Sublime to the ridiculous (again!)

We decided to go to the cinema tonight. Brittany told us it was 'El Dueno' or 'Fearless'- a Jet Li movie with Spanish subtitles. We go...excited to watch a movie in English...even a Jet Li movie!! Hmmm....didn't stop to think that it may not actually be in English..

Nope...it was Chinese with Spanish subtitles!! Very funny. What else would you expect from a martial arts movie when you stop and think about it?!
I actually was able to understand the whole movie reading the subtitles. My Spanish is definitely improving! Not so much my Chinese...

Baking!

Over the last few weeks I have been teaching my Grade 1's about food and so today we baked Choc Chip Cookies. Now, my G1's are notoriously badly behaved so it could have gone horrendously, but it was great! They were just so excited!

Fence

Thought I should show a photo of the fence I've been raving on about! Not the sunniest day for the photo, but heh!

Here is the gate that is leaning in the space til Jaime comes back on Saturday!

My new favourite place!

I have a new favourite place -Texaco Cruz gas station! They washed my car inside and out for me today. The other place charged me 40L and took 10 mins to wash outside. These guys charged 60L and took about 45 mins cleaning inside and out. Wonderful. The men didn't shout at me either or stare. Love it. At one point there were 4 men cleaning the inside - windows, everything! I am SO excited!! They greased my points too (I have no idea of the word in English but that is the literal translation!) so my car no longer squeaks when I drive!

Far too exciting. I might actually be able to sell the thing now. I've written Adony's number on the back (with correction fluid) so people can call him if they want to buy it - I'm keeping out of it!

Let's see what happens!

I'm even giving you photos of my super clean car! I'm that excited by it. (though rainy season is here again and so the mud will soon ruin it again!)

I don't believe it!

After having struggled with the gate alone, I went round to Jaime/Lorena's house last night! I told Jaime what had happened and he was highly amused by the whole thing! Then.....asked why I didn't call him for help???? When I reminded him that he had told me he was out for the afternoon, he just said he was back by 3pm and would have come to help, but had no money on his phone to call me. Therefore my fault for not having called him!?!! Charming!! He found the whole thing hilarious! So, next week he's coming to "repair my errors!"
3pm....3PM.....it could all have been avoided!! Too funny!

...un desastre!

This afternoon I set about finishing the fence. Jaime didn't have time today to come and help so it was down to me on my own!! It was a bit difficult but I managed to get the wire on the gate successfully. Then it was time to put the hinges on!! I decided it would be quicker with an electric screwdriver/drill so I called everyone I thought would have one and ended up going to Luis Vega (of all people!) to borrow his. As it turns out I didn't use it and was easier by hand! Typical waste of time driving round to get it but heh!!
So, Amanda came out to help me put the hinges on and we somehow managed to get a 3rd hinge by taking it off the old gate (we may have had several disasters along the way!). So we measured and screwed it all together. Amanda decided it would be easier if we measured it and took the pins out of the hinges, screwed it all on and then hooked it together! NOPE- not easier. It now doesn't fit together! So we've leaned the gate in the gap and it will have to do til Jaime comes back next weekend!! At least I'll get to use the screwdriver - to remove all the screws!!!

I tried to get it all done by myself to prove a point. Failed! Lots of blisters. But laughed a lot!!

Fence Day!

I'm glad you all liked my deep and meaningful thoughts and observations in my last blog! There are lots more where that came from!! But not today!

So, this week I've been in the plaza nearly every night enjoying folklore and traditional singing and dancing. I think (but am not certain) we've been celebrating Siguatpeque not just a tree?! But I can't be certain of that..rumours! Thursday night was perhaps the most amusing of them all. I went with Carina and Douglas and there was a lovely, quiet ballet dance and then an awful school orchestra...and then a reggaeton concert! Hilarious. Sigua is a fairly conservative, quiet town and here in the plaza was a reggaeton concert. It's hard to explain reggaeton, it's latino, kind of rap, with turn table squeaking. I have no idea what to compare it too - but it is not liked by all. Now, it will be hard to imagine this without knowing the music but every young guy in Sigua filled the plaza pretty quickly when the women started dancing on the stage with men from the audience. Almost pornagaphic dancing. I have never laughed so hard!! And in Sigua. Just comical. I then went home, pulled my car up in front of my gates...and it died! Wouldn't start. So at 10.30pm I had to call Adony to come and help me. Bless him.

Friday, we had the day off school for Workers Day (May day really) and so I went to the garage with Adony in my car - which had started working thankfully. He then dropped me off at Hollie and Israel's and I spent the entire day chatting with them! Was lovely. Anyway, my car wasn't fixed before the garage closed (I think it closed early!) so was stuck without a car. Again. Obviously managed to find a lift to get me to the plaza in the evening with my friends - Amanda, Carina, Lorena, the twins, Douglas, Walter etc - a whole new group of friends form church!!

Today, was fence day. I have been looking forward to today all week. Jaime came round early and we set about making the fence. Zuko couldn't help and so it was just the 2 of us building it. It was my job to prove women could do it as well as men! I was in charge of cutting the wood with the electric wood saw and he dug all the holes. Just as we were starting, a helicopter randomly came and landed in the field next to our house. Things just get more random around here daily!! There was a march, carnival in town at lunch time and I think it was connected to that somehow!

The helicopter landed and all the neighbours came out!

One of my neighbours houses (I made the most of being out with my camera!)


Here you can see the lovely sewage ditch they are digging and cementing - smells lovely when they do it in the mid-day Tropical heat!! Mmmm

After, we'd been out to see what was going on we carried on working and then for the first time in about 3 or 4 months it rained in the day. And I mean RAINED, heavy rain. No way we could carry on working. At this point, Adony also turned up with my car. Apparently the battery I bought 3 weeks ago was bad battery - just my luck!! The mechanic had lent me a battery from another car so Adony could come and get me (and the guarantee for the battery) so we could go and exchange it. Adony had to get to a meeting and so I went with him and Jaime to exchange the battery, the man was none too pleased and said the car wasn't charging it properly, wasn't the battery, he still changed it though. Adony went off to his meeting and Jaime and I went back to the mechanic to return the battery and get him to look at it. By this point, in the rain with a partially built fence, a car with someone else battery in my stress levels were through the roof and I just wanted to cry!! A lot. The boys were having none of that though and did a good job calming me down. Everything got changed and I could take my car home - it has to go back Monday! Adony tells me he thinks there is a much bigger problem with my car and so pretty much I have to sell it in the next 2 weeks before it dies entirely and costs me a fortune to repair!! Agghh!

Working together, Jaime and I

We went home for lunch and eventually the rain passed and we could carry on working. We managed to get the whole fence finished and the gate was built but not put on! In the middle of all this was a military air display, I'm not sure what the planes were, but there were 2 planes flying low over my house and the town centre, spinning and putting on a display. Provided some entertainment if nothing else! A good days work. Tomorrow I am going to finish the gate myself so it's all done. We then spent the evenign relaxing and chatting. As I sit here now there is torrential rain outside, I love listening to it on the tin roof, although it does mean it's impossible to hear the tv as the noise is so loud!!

I think cutting wood wearing flip-flops is a good thing! (not the most flattering of pics!!)

So, a productive day. I hate my car even more. I am going to go to San Pedro either this week or next (depending when the boys can make it) to buy the new one, I can't wait any longer.

Tonight, there is a huge carnival in town. I am glad it's raining as I am not allowed to go. Apparently a) it is too dangerous for us and b) Christians should not go/be seen at it! Apparently everyone gets drunk, the men start 'touching' all the women etc. Jaime refused to go with us if we went. Said he never goes with women 'cos he has to protect us and if a man touched us he'd punch them! Safer not to go! At least with rain I have no desire to leave my house!!

So there you go, another fun day! More deep and profound thoughts to follow shortly I'm sure!