A tiring day!!!
I walked into class and fortunately, Mafer was there. She asked if I wanted to sit with her and of course I agreed. Lore was not there so I hung with her. After we finished copying characteristics of common Periodic Table elements, I helped her assemble the breakfast that she brought for us! We made "molletes" (bread with beans, cheese and ham; they do not normally have ham) together.
After, we took care of the twins (babies Mathias and Sebastian) while Doña Dania went to get something. Then, Karla came and dropped off her baby (Dylan) and went to talk with Eloina about something or other. Since Mafer and I didn't want to help sort and pack recycled things into Eloina's car, we wandered around and talked.
Finally, I figured that someone would get mad at us if we didn't go to help. We went over and packed shredded paper in boxes. We made them as full as we could. I would pack some in then, taking Mafer's hands I would step in the box and bounce a little to mash it down!
After that, Mafer's mom came to pick her up and after a talk with her mom to make sure she would come to school for escolta practices next week, we then practiced the escolta with Favio taking Mafer's place holding the flag and Evodio taking Lore's place yelling out commands. His voice went all funny when he gave us orders!! Then, a half hour late, we went on our five kilometer run. I ran mostly with Evodio and the way down the hill was mostly uneventful, but then, on the run up, stuff happened.
Evodio and I had been trading off the lead but in this moment I was probably five yards or so ahead, when he says, "Will, RUN!" I turned back and saw a dog chasing him up nearly the steepest part of the hill. My adrenaline kicked in and I did not feel my legs as I poured on the speed. Then the dog stopped and so did I. I was spent but I forced myself to keep running. Then on THE steepest part of the hill, Evodio was still behind me but there was less distance between us when another dog came at us. This time he came across the road (which was not big) towards us. Evodio and I stopped and backed up a little. The dog was about one yard away from me when Evodio yelled to the swim teacher. The swim teacher scared them (another dog just about jumped over the fence to join the action) away. That pretty much proves Evodio's point which he said earlier: "San Cristobal de los Perros, Chiapas" (San Cristobal of the Dogs, Chiapas) instead of San Cristobal de las Casas!
I did the whole circuit, hill and all in 38 minutes and 2 seconds. I arrived at the school exhausted and thirsty. I drank some water and about two minutes later, Evodio showed up. I filled up the cup again (it was Oscar's cup....sorry!) and silently handed it to Evodio. We walked over to the hill and collapsed. Some time later, the rest of them showed up. At this point, Evodio was telling Diego of our dog adventures: "So then I told Will to run and she started running hard...." Then he turned to me, "How did you do it?" I replied, "At that point, I didn't feel my legs." He agreed. He told me that a dog almost bit him (after I had gotten to school).
Oliver, Karla's husband, offered to play a game of basketball with us and though we were tired we thought it would be fun. Lucy, the math teacher, decided to play with us and once she got started we knew she was really good. She was doing layups and throwing and catching like I have never seen a short, rather portly math teacher do before. She was good and it was really fun to watch her play.
After the game, we went inside to get a drink. It ended with Evodio and I running around the kitchen throwing water at each other! Then we were pooped so when Oliver and Karla told us we were going to do escolta practice again, we all groaned. We marched around in circles again but every time we stopped we all collapsed onto each other. Ana put her head on my leg as I sat on the cement and Toño put his head on my shoulder as we stopped. Evodio pulled me up after every break. When Karla asked us for our Spanish homework, I brought it to her and then with a folder in hand, I laid on the grass shading my face. She told Oliver that I always did my homework and blah blah blah. It made me feel good. I must have looked really tired because she asked me, "What is it that you need?" probably with the intention of getting it for me. I told her that I didn't need anything and that I was just tired.
Evodio dragged me to my feet so that we could walk up the stairs to class to watch videos of escoltas on youtube. As I stumped up the stairs, a paper fell through the cracks of the stair and Diego got it for me (why is everyone being so nice?).
We watched some videos and then redid a clay version of the constitution (it is for a project). After school, we went to Soriana for a few things. As we rounded the corner of the massive building to get back to the car, to our right Lore and her mom came with dad!!! We gave each other a big hug and asked her how her tests went (tests for some stomach problem). She said that everything went well and that they were on their way to eat. Lore hadn't eaten hardly anything because they wanted her stomach empty for her tests and I guessed for the possibility of an emergency surgery! We said good-bye and drove home, where I stayed at home watching TV and vegging out for many hours. That night, we had hoped to watch the new James Bond movie named Skyfall starring Daniel Craig. Unfortunately, Netflix didn't have any of his James Bond movies but when my mom started surfing the channels for good movies or shows, she found a James Bond movie with Daniel Craig!! It was called Quantam Solace I believe!! What a coincidence!!
p.s. I forgot to mention this episode in one of my earlier blog entries so here it is now.
Evodio, Diego, some other people and I gathered outside the gate to the school waiting for the swim teacher. We were talking about which language was harder: English or Spanish. We talked about various aspects and then Diego said, "Like when you say "playa" (beach) in English, it is pretty much the same as "perra" (bitch). Then, I tried to teach them the difference between these two VERY different words: "Look, when you say "perra" as in bitch, the i is like this IIII. When you say "playa" as in beach, the ea is like eeeee. BITCH and BEACH (bIIIIItch and bEEEEEEch was how it probably sounded). They had me repeat it several times so they could try to understand! Now, you know, I don't generally like swearing, but I believe this was a learning moment!!! ;) Even after my wonderous teaching time, when they said both words it sounded pretty much the same.
I walked into class and fortunately, Mafer was there. She asked if I wanted to sit with her and of course I agreed. Lore was not there so I hung with her. After we finished copying characteristics of common Periodic Table elements, I helped her assemble the breakfast that she brought for us! We made "molletes" (bread with beans, cheese and ham; they do not normally have ham) together.
After, we took care of the twins (babies Mathias and Sebastian) while Doña Dania went to get something. Then, Karla came and dropped off her baby (Dylan) and went to talk with Eloina about something or other. Since Mafer and I didn't want to help sort and pack recycled things into Eloina's car, we wandered around and talked.
Finally, I figured that someone would get mad at us if we didn't go to help. We went over and packed shredded paper in boxes. We made them as full as we could. I would pack some in then, taking Mafer's hands I would step in the box and bounce a little to mash it down!
After that, Mafer's mom came to pick her up and after a talk with her mom to make sure she would come to school for escolta practices next week, we then practiced the escolta with Favio taking Mafer's place holding the flag and Evodio taking Lore's place yelling out commands. His voice went all funny when he gave us orders!! Then, a half hour late, we went on our five kilometer run. I ran mostly with Evodio and the way down the hill was mostly uneventful, but then, on the run up, stuff happened.
Evodio and I had been trading off the lead but in this moment I was probably five yards or so ahead, when he says, "Will, RUN!" I turned back and saw a dog chasing him up nearly the steepest part of the hill. My adrenaline kicked in and I did not feel my legs as I poured on the speed. Then the dog stopped and so did I. I was spent but I forced myself to keep running. Then on THE steepest part of the hill, Evodio was still behind me but there was less distance between us when another dog came at us. This time he came across the road (which was not big) towards us. Evodio and I stopped and backed up a little. The dog was about one yard away from me when Evodio yelled to the swim teacher. The swim teacher scared them (another dog just about jumped over the fence to join the action) away. That pretty much proves Evodio's point which he said earlier: "San Cristobal de los Perros, Chiapas" (San Cristobal of the Dogs, Chiapas) instead of San Cristobal de las Casas!
I did the whole circuit, hill and all in 38 minutes and 2 seconds. I arrived at the school exhausted and thirsty. I drank some water and about two minutes later, Evodio showed up. I filled up the cup again (it was Oscar's cup....sorry!) and silently handed it to Evodio. We walked over to the hill and collapsed. Some time later, the rest of them showed up. At this point, Evodio was telling Diego of our dog adventures: "So then I told Will to run and she started running hard...." Then he turned to me, "How did you do it?" I replied, "At that point, I didn't feel my legs." He agreed. He told me that a dog almost bit him (after I had gotten to school).
Oliver, Karla's husband, offered to play a game of basketball with us and though we were tired we thought it would be fun. Lucy, the math teacher, decided to play with us and once she got started we knew she was really good. She was doing layups and throwing and catching like I have never seen a short, rather portly math teacher do before. She was good and it was really fun to watch her play.
After the game, we went inside to get a drink. It ended with Evodio and I running around the kitchen throwing water at each other! Then we were pooped so when Oliver and Karla told us we were going to do escolta practice again, we all groaned. We marched around in circles again but every time we stopped we all collapsed onto each other. Ana put her head on my leg as I sat on the cement and Toño put his head on my shoulder as we stopped. Evodio pulled me up after every break. When Karla asked us for our Spanish homework, I brought it to her and then with a folder in hand, I laid on the grass shading my face. She told Oliver that I always did my homework and blah blah blah. It made me feel good. I must have looked really tired because she asked me, "What is it that you need?" probably with the intention of getting it for me. I told her that I didn't need anything and that I was just tired.
Evodio dragged me to my feet so that we could walk up the stairs to class to watch videos of escoltas on youtube. As I stumped up the stairs, a paper fell through the cracks of the stair and Diego got it for me (why is everyone being so nice?).
We watched some videos and then redid a clay version of the constitution (it is for a project). After school, we went to Soriana for a few things. As we rounded the corner of the massive building to get back to the car, to our right Lore and her mom came with dad!!! We gave each other a big hug and asked her how her tests went (tests for some stomach problem). She said that everything went well and that they were on their way to eat. Lore hadn't eaten hardly anything because they wanted her stomach empty for her tests and I guessed for the possibility of an emergency surgery! We said good-bye and drove home, where I stayed at home watching TV and vegging out for many hours. That night, we had hoped to watch the new James Bond movie named Skyfall starring Daniel Craig. Unfortunately, Netflix didn't have any of his James Bond movies but when my mom started surfing the channels for good movies or shows, she found a James Bond movie with Daniel Craig!! It was called Quantam Solace I believe!! What a coincidence!!
p.s. I forgot to mention this episode in one of my earlier blog entries so here it is now.
Evodio, Diego, some other people and I gathered outside the gate to the school waiting for the swim teacher. We were talking about which language was harder: English or Spanish. We talked about various aspects and then Diego said, "Like when you say "playa" (beach) in English, it is pretty much the same as "perra" (bitch). Then, I tried to teach them the difference between these two VERY different words: "Look, when you say "perra" as in bitch, the i is like this IIII. When you say "playa" as in beach, the ea is like eeeee. BITCH and BEACH (bIIIIItch and bEEEEEEch was how it probably sounded). They had me repeat it several times so they could try to understand! Now, you know, I don't generally like swearing, but I believe this was a learning moment!!! ;) Even after my wonderous teaching time, when they said both words it sounded pretty much the same.
It's always scary to see a dog off its leash when you're out for a run. Fortunately, Chicago is better in that regard than a lot of places. Although you still have to watch your step....
ReplyDeleteThese ones are a bit wilder than the ones I am used to from Salt Lake!! You definitely have to watch your step here, one any sidewalk.
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