A Full Week of Work - Sorta

I was going to title this post "A/an (almost) full week of work", but I wasn't sure if it should be a or an because I didn't know if you ignore words in parenthesis for rules like that. So.... title change.

Anyway, we actually got to work every day the last week (September 27th to October 1st)! Except it wasn't actually a full week of work because we still had Spanish classes in the morning meaning we didn't get to the project til 10 - 10:30 instead of 9. I cannot wait until the classes are over. I kinda feel like they're not actually helping. It would be much more helpful to just go to the project at the normal time. Talking for 8 hours straight in Spanish with kids that normally speak super fast (and a few of which mumble - like this new kid U. I'm going to start doing what Ruby does in her blog when talking about the kids, instead of saying "the one that does.....", I'm going to just use the first letter of their name(s)) is a much more effective learning technique. Especially if you have to fend off marriage proposals - although luckily I haven't had any of those yet. Those have all been directed at Ruby or Elena (one of the Germans that lives in the apartment above us).

Anyway, now onto the week. On Monday we cleaned all the stuff (tents, crates, life vests, etc) that had been brought to the camp the previous week. Let's just say it was a super wet process. Luckily I had the foresight to roll up my pants, but afterwards, me and Ruby had to go into the bathroom to try to use paper towels to dry off our feet and shoes. And later that day, I discovered that the glue holding the inner sole into my right shoe did not like the water so I had to glue it back on (and now it's fine). Anyway, since we spent a lot of time cleaning the stuff (and hanging it from various places - such as the roof - to dry), it wasn't a normal day at Pro Niños.

Tuesday, I discovered that we won't end our Spanish classes until October 14th. Gaaah. Waay too far in the future. Normally, they take place the first two weeks of the program before you start the project, but because there were problems setting them up, we only meet for 1 1/2 hours each class, we've skipped a few and we don't have classes on Fridays, we're going to have them for two more weeks still. The only thing of note from the project is sad. JA, one of the younger chavos (and he's really sweet and adorable) got into an argument with the educators on Monday and didn't show up to the project on Tuesday (or for the rest of the week). I'm worried about him and really hope he comes back. Also, now he's not living in the shelter with the others, he's back on the street which makes me even more worried. On a happier note, me, Ruby and Yazmin played basketball with some of the chavos and I wasn't as horrible as I remembered.

Wednesday, me and Ruby played basketball with O before we all went to the canchas. At the canchas, for an activity we played the weird version of American football without tackling where you can only go 3 steps with the ball and then have to pass. It was educators and volunteers (plus M, the kid who really likes languages and later J was also on our team - if I remember correctly) vs chavos (plus Felix). Then of course we played fútbol. After that, we went back to the center and divided into two groups to do separate projects. One group was the kids that had been there less than a month (J - but a different one from the one above. This might be a problem. We'll call him younger J -, L (who I had actually played with on the street one day) and M - once again, a problem because this is a different M than the language one). Me, Elena and the new educadora Susanna were working with them. We did family trees while the other group worked on drawing a normal day in the center. We worked one on one, I was with J, Elena with L and Susanna with M. But J was having problems because his family history is super complicated (he never knew his dad, his mom has kids with multiple different people and one of those people also has a kid with someone else). We think it just brought up really bad and hard to deal with memories. So he said he didn't want to do the project and refused to work on it for awhile. He finally changed his mind, but wanted to work alone (so we let him because at least he was doing the project) so I worked with Elena and L instead. It was a slight problem for Elena because L kept saying that they would get married and have 3 kids: L_ito, Elena and _____ (I don't think he named the third one). Also, me and Elena got really confused because part of the family tree was saying the ages of everyone and L is 17 but kept insisting his mom is only 24. We asked him if he was sure multiple times and he was like "Yeah. She's 24". And yes, that's technically possible, but we feel like it's probably not the case.

At the end of the day, we did an activity with a giant parachute with a hole in the middle (well, a few different activities actually) and before we started, JR put it on like a skirt and was strutting around and this verified in my mind that he would be an absolutely amazing drag queen.

We also found out that O would be going to the casa de transición the next day. Which made us very happy because he really was too old to still be in the center and because he kept hitting on all of us (he's the one that invited me to go to a hotel with him).

Thursday, the center was super quiet because O was in the casa de transición, JA still wasn't back and neither A or J were there because they don't live in the shelter with the other kids and there was a miscommunication in getting A his transportation money and who would be picking up J.

When we went to the canchas, instead of playing fútbol, we played this weird version of water balloon toss where we were divided into 3 teams of 5. Two teams would go against each other and one person would hold each corner of a towel (one person per team would stand out each round) and we had to throw the water balloons at the other team who then had to run and catch it with the towel (which is hard to do when you are coordinating your movement with 3 other people). You got points if the other team missed the balloon and it popped within the boundaries or if when the other team threw the water balloon, it went out of bounds and popped. My team was me, Elena, U (a kid who's first day was sometime last week), L and M (the newer one, not the language one). We came in last. And Luis got super wet. Then after the game, the winning team got to throw the leftover water balloons at the two losing teams. Then after a few rounds of that, we all got to throw water balloons at each other. Some of the kids were making little rips in the balloons to make sure they popped when they landed (for some reason these balloons did not want to pop) and when JR tried to do this, the water balloon exploded all over him. It was hilarious. During the game and the following water balloon fight, we all got very wet but had loads of fun. (and it was warm and sunny so we dried off fast). After that, we went back to the center and watched Narnia (which happened both before and after lunch because we didn't finish it before lunch). During both breakfast and lunch, JR was asking us international volunteers questions about our countries, such as birthday celebrations, laws, it was a really wide variety. We had some really good conversations and I kept being reminded of even more reasons why I don't want to live in the US. I mean, really, if it's legal for homosexual couples to get married (well have civil ceremonies - I think that's what it is anyway) in Mexico, why not in the US? Stupid country.

After the chavos left, we had a meeting with the educators and volunteers. We talked about the Pro Niños annual event, which is October 25th. Apparently the girls have to wear "dresses of the night" which I take to mean formal dresses. Which makes me regret my choice of which dresses to bring with me to Mexico. I'm going to try on the ones I have here, take pictures and bring them to work this week to ask if they'd be okay and if not, I will either look for a dress or ask mom to send me the one that's at home. We also found out that the day of the event, the chavos will leave a few hours earlier and then we'll get ready and be at the event from about 5 (set up) to 12. After that, we will probably go out to a bar or something (because we can't drink during the event) and then still have to work the next day. Although we'll only do half days the next day so some people will leave early then go home and nap and some people will get to sleep in. At the event I will be working with Toño (an educador) at the area where guests can throw darts at balloons (Toño wants to fill them with water. I'm not sure that's a good idea when mixed with fancy dress. When I mentioned this, he said we could put up a glass shield or something. *shakes head*)

After work, me and Ruby went to the roof to use a neighbor's unprotected wireless and after a while some Germans were up there too. So we all hung out for awhile and talked. And my best Spanglish of the day is when I said "sendiendo" (I apparently decided that "send" is an -er verb - I'm pretty sure that's because of the e in it).

Friday, we didn't have class! Yay! We took a field trip to a museum so after lunch, instead of going to the canchas, we hung out and did a puzzle and looked at a board game (tried to figure it out, but didn't play it). Then we all crammed into a van (3 seats in front, 2 behind it, 2 behind it, 3 behind it). Except for in the front, there was at least one extra person in each seat and there was also a bench added in that four of us crammed onto. It was also super hot (because it was crowded and not all the windows opened). So then we drove to el Museo Soumaya and wow, it was a letdown. We looked at an exhibit of paintings of the revolution (in honor of the bicentenario) but we were only in the exhibit for 30 minutes maximum. Then we did this ridiculous activity designed for 1st graders (maybe kindergartners). There was a black and white copy of one of the paintings of Hidalgo and they gave us cut-outs in the shapes of various parts that we had to glue down (he had pink skin) then we colored in the rest. It was interesting. Mine is beautiful. I will add a picture of it later. (First I need to take one). Then we ate there and then drove to a park near the Puma stadium (nearby) and ate more there. Then we went back into the van (gaaah) for the long drive to drop off the kids. We were bored so me and Ruby were singing (and so was M - the one who likes languages - a little bit) and then we realized that at least one of the kids was recording us on his cell phone! Let's just say we suddenly got very quiet. We got dropped off at the metro station by where the kids stay and then me and Ruby walked them there (Ruby went with so she could know where it was).

After work, me and Ruby once again went up to the roof to use the unprotected wireless (the USBs we bought for internet ran out that day and we want to buy a wireless router for all of us to use instead of renewing them because it will be cheaper).

Then Ruby tried on her dresses she has with her in Mexico to see if any of them would work for the Pro Niños event. The first one apparently shrunk and didn't exactly cover her butt. The second one wouldn't zip up anymore (too much delicious Mexican food). The third one made her look like a fairy. The fourth one made her look like a hooker. When I put on my dresses and take pics to ask about at the center, she's going to take one of the one that made her look like a fairy to see if it's ok.

Also, Friday morning we discovered that we had run out of gas and we don't know exactly what to do to fix this problem. Mona talked to Diana (our project contact person) but we're not sure how to do what she described (and now I don't remember what it was). And it doesn't help that we don't know which gas tank (on the roof) is ours. So we've been taking cold showers since then.

Now onto the weekend. It hasn't been very exciting. Yesterday (Saturday), me and Ruby went to the post office to find where it was and to pick up my package that mom sent me. We went to Parque Delta (the mall that's a few blocks away) for a little bit and on our way back, hung out in the Parque de las Américas until some random guy introduced his drunk friend to us (we could smell the alcohol on his breath from several feet away) and then left him alone with us. So we said we had to go and left. That night, we watched My Sister's Keeper (me, Ruby, Elena, Maria and Julia - everyone but me and Ruby lives upstairs).

Today we haven't done much. We went to centro (and a market nearby) and Ruby bought a purse (the clasp on her old one separated from the fabric and she couldn't glue it back on and has been using one of mine) and I bought a journal (sadly, mine is almost full). We've also spent a lot of time up on the roof to use the internet.

Angelica's Going Away Dinner

Angelica’s going back to Switzerland for about a month, so last night we all made dinner together (which means we cleaned and prepped stuff and Felix cooked). We made Spätzle. It was really good (except mine tasted mildly like beer because the pan spilled my cerveza onto my plate).

Here are some pictures, courtesy of Angelica.

Alí working on the salad

me and Rubi being bored with nothing to do to help

Angelica and Felix

Felix, Angelica and Matthias

Angelica and Rubi

Angelica

Angelica and Mona

me and Angelica

Ramón and Felix

yummy

at the table (except Ramón isn't in the picture because he's taking it)

Angelica’s going back to Switzerland for about a month, so last night we all made dinner together (which means we cleaned and prepped stuff and Felix cooked). We made Spätzle. It was really good (except mine tasted mildly like beer because the pan spilled my cerveza onto my plate).

Here are some pictures, courtesy of Angelica.

Chapultepec Parte Dos

Friday the 24^th, me and Rubi went back to Chapultepec to see the castle and the museums inside it. The park was really empty. It was really weird in comparison to the last time we went. Also, it turns out the castle is really boring. It’s really just a museum with the history of Mexico, but the exhibits were kinda boring.

Although, there was an awesome view of D.F. from the castle.

Mexican Movie

Thursday the 23^rd, me and Rubi went to the movie theater in Parque Delta to see “Hidalgo: La Historia Jamás Contada.” It actually wasn’t horribly priced. For students, it’s only $51 (pesos) (about $4.25 USD). The seats were really weird. They leaned super far back. The only way to get comfortable was to lean back all the way and put your feet on the chair in front of you.

The movie was really good, although there was a decent amount that we didn’t understand. But I liked it and it was a fun way to get to know more of the history of Mexico.

Why People Under 20 Shouldn't Ride the Metro Alone

Me, Rubi and Angelica decided to go to Bellas Artes to go shopping in that area (Rubi desperately needed new shoes – she managed to find a nice pair for $88 (pesos) – just over $7 (USD) - and I wanted a book in Spanish). So as normal, the metro was slightly crowded (although it wasn’t horribly crowded). When we got to the platform, a train was standing there with the doors open and we debated going for it because we had no idea how much longer the doors would be open. Once it seemed like they’d be open for enough time to get on, we decided to go for it. Me and Angelica got on then looked behind us as the doors were closing and there was Rubi, standing on the platform. (Later, she told us that she was almost on and then a fat man pushed her out of the way and got on). We yelled through the window that we’d get off at the next station and wait for her. 

Well, after we waited for a bit and her train still hadn’t come, I pulled out my phone to see if maybe she sent a message and I didn’t notice. And sure enough, I had a message that included “my metro just caught on fire! So everyone has been taken off haha!” Me and Angelica weren’t sure if we believed her at first. It turns out that it was the carriage she was in that caught on fire! Something was wrong with the mechanics underneath it. We don’t really know what. After a while, me and Angelica decided to go back to Etiopia (the metro by the apartment) and meet Rubi there and nix the shopping trip for the day (or just go to Parque Delta, the mall by the apartment). So we left the metro and started walking then I got a message from Rubi saying that there was a replacement train and she should be leaving Etiopia soon. So we went back in the metro (what a waste of $3 (pesos) each). Well, it turned out a few minutes was actually a lot longer (Mexico time). While we waited, we decided two things. We need to hold Rubi’s hand when she goes on and off the metro (or possibly get her one of those leashes for small children) and that this occurred because she’s too young to ride the metro by herself. We decided the age limit is 20. In the end, we were waiting at Centro Médico (the station after Etiopia) for about a half hour.

After that, the shopping trip was pretty uneventful.

Some More Pro Niños

It’s really weird because two weeks ago, the week of the bicentenario, I only had two days of work because we had Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off for the holiday. Then last week, I only had work on Tuesday because Monday we went to migration to start the visa process and we had Wednesday, Thursday and Friday off because the chavos (the kids) were at a camp with a few educators and volunteers (Felix went). 

Tuesday (the 21^st) was Rubi’s first day. It was kinda funny that her first week at the project, she only had one day of work.  Anyway, in the typical unorganized fashion of Mexico, when we got there and asked what Rubi would be doing, no one had any idea she was even going to come (our contact person at the project is on vacation). She ended up working in el centro de día with me (and will possibly/probably stay there). It was a fairly normal day, except lots of the volunteers that are normally in the center were getting stuff organized to take to the camp. Also, when we went to the cancha (football court), one of the chavos (who I’d worked with briefly the days I worked on the calle with Yazmin and Sergio) convinced me to play. That was interesting. Although I did manage to successfully kick the ball a few times. 

After that, some of the kids went with a new educator to get their hair cut and the others stayed in the center and we watched a movie. A little bit into the movie, Chava (the coordinator of the day center) told us volunteers (me, Rubi and Elena – a volunteer in a group of Germans. She lives in the apartment above us) that the educators would all be loading stuff for the camp so we were going to be alone. We were thinking “uh oh” (especially Rubi since it was her first day) and I was thinking “oh no! I’ve been here the longest out of the three of us! Does that mean I’m in charge?” Well it started off smoothly, but then the subtitles on the movie stopped working. Me and Rubi tried to translate a bit, but couldn’t do a very good job and we couldn’t get the subtitles to work again. Then the kids started losing interest. Uh oh. The subtitles magically came back on (no idea why) a little before lunch. That was another disaster. Chava had told us that if none of the educators were back by lunch, we should start it so we did the llamadas (the calls) (for activities such as lunch, going to the cancha, etc there are three llamadas and then a countdown from 10 to 1. Let’s just say the kids weren’t exactly respecting our authority during the llamadas but once we started counting down, it got a little better. And then educators were there. Phew! Then the rest of the day was pretty normal.