I haven't had telephone or internet for a week. The entire town. Maybe tomorrow...anyway we came to another town and I'm at my first cyber cafe ha ha!
This morning was amazing!! There was a town election for a new Commissioner- kinda like the Sheriff...anyway it was an "open vote" so everyone could see how each person voted. There's only about a thousand people in the town and most of them were there. Lots of yelling, arguing, jostling of people trying to get up to the front. Then when it's your turn you are given a marker and you mark a 1 on the side of this huge whiteboard for your choice (between two candidates). I couldn't understand most of what was being said but it was VERY lively! It was very exciting to be a part of it! After everyone voted they counted up the tick marks and the difference was 1 vote! Very cool. A huge argument ensued when my friend Chela took me by the hand up to the front to vote! She and Rosa were arguing that I was a land/homeowner and was entitled to vote. I had to show my residency card and then was handed the marker to vote. Of course that all took some time and lots of "lively" discussion between several people but it's funny my husband was able to just walk up and vote. He left Mexico when he was 16 and so never voted here before, and never in the US. It was my first Mexico vote too. This is a small town and so elections are held in the manner decided by...I guess the equivalent of the town council, I was told they are not usually "open", but sometimes they are. Ha ha Chela yelled at me "Tu errres Mexicana!!"

I wish I would have kept track of things while we had no internet all week. We went to Acapulco yesterday and brought Chela's daughter Eriika with us, 16 yr old. We bought a fridge! yippee! Since the one we had was apartment size and built in about 1950! We also bought paint for the inside of the house, but not the upstairs yet. I am very excited about it; to see it when it's done. Lavender, oranges, yellows, and one red. Also, Everardo built 2 tall bookshelves that we put on each side of a window and they look great! He also made shelves for towels and sheets for the bedroom.  ha ha too bad I didn't see how good he is at this before we went to a guy and bought some furniture. Well it's pretty inexpensive for wood, and we got to choose what we want it to look like and it will be ready next Tue (well in 3 days now). We ordered a "chest" for the kitchen; 3 drawers across the top, the shelves below with sliding doors- and the top will also be a work space. Then two 5 drawer dressers for the bedroom. Then we bought a small table and a taller one with 2 drawers and a shelf low underneath that we put the tv on...these are the 2 pieces I saw last week when we decided we wanted this guy to build some for us. And it's all good. Hubby is gonna build another shelf below the window in between the 2 bookcases and also a cabinet to put next to the bathroom in our bedroom and put the small one we brought with us in the upstairs bathroom for guests. Both Rosa and Chela really liked what he built and were asking for pieces for their houses- he said sure- you buy the wood, so we'll see. 

English classes are going slowly, the kids don't always show up & to be fair, last Monday I was stuck at the bank...but another mom asked me for her daughter so I expect 6-8 kids tomorrow...And I have 2 teens now. I'm thinking tonite I'm gonna try to make them something about regular and irregular verbs...then try to give them homework like writing sentences using verbs, present & past tense and the personal pronouns...

I find myself struggling sometimes with my own language issues. I know it takes time and I've only been here 5 weeks. But it's hard to sit inside my pea brain, alone, isolated. So last week with no internet or fun was especially sucky. With the phone I can call the US for free, and with internet, well I can do this, or Skype, or online AA- all of which are really good for me, I need outside stimulation ha ha and it's not fair to my husband to expect all of it from him. But my Spanish is getting a tiny bit better every day, so I need to concentrate on my intent (learn the language) and practice some humility..it's hard for me not to be in the middle of things- but I am JUST NOT, so need to get over it. Acceptance, humility....hmmm well good, just writing this stuff down helps...alot. ha ha I guess that's why people keep a diary! duh! 

I went swimming again in the ocean. I saw the cutest goat ever! (not in the sea). All white with a black head and one black leg. Oh and found out something else interesting! If you hit a cow (or any livestock) on the road with your car- the owner has to pay to fix your car! Maybe you can work out a deal with him and keep the meat...or some of each...it's like HAVE YOUR COW AND EAT IT TOO!