Viernes y Sabado (Friday and Saturday)

Friday morning, we all had heard about the earthquake in Japan and I was worried that the tsunami would affect my friends and family in Hawaii and California.  I'm so thankful that they are all okay, though it is terrible to hear about the devastation in Japan.

Emily was also getting ready to leave and so I was making sure I was around to say goodbye.  Most of the volunteers going to the school had already said goodbye to her and Doane came back just in time to see her off.  I hadn't realized that I'd gotten a bit attached to her as well and was really sad to see her go.

In the afternoon when Pilar and Angela came home from school, I helped Pilar with her math homework.  A lot of the problems were more like puzzles than math questions.  I guess it might be for analytical thinking and problem solving more than actual math.  I was pretty tired, so some of the ones I was stuck on, we asked Doane to help us with when he got home.  He was excited to do those kinds of problems and so he was wanting to do more after he'd solved the ones we had gotten stuck on.

By the time I finished helping Pilar with her homework, the big group of volunteers came home.  Tino had gotten a cake to celebrate their last day and to thank them for everything they had done at the school.  They painted some really nice murals in addition to teaching since there were so many of them.  I couldn't believe that the week had passed by so quickly.

After the cake celebration, we all went to La Cabaña because there was a live band playing the local style of rock music.  We ordered pizza and before and after we ate, we danced along with the music in a big circle.  I was tired, but I always have enough energy to dance.  After we ate, I was sitting with Mari, Lorenza, and Angela and some of the girls from the group saw that I was sitting and got me out there again.  It was so much fun dancing and laughing.  When we were walking home, there was a group of men in a restaurant on a corner near the house and as we all walked by (there were many more women than men) they whistled loudly.

The band at La Cabaña.

In the morning, I still got up early even though I went to sleep late.  For some reason my body just hasn't been letting me sleep in.  I asked Mabel what I could do to help since I've been helping in the kitchen a lot with the big group there.  She asked me to go to the store with her and so we followed Mari out the door.  They didn't have exactly what she wanted, so I went with Mari to the everyday market.  It was so busy with people and carts bustling around.  Mari said they were like ants.  We got a bunch of corn, mangos, and potatoes.  I wouldn't let her carry any of the bags.  We weren't that far from home, but she was worried since the bags weighed more than 15 kilos.  She thought Tino might be mad if he thought she had made me carry the bags all the way home, but she was so happy that I had helped her that she gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek.  :)

After breakfast, I was on my computer in the kitchen and Mabel had turned on Como La Flor on the shared computer, so she could practice it while she was in the kitchen.  Angela came by and sat herself in front of the computer and since Mabel had been watching a karaoke version, Angela started singing the song.  When it finished, she started it over again and started singing again.  It was so precious, I took a video behind her...I hope the sound came out because she sounded so sweet.  :)  After, Pilar went on the computer and Angela was playing around with part of a water bottle.  She was wearing it on her head like a crown, so I cut holes in it and put a string through it so it would stay on better.

Angela with her crown on.  I think she was embarrassed to take the picture.  :)

There was a lot of commotion in the house as the big group assembled upstairs to take group pictures.  Doane and I took turns taking the picture since they wanted us both to be in the picture.  Then they were all bringing their suitcases downstairs and some of them came to give me a hug before they left.  I hadn't really grown attached to any of them.  I'm not sure if it was because I just felt more connected to Tino's family and the people who work for them, or if I just didn't want to get to know them for one week and have to see them leave.  I don't know how Mari, Tino and the girls can stand to see so many people come and go.  I don't think Mari has gotten used to it because she always tears up when people leave.

Mabel, Doane and I had been planning to go to the pool, but instead we stayed in and had a lazy day in the house.  I watched Tangled and Shrek 4 with Angela and Pilar.  By that time it was almost time to eat dinner.  We all ate out at the dining table since there's enough room for us all with the big group gone.  Tino has a bit of a cold, so he asked Mari to make him a calientito, which has pisco, anise, sugar, and lemon in it.  They gave Doane, Mabel and I a shot glass of it to sip as well.  It was really strong but it was good.  We sat and talked after that.  I had to translate for Doane.  Tino has some pretty funny stories.  When he first came to Huancayo he said that there was a drunk that would fight with lampposts and dogs.  Sometimes he would ask dogs to dance with him and then start dancing in the street with the dog. Then Tino said there was a drunk in the town he was from that everyone was scared of because he would fight you if you came across his path.  He said his family had a donkey and they tied his front feet together because it was so crazy.  One day the drunk came upon the donkey in the field and started to punch it.  He said that the donkey kicked him and the drunk just said, "Oh, you're a tough one, huh?" and continued to fight with it.  He gave up after the donkey kicked him two more times.  He started talking about dancing and said that last night some of the girls had told him that he danced really well, which he actually does.  He said he doesn't know how to dance, he just jumps and moves his body around.  :)  Then he said that I danced really well.  He said that he noticed the singer of the band was messing up the lyrics of the song at times and he would gesture to him, asking what had happened and the singer had pointed at me.  Like it was my fault because he was watching me dance.  How embarrassing!!!

After talking for a long time, Mari and Tino went to bed and that's where I should be right now.  It feels very empty and quiet in the house without all the other volunteers.  And then there were two...