a low blow.
So I’ve called Valeria who will consistently call Amalia all this weekend until she picks up her phone (of course, she didn’t pick up today, or else I would’ve already heard back). I will fight to the death for this if necessary. I cannot think of any reason that would prevent me from putting this mural up without some way around it. The only reason I can think of is that there are 2 or 3 very small hooks that we would have to remove in order to paste the tiles. If Amalia feels that strongly about those hooks, I will personally make sure new hooks are installed once the mural is done (I’ll even install them myself).
It’s unfortunate that such a great day (especially since the weather was so much better and the sun was out) ended with such miserable news. All I can do is wait. Like before, I should hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The only thing is, the worst could be that I can’t put up the mural at all, and the money and time spent on these tiles will be worthless and a waste of an entire summer. I can’t even process that.
To make it even worse, Amalia wasn’t there to give me the bad news (even though she was at el comedor yesterday). Mari, the other main jefa wasn’t even there. I had to hear it from the third string jefa—thanks a lot.
I was leaving and wished everyone a good weekend and how I was excited to start pasting on Monday. Maria follows me out and says that Amalia told her I’m not allowed to use the wall we had originally planned to use. WHAT!?!?!?!
Amalia had given the “okay” over a month ago! I bought all the tiles over a month ago! I’ve been painting tiles with families for almost three weeks, and you tell me NOW, literally the last day I’ll be at el comedor PRIOR to starting the final step of the mural that I’m NOT allowed to use that wall?
I was so shocked with this news that my immediate reaction was in English, and I had to collect myself to ask “Why not?” And of course, Maria being the third-string, said she didn’t know and she was only relaying the message given to her by Amalia. Some nerve.
My two new wall options are as follows. One small wall inside the dining hall that has two windows in the middle—it would be physically impossible to put the mural there. The other option is to move all of the bookshelves standing against one of the walls and moving them to the other side and putting the mural on that wall. “But,” I said, “when we’re done pasting, the bookshelves will cover the entire mural!” Maria said they wouldn’t put the shelves back, and they would just stay on the other side. This could work if all three walls of the classroom weren’t already full of stuff—be it bookshelves or machinery or stacks of cardboard boxes filled with plastic tables bought by some previous volunteer that have yet to be used. Besides, the whole point of the mural was for the families to enjoy it while eating, and it wouldn’t be seen very often in the classroom. And I have no doubt in my mind, that eventually over time it would be covered up by paper or bookshelves, etc.
The original wall for the mural has never been used! There is nothing on that wall. Nothing. What could Amalia possibly need it for?
I am still shocked. I can’t believe she would do this, and so close to the end. It was a low blow.
So I’ve called Valeria who will consistently call Amalia all this weekend until she picks up her phone (of course, she didn’t pick up today, or else I would’ve already heard back). I will fight to the death for this if necessary. I cannot think of any reason that would prevent me from putting this mural up without some way around it. The only reason I can think of is that there are 2 or 3 very small hooks that we would have to remove in order to paste the tiles. If Amalia feels that strongly about those hooks, I will personally make sure new hooks are installed once the mural is done (I’ll even install them myself).
It’s unfortunate that such a great day (especially since the weather was so much better and the sun was out) ended with such miserable news. All I can do is wait. Like before, I should hope for the best and prepare for the worst. The only thing is, the worst could be that I can’t put up the mural at all, and the money and time spent on these tiles will be worthless and a waste of an entire summer. I can’t even process that.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Synonyms for Wimp
Some people may have considered me a wimp today. But I like to think the terms “logical,” “realistic,” and “smart” are a better choice of words.
The wind has spoken. Today was stinkin’ cold. I knew it would be rough today, so I had leggings, pants, soccer socks, and four layers on top in addition to my jacket, gloves, scarf, and hat. I thought I was prepared. I was wrong. And I flaked out pretty early...
I got to el comedor earlier in order to stop by at least two houses today, instead of just one, which is what normally happens. With only today and tomorrow left to paint tiles, I want to let as many more kids as possible have the opportunity. Luckily I had met a mother yesterday who had offered her house, since Mari’s choice had fallen through.
I did make it to two houses and we painted 15 more tiles, but I was back at el comedor by 1pm (normally I don’t get back until 2:30 or 3). I could barely feel my legs, much less my fingers or nose. While I had painted with the kids inside of the houses, protection from the outdoors is minimal, and both families kept the door wide open—allowing in the freezing cold wind.
At el comedor I stood in front of the open fires to defrost, but as soon as I had finished eating and the cooking had stopped (which meant the fires were dead) I left. I felt a little guilty for leaving for early, but I got my daily tile work done and there was NO way I was gonna stand in the open air and freeze my ass off just to save face (what "face" I'm not really sure...).
On another note, I finally have a worker! It’s not Mari’s son since it turned out he wasn’t going to be able to help at all. So instead I have a very nice older man to help me out. We start next Monday at 11am sharp. And I only have about 30 more tiles to paint with the kids and I’ll be set and ready to paste! And I have two more houses scheduled to visit tomorrow.
I think we’ll be more than fine with a full week to make sure everything is done perfectly. Valeria is even coming on Monday to make sure things get started correctly. I’m getting really excited and I think the cooks are getting curious too. One mother even came into the classroom today when I returned from painting to look at all the tiles and ask when I was starting.
Also, today I got another look at just how poor this neighborhood is. Amalia came and set up a table for what appeared to be “registration” for the neighborhood’s residents. As each individual came to pick up food for their family, they had to write down their name, date of birth, D.N.I. (identity number), and sign their name. The first old man didn’t know how to read, write, or sign his name, so they used his fingerprint as a signature. In addition, as each family member gave the appropriate information, their “gift” for registering was a Lays bag of potato chips for each member of the family. I guess I had become so accustomed to the initial shock that the lunch meal is often all a family eats in a day, but that being given a small bag of potato chips is a luxury brings this neighborhood’s poverty full circle.
The wind has spoken. Today was stinkin’ cold. I knew it would be rough today, so I had leggings, pants, soccer socks, and four layers on top in addition to my jacket, gloves, scarf, and hat. I thought I was prepared. I was wrong. And I flaked out pretty early...
I got to el comedor earlier in order to stop by at least two houses today, instead of just one, which is what normally happens. With only today and tomorrow left to paint tiles, I want to let as many more kids as possible have the opportunity. Luckily I had met a mother yesterday who had offered her house, since Mari’s choice had fallen through.
I did make it to two houses and we painted 15 more tiles, but I was back at el comedor by 1pm (normally I don’t get back until 2:30 or 3). I could barely feel my legs, much less my fingers or nose. While I had painted with the kids inside of the houses, protection from the outdoors is minimal, and both families kept the door wide open—allowing in the freezing cold wind.
At el comedor I stood in front of the open fires to defrost, but as soon as I had finished eating and the cooking had stopped (which meant the fires were dead) I left. I felt a little guilty for leaving for early, but I got my daily tile work done and there was NO way I was gonna stand in the open air and freeze my ass off just to save face (what "face" I'm not really sure...).
On another note, I finally have a worker! It’s not Mari’s son since it turned out he wasn’t going to be able to help at all. So instead I have a very nice older man to help me out. We start next Monday at 11am sharp. And I only have about 30 more tiles to paint with the kids and I’ll be set and ready to paste! And I have two more houses scheduled to visit tomorrow.
I think we’ll be more than fine with a full week to make sure everything is done perfectly. Valeria is even coming on Monday to make sure things get started correctly. I’m getting really excited and I think the cooks are getting curious too. One mother even came into the classroom today when I returned from painting to look at all the tiles and ask when I was starting.
Also, today I got another look at just how poor this neighborhood is. Amalia came and set up a table for what appeared to be “registration” for the neighborhood’s residents. As each individual came to pick up food for their family, they had to write down their name, date of birth, D.N.I. (identity number), and sign their name. The first old man didn’t know how to read, write, or sign his name, so they used his fingerprint as a signature. In addition, as each family member gave the appropriate information, their “gift” for registering was a Lays bag of potato chips for each member of the family. I guess I had become so accustomed to the initial shock that the lunch meal is often all a family eats in a day, but that being given a small bag of potato chips is a luxury brings this neighborhood’s poverty full circle.
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