Is it really May already?

Wow...It is May 8th and I haven't written a blog since January?! My, has time flown. Things have been a challenge, as always. Sometimes it is hard get in the mood to write a blog when things are just so tough. BUT...tonight was very special to me, so I wanted to share. Every night we ring the bell at 8:30pm for the kids to gather in their dorms for prayers and bedtime. I went in the "sextos" dorm, for the girls in their 6th/final semester of high school and spent a couple hours just hanging out with them. Usually we pray and then Annelies (a fellow volunteer from Belgium) and I have to say goodnight and make a quick exit so they can lockup and set the alarm. But tonight, the director who usually tells us to leave was busy with something, so I was able to stay with the girls until 10:15pm! I just sat with them and they told me old stories from their childhood while growing up in Miacatlán at the home for our younger children. One of the girls that I spend alot of time with turned to me in the middle of one of the stories and said, "Te quiero. Me das mucha risa." (She loves me and she thinks I'm funny! haha). I felt so privileged to hear their stories and it was just a fun experience to see how excited they were to share. They are such a wonderful group of girls. (Of course I've always known that, but sometimes I forget the good and that they are the entire reason I'm here volunteering, when you have a cloud of negativity surrounding you.) I'm going to be so proud of them when they graduate this July.

The little things, like chatting late at night with the girls, or having someone tell me that they love me, are the things that get me through. We are going to plan a pijamada (pajama party!) for this weekend. I can't wait. :)

I wanted to end this blog with a video of the Asian Day event that I helped Annelies organize, but I can only share it on fb. I'll have to ask Erika (a past volunteer and our current Projects Coordinator employee here at NPH Mexico) about getting a copy of the video. Annelies received a donation from a group in Belgium, so she had extra funds to put on an awesome event. The video Erika made shows me getting clobbered while sumo wrestling at the event. I'll have to post it soon for people without access to it on fb. Stay tuned! (a message to all the devoted followers of my dead blog...haha)

A couple of the wonderful senior girls:

 

$3 Boxed Wine & Sundae Berries

 I had last weekend off and spent most of my free time with my friend and fellow volunteer, Sarah. We went to Costco on Saturday so that I could print some pictures from Christmas for the kids. We tried as many samples as possible and at one point we were double-fisting with cups of coffee and tea. We enjoyed our free refreshments while sitting on some patio furniture on display in the frozen food aisle. After Costco, we went to Mega to buy groceries and wine! Saturday night we ate spaghetti, drank our $3 boxed wine and watched the 2nd part of the final Harry Potter movie. It was amazing! :)

Sunday Sarah and I went downtown to buy some movies. I bought the following:

- She’s the Man

- Willow

- My Big Fat Greek Wedding

- Remember Me

- Back to the Future

- Casper

- Just Friends

- Bring it On

- She's Out of My League

- Sister Act

- Easy A

All of them are in English, except for Willow. I guess I'll have to watch that one on a day when I am really motivated to practice my Spanish during my free time....(this doesn't happen very often, fyi)

Sarah and I being G's on a hike in Puebla

Today (Tuesday) I went back to Costco with two sisters from the high school. We were going to pick up some tortilla chips, queso and salsa for nachos at the Superbowl party we are planning for this weekend. Unfortunately they didn't have the right kind of any of those items, so we will have to try Sam's Club another day. So instead of shopping, I bought the girls a berry sundae (called "sundae berries" here in Mexico) at the "fancy" Costco cafe. We sat outside, sharing the sundae and talking about our experiences at NPH. One of the girls wants to serve in Haiti for a year because she loves to travel and meet new people from around the world. She wants to learn a little French before going, so it's perfect that our new volunteer, Annelies from Belgium, speaks French and can help her out. Although it was an unsuccessful nacho shopping trip, I got to share a wonderful afternoon with two beautiful girls. They really are great people and I am so fortunate to have 6 more months with them.

(Photos from Christmas)