If you haven't yet, check out Memorable Moments (pt. 1).
Sept. 26
It's cool outside again. How happy am I? I am.
After wasting a bowl of cereal, I came to the conclusion that Carlos's family left my milk out and didn't refrigerate it for a long time. There wasn't any room to put it in Hermano Jesse's fridge, so I put it in Carlos's family's fridge. After pouring it in my cereal this morning, I noticed that it had a funky taste. Thinking that it could've just been the cereal making it that way, I poured some in a cup. I spat it out immediately. I still had half a gallon left, too. Actually, I remember having more than that. I think they might have used some of it. Well, hopefully it was before it went bad. Thank the Lord that Hermano Jesse has two gallons of milk.
Janeth came an hour late, but I still taught her English. Well, a little. I'm really confused on what she needs to know. Last time, she needed to learn a song. Now, she was preparing for a video project that's due at the end of the year. It's not necessary, but she wants to be ahead. Apparently, this is her fourth or fifth time in this class. She said that all the other years, her teacher didn't teach anything. Now, she's teaching a lot. I guess it's too much for Janeth. Janeth said she can understand English a little, but she can't speak it. This doesn't make sense because she was saying a few words to me in English while she was here, and I didn't ask her to. I'm really curious on what she actually knows. I put together a little lesson plan on what to teach her, but she said she wanted to know adverbs and verbs (past, present, and future). I wrote down a few adverbs for her and a few verbs. I wish I could've used my lesson plan. Well, I'm teaching older Carlos tomorrow, so I can use it then.
I was supposed to teach older Carlos English today, so, after the kids came home from school, I went to his house to find out if he still wanted to learn. He said tomorrow would be better. While I was there, I saw Tuco. He was lying on this huge stuffed bear. He looked sick. Turns out, he was. Older Carlos said it was because Tuco was drinking the tap water. The water here in Mexico isn't good. At all. I see them drink that water a lot. It's not good. I saw older Carlos with a purified water jug the other day, so maybe they're drinking that now. I don't know. Anyway, Tuco's stomach was bothering him. Gabi came over with Jalapeño Doritos, and Tuco started eating some. I told him that it was bad for his stomach, but he continued to eat them. I could tell that he was hungry, so I told him that I would make him a sandwich, which was good for his stomach. After I gave him the sandwich, I pretty much took care of him for the next hour. After he ate the sandwich, he came over to me and motioned for me to pick him up, so I did. I held him for most of the time. He seemed a little tired, too, so I sat down with him and rocked him. I prayed for him, which, surprisingly, Claudia asked me to, and I sang him a song that my mom used to sing to me when I was young when I was sick or needed comfort. Of course, it was in English, so he couldn't really understand, but still. I asked him if his stomach was feeling a little better, but he wasn't really sure, so I went and got him some of my apple juice, which is straight up "nectar de manzana" and that's pretty much it. When my stomach bothered me, Hermana Leo got me the same juice, and my stomach felt a lot better, and it helped my head, too. After giving him some, he said his stomach felt better. I could tell he was cold, so I got him his sweater. He asked to go on my shoulders, so I let him. Some of the other kids saw, so I gave them piggy-back rides really quick. Then, I went back to holding Tuco because he came over to me, lifted up his arms, and said he was cold. The other kids followed me and sat with me and Tuco. After sitting for a while, my legs started to hurt, so I asked Tuco if he could sit down where I was sitting so that I could walk around. Claudia took him, and he then started to lay on the ground. I told him that he should go in his bed and not lay on the ground, but he continued to lie there. I could tell he was really tired. After a few minutes, he told Claudia that he wanted to go home, so she picked him up and went home. Once I gave Tuco the juice, Carlos saw and got really jealous. Again. It wasn't just the juice, but the fact that I was holding Tuco and stuff. It really annoys me when he gets like that. Two reasons: 1) I give Carlos more things than anyone else. He should be grateful for the things I gave him, not jealous of the little things I give others, and 2) Tuco doesn't have good parents like Carlos does. Sadly, Tuco doesn't have parents that truly take care of him like they should. I'm the only one who gives him the attention he needs. Carlos has loving parents. He doesn't need the same attention that Tuco does. Still, he gets jealous, and it really annoys me. Pray that Carlos stops getting jealous. Also, pray that Tuco doesn't get hurt/sick anymore.
I practiced with the worship team again. We're singing Vamos a Cantar, half in español and half in English. I'm really pumped to sing that on Sunday. I'm also singing the other songs with them, too. Pumped.
After practice, I thought Hermano Carlos needed to talk to me about something, but he didn't. I'm still confused as to why Carlos came upstairs while we were practicing. I ended up talking with him for a bit, and then, Carlos wanted to play tazos with me. I told him that I had to be in the church since it was past 9:30, but I said I would play with him for a bit. After we played, he said thank you. Confused, I asked why he said that. He said thank you for playing with me. I thought that was one of the most adorable things I've ever heard. Usually, kids don't thank you for playing with them. They're happy that you play with them, but they don't usually say thank you afterward. Carlos did. He's an awesome kid.
Sept. 27
I've noticed that Claudia has been a lot nicer to me. Ever since I pretended that she was one of my babies and hugged her, she's been giving me hugs ever since. I actually don't mind being around her anymore. Praying really helped. I'm definitely going to continue praying for her, as well as the rest of her family.
Tuco is still sick. Not good. Praying a lot for him. He really needs to stop getting hurt/sick. It's too much. He is a lot more gentle and sweeter when he is, though. God, I pray he keeps that same attitude, and I pray You get rid of his sickness and bring divine healing to his body. En el nombre de Jesus, amen.
Also, I found out today that it's Tuco's dad who isn't very loving. His mom is. From what I've been told, though, Tuco's parents still aren't the greatest people. Tuco's mom did take him to the doctor, so she does care. I don't know. God, help their family as well, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. In Jesus' name, amen.
I had to walk to Cèlula today with Hermano Jesse and Hermano Caesar. It's an hour away walking. Not fun, especially when you're carrying a guitar.
I ate cow tongue for dinner. Yeah. And Carlos's parents really enjoy asking me to make animal sounds. It's slightly annoying, but oh well. I'm over it. It's kind of weird, though.
Chilled with Carlos under the stars again. Seriously my favorite thing to do. And it's not like I ask him if he wants to. He asks me. The best.
Sept. 28
After spending time with Jesus this morning, I went to see what Carlos was up to. When he saw me, he gave me a big hug. He's so adorable.
I found out that I might not be able to call people that much anymore. Apparently, the plan is whack. 1000 shared minutes between three people, one of which uses her phone for work a lot. No free nights and weekends. Not even free Verizon to Verizon. Whack.
Painted the other wall today. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. There's still a little left to do, but it's the top of the wall, and I can barely reach it. Well, I can, but I can't do a good job because I have to reach as far as I can and only use the tip of the brush. Caesar said that he'll get it tomorrow.
Sept. 29
After the program for the kids, one of the ladies from the church asked if I wanted to go to her house and use the Internet. Of course, I said yes. I'm not sure if I mentioned them, but it was Samuel and Israel's mom. I don't know her name. I should probably figure that out. Anyway, I went with her and the rest of her family to her house and used their laptop and their wifi. I was able to post my other blogs and go on Facebook for a bit. She also made me dinner, which was pasta, salad, and pork chops. So delicious. Then, I played with Samuel and Israel and their friend Jonathan outside, watched some tv in English, then we left for the church. Hermana Gabi (just found out her name) gave me two donuts to take with me. For some reason, I was craving donuts ever since that one Saturday we gave out donuts for breakfast. Thank ya, Jesus, for those donuts.
I went with everyone to the church's fútbol game. Unfortunately, I didn't get to play, but at least we won.
Sept. 30
I sang with the worship band today. I think it went pretty well. I sure hope it did. Singing "Sing sing sing" in español and English was really fun, plus I was worshipping the Lord. Double bonus. Also, I had Caesar record it, so hopefully I can put it up on Facebook. Hopefully it looks/sounds good.
I went with Luis to Hermana Maida's house for dinner. I think it was supposed to be for lunch, but it took Luis a while to cook the food. It was delicious. It was like these cornmeal patties with pork (Or pig fat. I think it was the latter), cheese, lettuce, and salsa. I need to find out the name of it.
Oct. 1
I've been really tired the last couple of days, like it's been hard for me to get up. I really don't know why. I went to bed early last night on purpose so that I wouldn't be tired, but alas. Hmmm.
Carlos told me that he wanted to be like me. He said it was because I give all of the kids piggy-back rides and can play the drums. I'm not that good at playing the drums, so I don't know where he got that from, but this was probably the most adorable thing I've ever heard.
My phone hasn't been working for the past two days. I have no idea why. I think it has something to do with the Mexican cell lines. It works for everyone except me. Why.
I went for a walk so that I had something to do. I heard some people speaking English. They were white people that were helping another church. They should be helping ours. Lol, jk. I thought it was funny that I saw Americans. At least I think I did. The last time I saw Americans around here, they didn't know any Spanish. I think they came to check out our church, but I have no idea what they were doing here. I know that the one lady I talked to didn't know any Spanish, and she wouldn't talk to me about anything. I first saw her when I went to Rancho de sus Niños, and I saw her here at the church the next day. When I met her, I talked to her in Spanish because I had been speaking Spanish all week, and she was like, "Uh......." so I said, "You speak English?"
"Yeah, haha."
"Oh, sorry. I've been speaking Spanish all week."
And that was it. The next day, I introduced myself again, and she said we already met. I wasn't sure if it was her since it was dark out when I first met her, but oh well. She was with other Americans and a Mexican guy who spoke English and Spanish, but none of them said anything to me. They sat in their car for the longest time, got out, I talked to the one lady, then they walked over to the garbage area, talked there for a bit, got back in their car, waited more, then left. I thought that maybe they were here to help with the Saturday program for the kids, but they didn't.
Bottom line: Americans are weird.
Watched a minute of the Mexican news. One of the most gruesome things I've ever seen.
Oct. 2
I helped Angel, Carlos's cousin and someone from the church, get things for his Mac, like games, flash player, and iMovie. Unfortunately, after two hours of waiting, I was only able to get him a Nintendo ROM with some games (at first I was downloading them, but I then realized that I could give him the ones I already had, all 765 of them) and another game for his computer. He really wanted iMovie and Playstation games, but I downloaded the wrong version of both. His Mac is old, so I needed older versions of both, but I couldn't find the right ones. Maybe if I looked again, I could find it, pero no se.
Estefani and Karla were being really rude tonight. Well, mostly Estefani. She was saying things very rudely to me like in a mimicy(Is this a word?) voice. I believe she was asking me where Kaprice was, but she wasn't saying her name correctly. I asked her if she meant Kaprice, but she kept on saying, "¿Dooonde estaaaaaaa?" I said that I couldn't understand her since she was talking like but she kept on doing it. When someone asks you to stop. No mas. She needs prayer so that she stops lying and that she stops being rude. She and Karla both.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Memorable Moments (pt. 3)
If you haven't yet, check out Memorable Moments (pt. 1).
Sept. 19
Going to the orphanage today. Pumped.
Went to the orphanage. I saw two of the kids from last time, Karla and Cristofer. Karla saw me and remembered my name, but I forgot hers until just now. I said hola to Cristofer, and I think at first he didn't recognize me or was in disbelief, but he then got really excited and ran over to me and gave me a hug. It was really adorable. If I ever do anything at that orphanage, it's probably going to be adopting him. Unfortunately, all I did the whole time was help sort out old potatoes, watch the kids in the pool, cut some fruit and potatoes, and washed some dishes. I didn't get the chance to play with the kids, which made me upset. Well, I played two games of pool with Martin, one of the older kids, and another older kid and went swimming with a few of the older kids, but that's it. I got there around 11, but the younger kids went to school at 1, and they were getting ready before then. I could've played with them at 11, but that's when I was sorting potatoes. I wanted to be able to be with the younger kids, but I didn't get to. I don't mind helping with other things, but if all I get to do is the other things and not be with the kids, then it defeats the reason why I'm there. I'm there to help, but I want to help take care of the kids. I know those things needed taken care of, but still. I just pray that next time I go that I'll be able to be with the kids a lot more.
Of course, half the songs that we practiced for this Sunday have flats and sharps in them. I have no idea how to play those. Great.
Sept. 20
While I was playing tasos with Carlos outside, he said something that I didn't understand, so I went and grabbed my dictionaries to figure out what he said. As I was looking for what he said, Tuco came over. I forget why, but Tuco grabbed one of my dictionaries and started walking off with it. Carlos got upset that Tuco did that and went after him to get it. Carlos forcefully took my dictionary from Tuco, and since Carlos did it forcefully, Tuco swung his fist at Carlos to hit him. Tuco missed, but Carlos punched Tuco anyway. Right in the head. I got up right away and broke it up. Tuco went off crying. I asked Carlos why he did that, and he said since Tuco hit him, he hit Tuco. I then told him that that still isn't nice. I then asked him that when Jesus was on the cross and people hit Him, did he hit them back, which Carlos replied, "No....." I told him that just because a person hits you, you don't hit the person. It's not nice. (That's pretty much how I said it. I would've used different words, but I only knew how to say those ones. It got the point across, though) Then Claudia and Gabi came over and started asking Carlos all tough-like if he hit Tuco. Pretty much, they were planning on beating up Carlos. That makes me really mad because Claudia and Gabi are mean to each other and their family all the time, but if someone hits one of them, then they go after that person like they're in a gang or something. It's really ridiculous. If they were a little older, like 15 or something, why they do that might be a little understandable. But they're 11 and 7. They should not be like that, threatening to beat other kids up. Unfortunately, they have a pretty bad family life, so that's where it comes from. Carlos said something, then they walked away. Carlos's sister told him to come inside. We both knew what for. He asked me to come with him, but I hesitated. I heard him say, "I don't want to get hit," as tears welled up in his eyes. He then went inside. Later on, Claudia and Gabi were with Leo, and Leo had a bat. Leo asked where Carlos was, and I said in his house. I then asked him what the bat was for, and Claudia said to hit Carlos. At this point, I was in utter disbelief. This got so ridiculous so fast. Claudia needs so much prayer, it's ridiculous. I said nothing, and they left. Ridiculous.
I went and got ice cream with Carlos and Karla. It was pretty delicious.
Hermano Jesse wasn't feeling well, plus there wasn't enough gas in the car, so I went with Carlos and his family for cèlula at Mary Cruz's house. As we were walking into the house, I fell through this hole that was covered up by a pretty weak board. I scraped my leg pretty bad. I was just about done healing from my other wounds, too.......
Sept. 21
I got invited to eat lunch at Mary Cruz's house, and it was pretty good. They made homemade tortillas, which tasted amazing. I stayed there for about two and a half hours. I was surprised that I could hold a conversation with them for a long time. I'm really happy with how my Spanish is coming along.
I've realized that Mexicans eat tortillas with pretty much every meal, and every time, I always make a burrito: I take a little of everything on my plate and roll it up in a tortilla and eat it. Delicious.
I taught Carlito and his brother, Brandon, English. Luis had to do something at his house, so he didn't come. I really hope they learned a lot. I only taught them what was necessary. Carlos was there, too, but he wasn't listening that much. Oh well. He's only 7.
I chilled with Carlos in front of the church and looked at the stars. Second night in a row. He asked me to. I thought that it was really cool. He was acting really hyper, though. It was probably the pan dulce.
Sept. 22
Cade and Landon randomly showed up. They brought all of my stuff and peanut butter. Gloria a Dios. Now, I'm spending the day with them. I'm kinda upset because I was planning on getting ice cream for everyone, but that can wait I guess. We're going to a beach right now, but they won't tell me what else. Hmmm.
Surfed for the first time in my life. Well, attempted. It was still pretty fun. Now, about to eat lobster for the first time. Surprise #2.
Lobster tasted pretty good. Not super amazing, but good. Afterward, we went to the store next door, and Landon got me an awesome Mexican poncho. So legit. Now going to Surprise #3. What else could there be?
Arrived at Namaan's Mexico house. It looks pretty nice from the outside. I don't know what it looks like on the inside because we're locked out........
Heading back to the church. Surprise #4. Lol.
Sept. 23
Had another worship session with the worship team, except we were plugged in this time. Super awesome.
I needed to go to Walmart, so I asked if Carlos and one of his sisters could go with me to show me the way. All of the kids ended up coming. I was going to go to Calimax, but Walmart is better, plus it's not too far. The Walmart here is connected with a mall, so I walked through the mall part with the kids so they could check it out. I don't think they get to go there a lot, so I thought I'd let them check it out. We were all hungry, so I got us some pizza. I wanted to get pizza, and I also thought that maybe they'd like to have some because it's something they don't get to eat often. We had to take the escalator to the second floor to go to Walmart, and it seemed like he had so much fun riding the escalator. I mean, I loved riding the escalator when I was a kid, too, but you could tell that he was really happy to ride the escalator. After Walmart, we took a taxi back, and we went to the ice cream store, and I bought a tub of Cookies and Cream ice cream. It's made fresh by the people at the store. It was delicious. Overall, it was a really fun time. I loved being able to go there with the kids.
Carlos and I laid under the stars again and ate Choco-Rice (off-brand Cocoa Krispies). Seriously my favorite time of the day. I thought about it, and my favorite thing to do is to just chill with the kids.
Sept. 24
I started playing this game with Carlos, Tuco, Gabi, and Claudia where I pretend that they're my babies. Lol. It doesn't involve running. It's pretty enjoyable.
Found out that I only have $5. Oh joy.
After talking with Hermano Jesse, I realized that even though things look a little rough, God can still come through, and I need to put complete faith in Him and know that He'll come through. He always has. He always will.
I joined Luis in his prayer meeting today. Definitely needed that. Definitely considering going again. Also found out that for Sunday, we're singing Vamos A Cantar (Sing Sing Sing by Chris Tomlin), and we're doing part of it in Spanish and some of it in English. I'm pretty pumped about it.
Luis asked me to go with him to walk Carlito home, but Carlos didn't want me to. He wanted to go with us, but it was a little too late to ask his dad, so we left. Carlos looked really mad. Not because he couldn't go, but because I was leaving with Luis, Carlito, and Angel. Once I came back, I talked with Carlos for a bit, and he didn't say much. He cried a bit. I found out that it was because I went with Luis and the other guys that he was upset. I did my best to console him. I think he feels better now. He really needs to stop being jealous of others when I'm with them. It's a little ridiculous.
Sept. 25
Carlos started calling me his other dad. Maybe because I was pretending they were my babies the other day, but I'm not sure. Again, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Started putting the drywall stuff on the other wall. Listening to worship music while doing that makes it so much better.
I went to use the Internet today, and this kid waved at me and said hi to me when I went there and when I left. He said it like he knew me, but I have no idea who he is. Have I seen him before?
After reading through all of this, I realized there were some things I forgot to mention:
My bracelet fell off again. I don't think I can repair it. I think I'm just going to make a new one.
After I went to Walmart with the kids, I realized my cross from my necklace was gone. I was pretty upset about it, but I'm over it now. Just a little, though.
I haven't taught Blanca English in a while. I was kind of excited to teach her, too. Hopefully, she needs help soon. At least I'm teaching Luis and Carlito, possibly more people. Every Friday. Get ready. Boi.
Ever since I first mentioned it, I've been chilling with Carlos under the stars every night, except for the night when I wasn't here. Seriously my favorite thing to do.
I love peanut butter. A lot. If you can, send me some or money so I can buy some. I don't think I can ever have enough. The kids like it, too. Do it for them. And me.
I played Escondidas today with the kids for Tuesday night service. I'm a pro now. At one point, I seriously hid in the worst spot possible, and I still made it to safe. Pro. I also showed some of the boys the game Ninja. I think I explained it well enough. They're young, so they don't really get the concept of making one swift move. Carlos likes to do a chopping motion, then move back to where he was originally. I have to explain to him every time that he has to stay still. Oh well. He's 7. It was hard for my kids from Dallas Metro Camp to play, and I could explain things in English, so I understand.
I saw Janeth again today. She was at church. She wasn't in the service, though. She sat outside next to where we were playing Ninja. The last time I saw her was when I was teaching her English, which was about two weeks ago. I asked her how her English class was going, and she said, "Bad." She said that her teacher talked to her in English, but she couldn't understand her, so it's bad. She said something about how she has to create a video project for her class. That's as much as I could gather. I asked her if she still wanted to learn English, and she said yes. I'm teaching her tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll stick with it and not quit after a day.
It's really cool outside tonight. Me gusta mucho. I hope it stays this way.
Sept. 19
Going to the orphanage today. Pumped.
Went to the orphanage. I saw two of the kids from last time, Karla and Cristofer. Karla saw me and remembered my name, but I forgot hers until just now. I said hola to Cristofer, and I think at first he didn't recognize me or was in disbelief, but he then got really excited and ran over to me and gave me a hug. It was really adorable. If I ever do anything at that orphanage, it's probably going to be adopting him. Unfortunately, all I did the whole time was help sort out old potatoes, watch the kids in the pool, cut some fruit and potatoes, and washed some dishes. I didn't get the chance to play with the kids, which made me upset. Well, I played two games of pool with Martin, one of the older kids, and another older kid and went swimming with a few of the older kids, but that's it. I got there around 11, but the younger kids went to school at 1, and they were getting ready before then. I could've played with them at 11, but that's when I was sorting potatoes. I wanted to be able to be with the younger kids, but I didn't get to. I don't mind helping with other things, but if all I get to do is the other things and not be with the kids, then it defeats the reason why I'm there. I'm there to help, but I want to help take care of the kids. I know those things needed taken care of, but still. I just pray that next time I go that I'll be able to be with the kids a lot more.
Of course, half the songs that we practiced for this Sunday have flats and sharps in them. I have no idea how to play those. Great.
Sept. 20
While I was playing tasos with Carlos outside, he said something that I didn't understand, so I went and grabbed my dictionaries to figure out what he said. As I was looking for what he said, Tuco came over. I forget why, but Tuco grabbed one of my dictionaries and started walking off with it. Carlos got upset that Tuco did that and went after him to get it. Carlos forcefully took my dictionary from Tuco, and since Carlos did it forcefully, Tuco swung his fist at Carlos to hit him. Tuco missed, but Carlos punched Tuco anyway. Right in the head. I got up right away and broke it up. Tuco went off crying. I asked Carlos why he did that, and he said since Tuco hit him, he hit Tuco. I then told him that that still isn't nice. I then asked him that when Jesus was on the cross and people hit Him, did he hit them back, which Carlos replied, "No....." I told him that just because a person hits you, you don't hit the person. It's not nice. (That's pretty much how I said it. I would've used different words, but I only knew how to say those ones. It got the point across, though) Then Claudia and Gabi came over and started asking Carlos all tough-like if he hit Tuco. Pretty much, they were planning on beating up Carlos. That makes me really mad because Claudia and Gabi are mean to each other and their family all the time, but if someone hits one of them, then they go after that person like they're in a gang or something. It's really ridiculous. If they were a little older, like 15 or something, why they do that might be a little understandable. But they're 11 and 7. They should not be like that, threatening to beat other kids up. Unfortunately, they have a pretty bad family life, so that's where it comes from. Carlos said something, then they walked away. Carlos's sister told him to come inside. We both knew what for. He asked me to come with him, but I hesitated. I heard him say, "I don't want to get hit," as tears welled up in his eyes. He then went inside. Later on, Claudia and Gabi were with Leo, and Leo had a bat. Leo asked where Carlos was, and I said in his house. I then asked him what the bat was for, and Claudia said to hit Carlos. At this point, I was in utter disbelief. This got so ridiculous so fast. Claudia needs so much prayer, it's ridiculous. I said nothing, and they left. Ridiculous.
I went and got ice cream with Carlos and Karla. It was pretty delicious.
Hermano Jesse wasn't feeling well, plus there wasn't enough gas in the car, so I went with Carlos and his family for cèlula at Mary Cruz's house. As we were walking into the house, I fell through this hole that was covered up by a pretty weak board. I scraped my leg pretty bad. I was just about done healing from my other wounds, too.......
Sept. 21
I got invited to eat lunch at Mary Cruz's house, and it was pretty good. They made homemade tortillas, which tasted amazing. I stayed there for about two and a half hours. I was surprised that I could hold a conversation with them for a long time. I'm really happy with how my Spanish is coming along.
I've realized that Mexicans eat tortillas with pretty much every meal, and every time, I always make a burrito: I take a little of everything on my plate and roll it up in a tortilla and eat it. Delicious.
I taught Carlito and his brother, Brandon, English. Luis had to do something at his house, so he didn't come. I really hope they learned a lot. I only taught them what was necessary. Carlos was there, too, but he wasn't listening that much. Oh well. He's only 7.
I chilled with Carlos in front of the church and looked at the stars. Second night in a row. He asked me to. I thought that it was really cool. He was acting really hyper, though. It was probably the pan dulce.
Sept. 22
Cade and Landon randomly showed up. They brought all of my stuff and peanut butter. Gloria a Dios. Now, I'm spending the day with them. I'm kinda upset because I was planning on getting ice cream for everyone, but that can wait I guess. We're going to a beach right now, but they won't tell me what else. Hmmm.
Surfed for the first time in my life. Well, attempted. It was still pretty fun. Now, about to eat lobster for the first time. Surprise #2.
Lobster tasted pretty good. Not super amazing, but good. Afterward, we went to the store next door, and Landon got me an awesome Mexican poncho. So legit. Now going to Surprise #3. What else could there be?
Arrived at Namaan's Mexico house. It looks pretty nice from the outside. I don't know what it looks like on the inside because we're locked out........
Heading back to the church. Surprise #4. Lol.
Sept. 23
Had another worship session with the worship team, except we were plugged in this time. Super awesome.
I needed to go to Walmart, so I asked if Carlos and one of his sisters could go with me to show me the way. All of the kids ended up coming. I was going to go to Calimax, but Walmart is better, plus it's not too far. The Walmart here is connected with a mall, so I walked through the mall part with the kids so they could check it out. I don't think they get to go there a lot, so I thought I'd let them check it out. We were all hungry, so I got us some pizza. I wanted to get pizza, and I also thought that maybe they'd like to have some because it's something they don't get to eat often. We had to take the escalator to the second floor to go to Walmart, and it seemed like he had so much fun riding the escalator. I mean, I loved riding the escalator when I was a kid, too, but you could tell that he was really happy to ride the escalator. After Walmart, we took a taxi back, and we went to the ice cream store, and I bought a tub of Cookies and Cream ice cream. It's made fresh by the people at the store. It was delicious. Overall, it was a really fun time. I loved being able to go there with the kids.
Carlos and I laid under the stars again and ate Choco-Rice (off-brand Cocoa Krispies). Seriously my favorite time of the day. I thought about it, and my favorite thing to do is to just chill with the kids.
Sept. 24
I started playing this game with Carlos, Tuco, Gabi, and Claudia where I pretend that they're my babies. Lol. It doesn't involve running. It's pretty enjoyable.
Found out that I only have $5. Oh joy.
After talking with Hermano Jesse, I realized that even though things look a little rough, God can still come through, and I need to put complete faith in Him and know that He'll come through. He always has. He always will.
I joined Luis in his prayer meeting today. Definitely needed that. Definitely considering going again. Also found out that for Sunday, we're singing Vamos A Cantar (Sing Sing Sing by Chris Tomlin), and we're doing part of it in Spanish and some of it in English. I'm pretty pumped about it.
Luis asked me to go with him to walk Carlito home, but Carlos didn't want me to. He wanted to go with us, but it was a little too late to ask his dad, so we left. Carlos looked really mad. Not because he couldn't go, but because I was leaving with Luis, Carlito, and Angel. Once I came back, I talked with Carlos for a bit, and he didn't say much. He cried a bit. I found out that it was because I went with Luis and the other guys that he was upset. I did my best to console him. I think he feels better now. He really needs to stop being jealous of others when I'm with them. It's a little ridiculous.
Sept. 25
Carlos started calling me his other dad. Maybe because I was pretending they were my babies the other day, but I'm not sure. Again, not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Started putting the drywall stuff on the other wall. Listening to worship music while doing that makes it so much better.
I went to use the Internet today, and this kid waved at me and said hi to me when I went there and when I left. He said it like he knew me, but I have no idea who he is. Have I seen him before?
After reading through all of this, I realized there were some things I forgot to mention:
My bracelet fell off again. I don't think I can repair it. I think I'm just going to make a new one.
After I went to Walmart with the kids, I realized my cross from my necklace was gone. I was pretty upset about it, but I'm over it now. Just a little, though.
I haven't taught Blanca English in a while. I was kind of excited to teach her, too. Hopefully, she needs help soon. At least I'm teaching Luis and Carlito, possibly more people. Every Friday. Get ready. Boi.
Ever since I first mentioned it, I've been chilling with Carlos under the stars every night, except for the night when I wasn't here. Seriously my favorite thing to do.
I love peanut butter. A lot. If you can, send me some or money so I can buy some. I don't think I can ever have enough. The kids like it, too. Do it for them. And me.
I played Escondidas today with the kids for Tuesday night service. I'm a pro now. At one point, I seriously hid in the worst spot possible, and I still made it to safe. Pro. I also showed some of the boys the game Ninja. I think I explained it well enough. They're young, so they don't really get the concept of making one swift move. Carlos likes to do a chopping motion, then move back to where he was originally. I have to explain to him every time that he has to stay still. Oh well. He's 7. It was hard for my kids from Dallas Metro Camp to play, and I could explain things in English, so I understand.
I saw Janeth again today. She was at church. She wasn't in the service, though. She sat outside next to where we were playing Ninja. The last time I saw her was when I was teaching her English, which was about two weeks ago. I asked her how her English class was going, and she said, "Bad." She said that her teacher talked to her in English, but she couldn't understand her, so it's bad. She said something about how she has to create a video project for her class. That's as much as I could gather. I asked her if she still wanted to learn English, and she said yes. I'm teaching her tomorrow. Hopefully, she'll stick with it and not quit after a day.
It's really cool outside tonight. Me gusta mucho. I hope it stays this way.
Memorable Moments (pt. 2)
If you haven't yet, check out Memorable Moments (pt.1).
Sept. 12
I don't think I can have my time with Jesus with Carlos's family anymore. Before, I just sat outside with Carlos and had my time with Jesus, but because of the rain, I do it inside his house. With just Carlos, it's fine because he sits and just listens, even if he doesn't understand. In his house with his family, his sisters are bothering me every minute, and his baby brother keeps hitting my guitar. It's really annoying. It's kind of hard to enter into God's presence when you're being bothered constantly.
I had Carlos and Kevin talk to Rose on the phone. It was hilarious. I then had Kevin talk to Johnathan. They talked in Spanish. It was really cool to hear them talk to each other. Well, I only heard Kevin, but it was cool hearing Kevin respond to Johnathan.
I practiced with the worship band today. Luis, one of the singers, asked me yesterday if I wanted to play my guitar with them. I agreed, and now I'm playing in the service on Sunday. Oh man.
After looking back on today, I realized that Claudia is the troublemaker out of her, older Carlos, Gabi, and Tuco. Today, while I was playing with Kevin, Leo and Gabi came over. We were throwing rocks into this tire at the bottom of the hill. Gabi helped me by getting rocks for me. HELPED me. That's a first. Also, note that Claudia was not there. When Claudia showed up, Gabi started acting like Claudia, like pushing me and being rude to me. I noticed now that all of the other kids in that family only act mean when Claudia is there. When she's not, they're fine. They're like a new person. Well, almost new. It makes me upset that not only does Claudia act that way, but she causes her siblings to do the same. Mucho prayer is needed for her.
Sept. 13
I now have a set of chores that I have to do, and one of the things is that I have to clean the area in front of the church. I got the kids to help me, and while cleaning, Carlos found my bracelet! I fixed it, and now it'll hopefully stay on forever.
After we finished cleaning, the kids wanted to play, but I was hot and a little tired, so I just wanted to sit. The girls (Claudia, Gabi, Karla, and Estefani) were hitting me, pulling my hair, and pulling my necklaces because I wasn't playing. I just wanted to sit and rest for the moment, but they were being really annoying and rude. Mind you, these girls are old enough to know when someone has had enough, but even though I told them to stop, they still continued. I had to walk into the church and have five minutes to just pray and ask God for peace because the devil was trying to take my peace and joy away, and I wasn't about to just let him do that. I went back outside after five minutes, and I explained to Carlos and older Carlos why I had to go inside. Later on, (I think) Carlos told Claudia and Gabi about why I had to go inside, but he told it to them quietly, like it was a secret or something. Then Gabi came up to me and asked me if the devil was in my heart or something. I wasn't sure what Carlos told the girls, so I had Brother Jesse ask him what he said. Jesse said that Carlos explained it correctly, but I guess Gabi didn't understand. I need to be careful about what and how I explain things to the kids.
Sept. 14
This is the third day in a row that I've woken up with calf cramps. Not fun.
Today, I was playing with Tuco, Carlos, and Jesús. I was throwing Tuco and Carlos in the air. I got this stupid idea to throw Tuco to Jesús. Jesús is big enough to catch Tuco, and I asked Jesús three times if he could catch Tuco, and he said yes. I tossed Tuco to Jesús. Instead of catching Tuco, Jesús moved out of the way. I still have no idea why Jesús moved. Tuco hit his head and his back on the ground, and he was crying really hard. I ran over and picked him up immediately. Some girl I don't even know came over and took Tuco. Part of me felt like I shouldn't give Tuco to this random girl, but I did anyway. I'm pretty sure Tuco knew her, so I just let her take him. She took him to his house, but I have no idea what she said about him to anybody. The rest of the night, I didn't feel like doing anything. All I could think about was how stupid I was for even thinking of doing something like that. After dinner at Carlos's house, I made a peanut butter sandwich for Tuco. He had been asking me all day for one, and after what happened, I felt that I should make him one. Once Tuco's dad wasn't outside anymore, I told older Carlos, his brother, to give him the sandwich for me. His dad isn't a nice person, so I made sure that I steered clear of him. I then went back to Carlos's house, and his mom asked me to get my guitar and play Abre Mis Ojos. I really didn't feel like doing anything, but I said I'd do it anyway. I went to the church to get my guitar, but I couldn't bring myself to walk into the church. I sat in front of the church, put my head in my hands, and just prayed. I prayed that Tuco was ok. I prayed for God to forgive me. I prayed that I wouldn't have any problems with Tuco's dad. I prayed that God would give me peace. As I sat there, Claudia walked by with her two baby sisters and Tuco. Tuco said hola to me, but I felt too ashamed to look up at him. I just said hola and looked away. A minute later, Tuco came and sat near me, but I still didn't say anything. He then crawled over to me and tapped my arm. I looked over at him. He just stared at me. I then reached out to him, letting him know that I wanted to hug him. He came over to me, and I just held him in my arms and said, "Lo ciento, Tuco. No mas. No mas." Tears started rolling down my face as I sat there and held him. He looked up at me and saw that I was crying. After a couple minutes, he went back with Claudia.
I don't ever want to do that again. No mas tirando niños. At the least, throwing to other people. Possibly never again.
Sept. 15
Today, for one of the games for the kids' program today, I thought it would be a good idea to play Kick the Can. I couldn't remember exactly how to play, but I put together the best rules that made sense. It took me forever to explain the rules, even with a translator, but we finally started playing. After three games, which ended up only being like ten seconds each, I realized that we were playing it wrong. I was supposed to call out their names when I saw them, not tag them. No wonder it was extremely difficult for me to win. Oh well. Next time, I'll make sure to explain it correctly.
It's really, really hot today. I think I somehow got sunburn indoors. Also, the church is filled with moscas. No bueno para gringos. No bueno para todo.
Long story short: eating only Doritos and only drinking orange Kool-Aid (a lot of each) within 7 hours + running around with the kids + HEAT = horrible stomach ache. Throwing up is not fun, especially 10 times. I've now decided that throwing up is worse than calf cramps.
Sept. 16
Another long story short: stomach ache is gone, but had a massive headache. Today is Mexican Independence Day, and due to the previous night, I missed out on all the awesome mexican food. I got prayed for after church, and after drinking some apple juice, I felt better. I then decided that I needed to give praise and glory to God, no matter how I felt. After having a time of worship, I felt a lot better. I also noticed afterward that the worship band was watching me. Not only was I jumping and going all over the place, but I was crying, too. I really hope they understood. They then asked me to play another song in English, so I did. The drummer, Carlito, played on a conga drum while I played my guitar. It was pretty awesome. We ended up doing a whole worship session, like eight songs. For some of the songs, I couldn't remember the words to part of it, so Luis, one of the singers, would sing in Spanish the parts I couldn't remember. At the end, Luis asked me to play one of my songs. The other day when I was helping translate Luis's song, I mentioned that I wrote a couple songs, too. I guess he remembered and wanted to hear one. They all liked it, and now Luis is translating it into Spanish for me. The rest of the day, I took it easy. Called some people, chilled with the kids, didn't run. Good day full of Jesus.
Oh, also, I got Carlos to say, "Yo, what up?" to my cousin, Robert. If you see my cousin Robert, tell him I said, "Yo, what up?"
Sept. 17
Finally got up at like 10:30. Ridiculous. I've never slept this late.
Carlos and Jesús wanted to know how to make bracelets, so I showed them how. Man, was it frustrating. Not only is it hard to explain to a kid how to make bracelets, but to explain it in Spanish, especially when I don't know a lot of Spanish. It was a little upsetting, too, when I would double-check their work, and they would think that they did something wrong, so they would get frustrated and upset. I didn't know how to tell them that I was just making sure they didn't mess up and was just helping, so that made me frustrated. At the end, three bracelets were completed. I ended up finishing them all, but Carlos did almost a whole one. I had to watch him every ten seconds, but still, he did a pretty good job for a seven year-old.
Luis finished translating my song into Spanish. Yeah boi.
Sept. 18
I met a new friend. Well, not really new, but I've never really talked to him or did anything with him. David, Leo's brother, actually talked to me and played with me today. I mean, he mostly just hugged my leg while I pulled him around, but still.
I'm now teaching Carlito and Luis English. Hopefully they don't get bored after one day like Blanca did.
Sept. 12
I don't think I can have my time with Jesus with Carlos's family anymore. Before, I just sat outside with Carlos and had my time with Jesus, but because of the rain, I do it inside his house. With just Carlos, it's fine because he sits and just listens, even if he doesn't understand. In his house with his family, his sisters are bothering me every minute, and his baby brother keeps hitting my guitar. It's really annoying. It's kind of hard to enter into God's presence when you're being bothered constantly.
I had Carlos and Kevin talk to Rose on the phone. It was hilarious. I then had Kevin talk to Johnathan. They talked in Spanish. It was really cool to hear them talk to each other. Well, I only heard Kevin, but it was cool hearing Kevin respond to Johnathan.
I practiced with the worship band today. Luis, one of the singers, asked me yesterday if I wanted to play my guitar with them. I agreed, and now I'm playing in the service on Sunday. Oh man.
After looking back on today, I realized that Claudia is the troublemaker out of her, older Carlos, Gabi, and Tuco. Today, while I was playing with Kevin, Leo and Gabi came over. We were throwing rocks into this tire at the bottom of the hill. Gabi helped me by getting rocks for me. HELPED me. That's a first. Also, note that Claudia was not there. When Claudia showed up, Gabi started acting like Claudia, like pushing me and being rude to me. I noticed now that all of the other kids in that family only act mean when Claudia is there. When she's not, they're fine. They're like a new person. Well, almost new. It makes me upset that not only does Claudia act that way, but she causes her siblings to do the same. Mucho prayer is needed for her.
Sept. 13
I now have a set of chores that I have to do, and one of the things is that I have to clean the area in front of the church. I got the kids to help me, and while cleaning, Carlos found my bracelet! I fixed it, and now it'll hopefully stay on forever.
After we finished cleaning, the kids wanted to play, but I was hot and a little tired, so I just wanted to sit. The girls (Claudia, Gabi, Karla, and Estefani) were hitting me, pulling my hair, and pulling my necklaces because I wasn't playing. I just wanted to sit and rest for the moment, but they were being really annoying and rude. Mind you, these girls are old enough to know when someone has had enough, but even though I told them to stop, they still continued. I had to walk into the church and have five minutes to just pray and ask God for peace because the devil was trying to take my peace and joy away, and I wasn't about to just let him do that. I went back outside after five minutes, and I explained to Carlos and older Carlos why I had to go inside. Later on, (I think) Carlos told Claudia and Gabi about why I had to go inside, but he told it to them quietly, like it was a secret or something. Then Gabi came up to me and asked me if the devil was in my heart or something. I wasn't sure what Carlos told the girls, so I had Brother Jesse ask him what he said. Jesse said that Carlos explained it correctly, but I guess Gabi didn't understand. I need to be careful about what and how I explain things to the kids.
Sept. 14
This is the third day in a row that I've woken up with calf cramps. Not fun.
Today, I was playing with Tuco, Carlos, and Jesús. I was throwing Tuco and Carlos in the air. I got this stupid idea to throw Tuco to Jesús. Jesús is big enough to catch Tuco, and I asked Jesús three times if he could catch Tuco, and he said yes. I tossed Tuco to Jesús. Instead of catching Tuco, Jesús moved out of the way. I still have no idea why Jesús moved. Tuco hit his head and his back on the ground, and he was crying really hard. I ran over and picked him up immediately. Some girl I don't even know came over and took Tuco. Part of me felt like I shouldn't give Tuco to this random girl, but I did anyway. I'm pretty sure Tuco knew her, so I just let her take him. She took him to his house, but I have no idea what she said about him to anybody. The rest of the night, I didn't feel like doing anything. All I could think about was how stupid I was for even thinking of doing something like that. After dinner at Carlos's house, I made a peanut butter sandwich for Tuco. He had been asking me all day for one, and after what happened, I felt that I should make him one. Once Tuco's dad wasn't outside anymore, I told older Carlos, his brother, to give him the sandwich for me. His dad isn't a nice person, so I made sure that I steered clear of him. I then went back to Carlos's house, and his mom asked me to get my guitar and play Abre Mis Ojos. I really didn't feel like doing anything, but I said I'd do it anyway. I went to the church to get my guitar, but I couldn't bring myself to walk into the church. I sat in front of the church, put my head in my hands, and just prayed. I prayed that Tuco was ok. I prayed for God to forgive me. I prayed that I wouldn't have any problems with Tuco's dad. I prayed that God would give me peace. As I sat there, Claudia walked by with her two baby sisters and Tuco. Tuco said hola to me, but I felt too ashamed to look up at him. I just said hola and looked away. A minute later, Tuco came and sat near me, but I still didn't say anything. He then crawled over to me and tapped my arm. I looked over at him. He just stared at me. I then reached out to him, letting him know that I wanted to hug him. He came over to me, and I just held him in my arms and said, "Lo ciento, Tuco. No mas. No mas." Tears started rolling down my face as I sat there and held him. He looked up at me and saw that I was crying. After a couple minutes, he went back with Claudia.
I don't ever want to do that again. No mas tirando niños. At the least, throwing to other people. Possibly never again.
Sept. 15
Today, for one of the games for the kids' program today, I thought it would be a good idea to play Kick the Can. I couldn't remember exactly how to play, but I put together the best rules that made sense. It took me forever to explain the rules, even with a translator, but we finally started playing. After three games, which ended up only being like ten seconds each, I realized that we were playing it wrong. I was supposed to call out their names when I saw them, not tag them. No wonder it was extremely difficult for me to win. Oh well. Next time, I'll make sure to explain it correctly.
It's really, really hot today. I think I somehow got sunburn indoors. Also, the church is filled with moscas. No bueno para gringos. No bueno para todo.
Long story short: eating only Doritos and only drinking orange Kool-Aid (a lot of each) within 7 hours + running around with the kids + HEAT = horrible stomach ache. Throwing up is not fun, especially 10 times. I've now decided that throwing up is worse than calf cramps.
Sept. 16
Another long story short: stomach ache is gone, but had a massive headache. Today is Mexican Independence Day, and due to the previous night, I missed out on all the awesome mexican food. I got prayed for after church, and after drinking some apple juice, I felt better. I then decided that I needed to give praise and glory to God, no matter how I felt. After having a time of worship, I felt a lot better. I also noticed afterward that the worship band was watching me. Not only was I jumping and going all over the place, but I was crying, too. I really hope they understood. They then asked me to play another song in English, so I did. The drummer, Carlito, played on a conga drum while I played my guitar. It was pretty awesome. We ended up doing a whole worship session, like eight songs. For some of the songs, I couldn't remember the words to part of it, so Luis, one of the singers, would sing in Spanish the parts I couldn't remember. At the end, Luis asked me to play one of my songs. The other day when I was helping translate Luis's song, I mentioned that I wrote a couple songs, too. I guess he remembered and wanted to hear one. They all liked it, and now Luis is translating it into Spanish for me. The rest of the day, I took it easy. Called some people, chilled with the kids, didn't run. Good day full of Jesus.
Oh, also, I got Carlos to say, "Yo, what up?" to my cousin, Robert. If you see my cousin Robert, tell him I said, "Yo, what up?"
Sept. 17
Finally got up at like 10:30. Ridiculous. I've never slept this late.
Carlos and Jesús wanted to know how to make bracelets, so I showed them how. Man, was it frustrating. Not only is it hard to explain to a kid how to make bracelets, but to explain it in Spanish, especially when I don't know a lot of Spanish. It was a little upsetting, too, when I would double-check their work, and they would think that they did something wrong, so they would get frustrated and upset. I didn't know how to tell them that I was just making sure they didn't mess up and was just helping, so that made me frustrated. At the end, three bracelets were completed. I ended up finishing them all, but Carlos did almost a whole one. I had to watch him every ten seconds, but still, he did a pretty good job for a seven year-old.
Luis finished translating my song into Spanish. Yeah boi.
Sept. 18
I met a new friend. Well, not really new, but I've never really talked to him or did anything with him. David, Leo's brother, actually talked to me and played with me today. I mean, he mostly just hugged my leg while I pulled him around, but still.
I'm now teaching Carlito and Luis English. Hopefully they don't get bored after one day like Blanca did.
Memorable Moments (pt. 1)
I've been keeping a collection of memorable moments or things I feel are worth mentioning instead of writing about every single thing like before. So, here are my Memorable Moments. I'll post them every week or whenever I can, depending on if I have access to the internet or not.
At the least, skim through these and read the things you find interesting. There's quite a bit, so I don't blame you if you do this. Check out my other Memorable Moments as well!
Sept. 4
Carlos called me his best friend.
Tuco, Gavi, older Carlos, and Claudia keep forgetting my name :( Hopefully after being here for a month, they'll remember.
I taught the kids how to fake slap. Bad idea, haha.
Sept. 5
Older Carlos gave me a picture of him when he was 6. Gavi gave me a marble and some shiny blue rock.
I got in a tickle fight with Carlos, Estefani, and Karla.
I got the chance to tell Claudia I loved her, after the fact that I had it up to the ceiling with her.
I played ninjas (karate) with Jesús and Kevin.
Sept. 6
I went with Carlos's parents to Centro. His dad said it was an hour away. I thought he was joking. We started off walking, but then we took a taxi-van-thing. Thank ya, Jesus.
I realized that showing the kids the games on my iPod was a bad idea.......
I had my second random nose bleed. I have no idea what's causing it. Possibly the water from the store around the corner, but I'm not sure. I'm going to start buying water from the supermercado from now on.
Older Carlos called me his dad and was telling the other kids that I am. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Sept. 7
Older Carlos got the other kids calling me papa, haha.
It's gotten to the point to where I had to walk away from the kids and pray that I don't freak out. Pero, es solo Claudia y Gavi y Kevin. Solo estos tres niños have caused me to have to walk away. Esto es no bueno.
I found out that Gavi is actually Gabi. Oops. In my defense, the b's and v's in español sound pretty much the same.
I had a drawing "contest" with Karla. I don't remember how it started, but it ended up with Karla drawing me with huge feet.
I started teaching Blanca English. She needs it for school, and her dad asked me to teach her. I offered to do it everyday, so now, everyday at 8pm, I teach Blanca English. I'm really teaching Blanca, Carlos, Karla, and Estefani, but mostly Blanca.
No mas random nosebleeds. I only drank water from the supermercado, and my nosebleeds and my sore throat went away. I think getting prayed for last night helped, too. Unfortunately, I'm out of water :/ I know God will keep my sore throat and nosebleeds away.
Sept. 8
I'm now teaching Yaneth English as well as Blanca. Yaneth needs to learn a song in English so she can get a scholarship to go to a college in Tokyo. Well, that's what I gathered. She wants me to teach her God Of Wonders by Third Day.
I started making the kids bracelets. It started with Carlos, but I'm pretty sure all of the kids want one now. Good thing I got all of that extra string a couple months ago.
During teaching Blanca English tonight, Karla was acting muy, muy loco. She kept on saying Blanca was playing different instruments in the street for money and said something about Blanca shaking her butt in the street. I'm pretty sure it was because she was muy, muy cansada. All of us were cansado. In other words, not much teaching happened.
Sept. 9
At first, it was just because Carlos wanted me to come outside, but now it's routine. Every day, after I pray, I go outside and read my Bible and do worship with Carlos. It's in English, but he says he doesn't mind. He makes sure to remind me every night before I leave his house.
Today in church, Carlos wanted to draw in my mini-notebook, so I let him. The sermon usually isn't for kids, so I thought I'd give him something to do. Then Jesús wanted to draw, so I told Carlos that he had to share with Jesús. He didn't want Jesús drawing, but after me telling him about three times that he had to share, he finally gave it up. He got really upset and said that I wasn't his friend anymore. And he meant it. That really hurt me. It's bad enough when the other kids get mad over something little and say they don't want to play with me anymore and also force their siblings to leave, too. That kind of bothers me, but I get over it in like 5 seconds. This was different. Not only was Carlos one of the nice kids, but he considered me his best friend, and to go from best friend to not a friend at all was really drastic. I consider him as my best friend, too, so this made me pretty upset. He sat the whole rest of the service without saying a word to me or making eye contact. After service, he just sat in his chair. I tried to get him to at least look at me, but he wouldn't. I stood there and waited for him to do something, but all he did was sit there. I didn't know what to do. The church was setting up for a luncheon thing downstairs, so I decided to help with that. Once I walked away, he got up and walked to behind his house. Once I finished, I found him and sat down next to him. I saw a tear rolling down his face. He was just sitting there ripping up a box. I did my best to tell him that whatever I did to make him upset, I was sorry about it. He continued ripping up the box. Another tear rolled down his face. I then said, "Carlos, no me gusta cuando tu eres enojado en me. No quiero tu estar triste. Yo quiero tu estar feliz. Tu eres mi mejor amigo." More tears rolled down his face. Now he was just sitting there. I almost started crying. I said again, "Tu eres mi mejor amigo." Still nothing. "Tu eres mi mejor amigo. No mas llorando." He then leaned over and hugged me. He placed his head in my lap while tears rolled down his face. I just held him and told him, "Esta bien. No mas llorando." After a couple minutes, I asked him if he wanted to go inside for the luncheon thing. He said he did, so I wiped the tears from his eyes and carried him on my back to the church. After this moment, I think our bond has strengthened even more.
I walked home from Calimax, the supermercado, with Carlos and his family. 5 lt. of water gets pretty heavy after 25 minutes.
I think I set my own personal record of hurting myself in one day: cut my knee when I jumped on this mattress with Carlos, scraped the same knee and my elbow when walking home from Calimax, and hurt my big toe when I slipped on this pile of dirt/rocks. Total number of wounds: 4.
Sept. 11
It apparently rained again last night. Everything is still muddy and wet. No me gusta en todo.
Since there is lodo everywhere and everything is mojado, I spent the morning in Carlos's house. I read my Bible and had worship there, which Carlos and his dad enjoyed. I also watched this cartoon in español, which was pretty weird, haha. I don't think it helped that I couldn't understand most of it.
Just found out that I can make phone calls in Mexico. Yeah boi.
Carlos had another episode with me today. When it was getting close to the time for church, Jesús was coming up to the church. I saw him, and he motioned for me to go to where he was. Carlos was with me, and as I went to where Jesús was, he kept saying, "Ya, no Jesús." I asked him why he was saying that, but he just kept saying it. As we approached Jesús, he heard what Carlos had said, and he then replied, "Ya me voy." I asked him why, and he said it was because Carlos didn't want to play with him. I told him that I didn't want him to leave, so he stayed, but Carlos was mad that Jesús was there. I was really confused. I thought they were friends, but I don't know. If something happened between them, I have no idea. It then escalated to Carlos saying that all the kids were my best friend except for him. I asked him why, but he wouldn't say. I ended up walking away, and he played with some of the other kids that were there instead of me. Later on, I told Pastora Berenice that Carlos was mad at me, but I didn't know why. She said it was because Carlos was jealous of me playing with the other kids, and since at the Cruzada, when I first met him, I played pretty much only with him because he was one of the only kids I knew. Now, he wanted me to only play with him. That's what I understood. What I didn't understand was that he only got that way once Jesús walked over. Before that, he was fine with the other kids. I really hope there's nothing going on between them because they're two of my favorite kids here. After a while, Carlos was back to his normal self, which was good. I really hope Carlos doesn't do that anymore. It really makes me upset.
So, my bracelet fell off when I first got to Mexico, but then I fixed it. It fell off again today, and I have no idea where it went. Sadface.
At the least, skim through these and read the things you find interesting. There's quite a bit, so I don't blame you if you do this. Check out my other Memorable Moments as well!
Sept. 4
Carlos called me his best friend.
Tuco, Gavi, older Carlos, and Claudia keep forgetting my name :( Hopefully after being here for a month, they'll remember.
I taught the kids how to fake slap. Bad idea, haha.
Sept. 5
Older Carlos gave me a picture of him when he was 6. Gavi gave me a marble and some shiny blue rock.
I got in a tickle fight with Carlos, Estefani, and Karla.
I got the chance to tell Claudia I loved her, after the fact that I had it up to the ceiling with her.
I played ninjas (karate) with Jesús and Kevin.
Sept. 6
I went with Carlos's parents to Centro. His dad said it was an hour away. I thought he was joking. We started off walking, but then we took a taxi-van-thing. Thank ya, Jesus.
I realized that showing the kids the games on my iPod was a bad idea.......
I had my second random nose bleed. I have no idea what's causing it. Possibly the water from the store around the corner, but I'm not sure. I'm going to start buying water from the supermercado from now on.
Older Carlos called me his dad and was telling the other kids that I am. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Sept. 7
Older Carlos got the other kids calling me papa, haha.
It's gotten to the point to where I had to walk away from the kids and pray that I don't freak out. Pero, es solo Claudia y Gavi y Kevin. Solo estos tres niños have caused me to have to walk away. Esto es no bueno.
I found out that Gavi is actually Gabi. Oops. In my defense, the b's and v's in español sound pretty much the same.
I had a drawing "contest" with Karla. I don't remember how it started, but it ended up with Karla drawing me with huge feet.
I started teaching Blanca English. She needs it for school, and her dad asked me to teach her. I offered to do it everyday, so now, everyday at 8pm, I teach Blanca English. I'm really teaching Blanca, Carlos, Karla, and Estefani, but mostly Blanca.
No mas random nosebleeds. I only drank water from the supermercado, and my nosebleeds and my sore throat went away. I think getting prayed for last night helped, too. Unfortunately, I'm out of water :/ I know God will keep my sore throat and nosebleeds away.
Sept. 8
I'm now teaching Yaneth English as well as Blanca. Yaneth needs to learn a song in English so she can get a scholarship to go to a college in Tokyo. Well, that's what I gathered. She wants me to teach her God Of Wonders by Third Day.
I started making the kids bracelets. It started with Carlos, but I'm pretty sure all of the kids want one now. Good thing I got all of that extra string a couple months ago.
During teaching Blanca English tonight, Karla was acting muy, muy loco. She kept on saying Blanca was playing different instruments in the street for money and said something about Blanca shaking her butt in the street. I'm pretty sure it was because she was muy, muy cansada. All of us were cansado. In other words, not much teaching happened.
Sept. 9
At first, it was just because Carlos wanted me to come outside, but now it's routine. Every day, after I pray, I go outside and read my Bible and do worship with Carlos. It's in English, but he says he doesn't mind. He makes sure to remind me every night before I leave his house.
Today in church, Carlos wanted to draw in my mini-notebook, so I let him. The sermon usually isn't for kids, so I thought I'd give him something to do. Then Jesús wanted to draw, so I told Carlos that he had to share with Jesús. He didn't want Jesús drawing, but after me telling him about three times that he had to share, he finally gave it up. He got really upset and said that I wasn't his friend anymore. And he meant it. That really hurt me. It's bad enough when the other kids get mad over something little and say they don't want to play with me anymore and also force their siblings to leave, too. That kind of bothers me, but I get over it in like 5 seconds. This was different. Not only was Carlos one of the nice kids, but he considered me his best friend, and to go from best friend to not a friend at all was really drastic. I consider him as my best friend, too, so this made me pretty upset. He sat the whole rest of the service without saying a word to me or making eye contact. After service, he just sat in his chair. I tried to get him to at least look at me, but he wouldn't. I stood there and waited for him to do something, but all he did was sit there. I didn't know what to do. The church was setting up for a luncheon thing downstairs, so I decided to help with that. Once I walked away, he got up and walked to behind his house. Once I finished, I found him and sat down next to him. I saw a tear rolling down his face. He was just sitting there ripping up a box. I did my best to tell him that whatever I did to make him upset, I was sorry about it. He continued ripping up the box. Another tear rolled down his face. I then said, "Carlos, no me gusta cuando tu eres enojado en me. No quiero tu estar triste. Yo quiero tu estar feliz. Tu eres mi mejor amigo." More tears rolled down his face. Now he was just sitting there. I almost started crying. I said again, "Tu eres mi mejor amigo." Still nothing. "Tu eres mi mejor amigo. No mas llorando." He then leaned over and hugged me. He placed his head in my lap while tears rolled down his face. I just held him and told him, "Esta bien. No mas llorando." After a couple minutes, I asked him if he wanted to go inside for the luncheon thing. He said he did, so I wiped the tears from his eyes and carried him on my back to the church. After this moment, I think our bond has strengthened even more.
I walked home from Calimax, the supermercado, with Carlos and his family. 5 lt. of water gets pretty heavy after 25 minutes.
I think I set my own personal record of hurting myself in one day: cut my knee when I jumped on this mattress with Carlos, scraped the same knee and my elbow when walking home from Calimax, and hurt my big toe when I slipped on this pile of dirt/rocks. Total number of wounds: 4.
Sept. 11
It apparently rained again last night. Everything is still muddy and wet. No me gusta en todo.
Since there is lodo everywhere and everything is mojado, I spent the morning in Carlos's house. I read my Bible and had worship there, which Carlos and his dad enjoyed. I also watched this cartoon in español, which was pretty weird, haha. I don't think it helped that I couldn't understand most of it.
Just found out that I can make phone calls in Mexico. Yeah boi.
Carlos had another episode with me today. When it was getting close to the time for church, Jesús was coming up to the church. I saw him, and he motioned for me to go to where he was. Carlos was with me, and as I went to where Jesús was, he kept saying, "Ya, no Jesús." I asked him why he was saying that, but he just kept saying it. As we approached Jesús, he heard what Carlos had said, and he then replied, "Ya me voy." I asked him why, and he said it was because Carlos didn't want to play with him. I told him that I didn't want him to leave, so he stayed, but Carlos was mad that Jesús was there. I was really confused. I thought they were friends, but I don't know. If something happened between them, I have no idea. It then escalated to Carlos saying that all the kids were my best friend except for him. I asked him why, but he wouldn't say. I ended up walking away, and he played with some of the other kids that were there instead of me. Later on, I told Pastora Berenice that Carlos was mad at me, but I didn't know why. She said it was because Carlos was jealous of me playing with the other kids, and since at the Cruzada, when I first met him, I played pretty much only with him because he was one of the only kids I knew. Now, he wanted me to only play with him. That's what I understood. What I didn't understand was that he only got that way once Jesús walked over. Before that, he was fine with the other kids. I really hope there's nothing going on between them because they're two of my favorite kids here. After a while, Carlos was back to his normal self, which was good. I really hope Carlos doesn't do that anymore. It really makes me upset.
So, my bracelet fell off when I first got to Mexico, but then I fixed it. It fell off again today, and I have no idea where it went. Sadface.
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