Day 4

(yesterday)

The highlights:

1. Playing 1.5 hours of soccer with the boys at the hospicio. I am actually kinda ok at it =
 two goals! But that is against 3 foot tall boys and we are giants. But oh well.

2. Reuniting with Joseline!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is so big (FAT!!!!!) and has long hair. She is talking some but still behind developmentally I think.

3. Cafe y pan in the afternoons.

4. HORCHATA today during lunch! (Courtney Reed!!!!!!)

5. Improving Spanish!

6. After dinner talks with my family. Over chess, weddings, religion, y todo.

things I am thinking about...

Charlotte or Dana said something about not being able to be ourselves when we can't speak the language. In the US I am silly, sarcastic, snarky, extroverted, etc. But here I am SOOO timida. Sarcasm is not accepted here. And I do not have the cutesy vocab to be bubbly. It's almost as if we lose a little bit of ourselves. Maybe that is what is alienating and scary. I think of so many great comments I want to say in English but than they do not translate.

Spanish is such a beautiful beautiful language.

And today I am content. Here the word for happy is 'contenta' which is so appropriate. I am happy and at peace. I am exhausted from chasing kids all day but I know it is ok. They remember me and all the nurses do too - everyone is so shocked by me returning. Nobody has come twice. I do think it means something. I hope so.

Today there was a march for HIV awareness. Afterwards we had songs and a small service and lit candles in memory of those who had died of HIV AIDS this year. It was beautiful. And kind of revolutionary because we proclaimed HIV in public in Guatemala. A very conservative Catholic country. A very taboo topic. We stood proud. It was awesome. I think I will process more later.