Friday, January 12, 2007
My weekend
One week down, five to go. Classes and units are weekly here, rather than monthly, as in Mexico.
Tomorrow I'm taking Ricardo and Andres to Santa Elena Reserve. We're taking a taxi there, and we have a guide who will show us around and who speaks both English and Spanish. Was going to go to the Monteverde reserve, but they don't have guides who'll give bilingual tours.
Sunday's the big birthday party. Elena, mom of the twins, is building a room for herself and a small kitchen, all of which is attached to the main house. It's made of cement blocks and a corrugated metal roof, just like the rest of the house. This week, some friends framed the windows and poured the concrete floor. When I left this morning, she was cleaning a stove that a gringo family gave her when they didn't want it anymore. One burner doesn't work, but she's thrilled with it. The only problem with the new addition is that it doesn't have doors or windows. Elena is saving up for the doors. It might take a while. She figures she can put away $500 a year, but I think that is marked for school fees and other stuff, in addition to the house. Not sure.
I'm not sure what her plans are for the windows.
Yesterday, we had some excitement. The man who owns the land across the road from Hermalinda's house is building a hotel and restaurant on it. There's been an earthmover working up the hill all week, but last night, it tore down all the trees directly across from the house and flattened what had been a rather large hill, not to mention the motocross ramps the kids made. When Elena walked outside and saw it yesterday, she screamed. Everything is gone. And now you can see Santa Elena clearly from the house.
Earlier, Hermelinda said she was glad the hotel and restaurant were coming, because she thought everyone could get jobs there. But today, I believe she changed her mind. She misses the animals and the birds. (Every night she puts out food for a fox that lives (lived) there.) This morning, as I walked off to school, she stood on the porch shaking her head.
Tomorrow I'm taking Ricardo and Andres to Santa Elena Reserve. We're taking a taxi there, and we have a guide who will show us around and who speaks both English and Spanish. Was going to go to the Monteverde reserve, but they don't have guides who'll give bilingual tours.
Sunday's the big birthday party. Elena, mom of the twins, is building a room for herself and a small kitchen, all of which is attached to the main house. It's made of cement blocks and a corrugated metal roof, just like the rest of the house. This week, some friends framed the windows and poured the concrete floor. When I left this morning, she was cleaning a stove that a gringo family gave her when they didn't want it anymore. One burner doesn't work, but she's thrilled with it. The only problem with the new addition is that it doesn't have doors or windows. Elena is saving up for the doors. It might take a while. She figures she can put away $500 a year, but I think that is marked for school fees and other stuff, in addition to the house. Not sure.
I'm not sure what her plans are for the windows.
Yesterday, we had some excitement. The man who owns the land across the road from Hermalinda's house is building a hotel and restaurant on it. There's been an earthmover working up the hill all week, but last night, it tore down all the trees directly across from the house and flattened what had been a rather large hill, not to mention the motocross ramps the kids made. When Elena walked outside and saw it yesterday, she screamed. Everything is gone. And now you can see Santa Elena clearly from the house.
Earlier, Hermelinda said she was glad the hotel and restaurant were coming, because she thought everyone could get jobs there. But today, I believe she changed her mind. She misses the animals and the birds. (Every night she puts out food for a fox that lives (lived) there.) This morning, as I walked off to school, she stood on the porch shaking her head.
# posted by Anne @ 3:19 PM 
