We are trying to figure out the best way to get the girls and then to be able to show them around in the short couple of days they will be here. Because our small truck has only the little jump seats behind the front seats, they're ok for picking them up but not for sight seeing. So we thought ok- well I'll take a shuttle up there, rent a car, bring them down here, and then we can go with them back to the border and then Drew can drive them back and turn in the rental car. Yeah good idea except to bring a rental car into Mexico you have to buy the insurance from the rental car company- and it's $30 a day- so 4 days is $120, on top of $205 to rent the car (before tax). ...oh and $70 for the shuttle. Crap that's expensive. To drive the truck up from here is only $12 in insurance, from this side, the Mexico side. But now our wonderful new friends Anda and Rich have offered us use of their big suv! How nice is that? We might just take them up on it; I'll still drive up and pick them up in the truck, and we can send them back on the shuttle. Well tomorrow we're still gonna chek on renting a car here, cause if it's really cheap we'll do it cause I'm a little uncomfortable with such a nice favor with people we just met. Altho' I told her that and she laughed at me. We'll figure it out tomorrow.
I'm gonna go out to San Rafael with them on Monday and see what it's all about. They give their time out there at the community center, serving lunch, doing stuff with the kids, and I think helping adults as well; teaching them to make crafts, not really sure what else, that's kinda why I need to go for myself and check it out. Actually today these 2 guys Conrad & Mitch who are pretty involved out there as well, were talking to me They are part of this group that works with weekend ministries, which I on't really want to get too involved with; I probly said this before- they build churches and to me- Mexico, Mexicans don't need more churches. They need food, shelter, fresh water, skills, etc, I think there's already LOTS of churches here...But maybe I'm being too harsh since like I said, I haven't been out there to experience anything for myself. So- back to Cnrad & Mitch- I told them about trying to teach English to little kids in Playa Ventura, and how the kids were just not that interested- it was fun at first for them, new, oh they coveted the kid dictionaries I gave out, and the notebooks, but they got bored, and honestly- down there they have no one to practice with so....but here there are alot of English speakers. Conrad was kinda excited; he told me they are trying to put together a class and asked about my Spanish level, because they want a director to take on the whole project. You know I can get by well enough to teach little kids colors, days of the week, etc. But I want to approach with caution, ha ha me! For once I don't want to jump in headfirst, agreeing to something I haven't checked out. I do want to do something to contribute, but I had such a big head about Playa Ventura.
I even fooled myself, well it was partly ignorance. But it was ego. I was asked to teach the kids English and I said sure...and I thought it would make me a part of the community. I was going to do it for free, and thought- oh people will give me things, like fish or eggs or something....somehow I was making myself into someone important. That's humiliating to admit. But when the kids didn't care about learning, when they didn't come, ha ha I had to face myself. And I don't even think the parents cared either. Ok a couple of parents did care, and a couple of the kids actually cared, but on the whole, not so much. Kids are kids, of course they don't want to do something hard...but they had fun with the flashcards, and so did I. At least I figured out to just have fun with it. That it didn't matter if they learned the same thing over and over again. Then it went much better. And if they want some level of that here, great.
I have a few dictionaries, and some packages of flashcards. I gave the color cards to one of the kids in Playa Ventura, but I think I have blanks so I can color them...those were everybody's favorite- yelling out the colors! But I hesitate to think about being a "director" of a program to teach. I am no teacher, so again, we'll see. I do want to be of service, but it needs to be the right thing for the right reason. All that isolation down there pretty much humbled me in a big way ha ha!
We are going to bbq with them on Monday as well. So next week is kinda busy. There is also a meeting on Tuesday that I wanted to attend but now might wait until next month. It's a group I read about down here called "uncommon women doing uncommon things" or something to that effect. I am interested in finding out what they are about, and as it turns out Anda is involved with them. This month is a shortened meting, sort of a ok it's a new year meet and greet, so the perfect one for me to attend, but I need to know the timing in case I need to be available to talk to the girls on the phone since they fly Wednesday morning. So I a already getting more involved with things here, and I think that's a good thing.
Well I will finish with a sad post. A friend, well a schoolmate of Halla's is dead. According to Halla, a huge group of kids from Petaluma were in Tahoe for Ne Year's Eve, and this girl disappeared sometime after midnite and was found this morning, dead, in a snowbank. They were all drinking, and Halla says this girl did alot of drugs, and that she was really messed up that nite. Halla was not with that group of kids, she was with another group, but I guess tonite they are all at a candlelight vigil at their high school. Halla and I talked on the phone for about an hour earlier today, she was upset, and also told me there was a kid who is a known drug dealer involved, and she was sad, mad, upset. Luckily her sister is nearby, and she is with her friends. I cannot imagine what this girl's por parents are going thru. If I lost Halla I would die. Sometime, maybe next week if it's not too soon, I want to tal to her about partying. That lots of drugs and alcohol have these kinds of results. Yes lots of circumstances here; being out of town, snow, etc, but there's always something, the bottom line is that out of control drinking and drugging, kills. This girl is gone. Her family is devastated, they are all changed forever. Her parents will be in my prayers tonite. And I hope my daughter is ok, that she is able to move thru this. The other day I was talking to her about another friend who has become addicted to Oxycontin...She's been thru treatment, and Halla does not know how to be her friend, who to help her, support her. Well I talked to her and suggested some of the ways she might be feeling and she said it was exactly! how she felt. So I suggested Alanon and she was very interested, maybe we can go together down here; I know there's a meeting. My baby is acing alot, is becoming aware of alot, is learning alot. My baby, 19 years old, and growing up. I ache to see them both...ah- so I won't end on a sad note...cause...YIPEE I'm gonna see my daughters next week!!
I'm gonna go out to San Rafael with them on Monday and see what it's all about. They give their time out there at the community center, serving lunch, doing stuff with the kids, and I think helping adults as well; teaching them to make crafts, not really sure what else, that's kinda why I need to go for myself and check it out. Actually today these 2 guys Conrad & Mitch who are pretty involved out there as well, were talking to me They are part of this group that works with weekend ministries, which I on't really want to get too involved with; I probly said this before- they build churches and to me- Mexico, Mexicans don't need more churches. They need food, shelter, fresh water, skills, etc, I think there's already LOTS of churches here...But maybe I'm being too harsh since like I said, I haven't been out there to experience anything for myself. So- back to Cnrad & Mitch- I told them about trying to teach English to little kids in Playa Ventura, and how the kids were just not that interested- it was fun at first for them, new, oh they coveted the kid dictionaries I gave out, and the notebooks, but they got bored, and honestly- down there they have no one to practice with so....but here there are alot of English speakers. Conrad was kinda excited; he told me they are trying to put together a class and asked about my Spanish level, because they want a director to take on the whole project. You know I can get by well enough to teach little kids colors, days of the week, etc. But I want to approach with caution, ha ha me! For once I don't want to jump in headfirst, agreeing to something I haven't checked out. I do want to do something to contribute, but I had such a big head about Playa Ventura.
I even fooled myself, well it was partly ignorance. But it was ego. I was asked to teach the kids English and I said sure...and I thought it would make me a part of the community. I was going to do it for free, and thought- oh people will give me things, like fish or eggs or something....somehow I was making myself into someone important. That's humiliating to admit. But when the kids didn't care about learning, when they didn't come, ha ha I had to face myself. And I don't even think the parents cared either. Ok a couple of parents did care, and a couple of the kids actually cared, but on the whole, not so much. Kids are kids, of course they don't want to do something hard...but they had fun with the flashcards, and so did I. At least I figured out to just have fun with it. That it didn't matter if they learned the same thing over and over again. Then it went much better. And if they want some level of that here, great.
I have a few dictionaries, and some packages of flashcards. I gave the color cards to one of the kids in Playa Ventura, but I think I have blanks so I can color them...those were everybody's favorite- yelling out the colors! But I hesitate to think about being a "director" of a program to teach. I am no teacher, so again, we'll see. I do want to be of service, but it needs to be the right thing for the right reason. All that isolation down there pretty much humbled me in a big way ha ha!
We are going to bbq with them on Monday as well. So next week is kinda busy. There is also a meeting on Tuesday that I wanted to attend but now might wait until next month. It's a group I read about down here called "uncommon women doing uncommon things" or something to that effect. I am interested in finding out what they are about, and as it turns out Anda is involved with them. This month is a shortened meting, sort of a ok it's a new year meet and greet, so the perfect one for me to attend, but I need to know the timing in case I need to be available to talk to the girls on the phone since they fly Wednesday morning. So I a already getting more involved with things here, and I think that's a good thing.
Well I will finish with a sad post. A friend, well a schoolmate of Halla's is dead. According to Halla, a huge group of kids from Petaluma were in Tahoe for Ne Year's Eve, and this girl disappeared sometime after midnite and was found this morning, dead, in a snowbank. They were all drinking, and Halla says this girl did alot of drugs, and that she was really messed up that nite. Halla was not with that group of kids, she was with another group, but I guess tonite they are all at a candlelight vigil at their high school. Halla and I talked on the phone for about an hour earlier today, she was upset, and also told me there was a kid who is a known drug dealer involved, and she was sad, mad, upset. Luckily her sister is nearby, and she is with her friends. I cannot imagine what this girl's por parents are going thru. If I lost Halla I would die. Sometime, maybe next week if it's not too soon, I want to tal to her about partying. That lots of drugs and alcohol have these kinds of results. Yes lots of circumstances here; being out of town, snow, etc, but there's always something, the bottom line is that out of control drinking and drugging, kills. This girl is gone. Her family is devastated, they are all changed forever. Her parents will be in my prayers tonite. And I hope my daughter is ok, that she is able to move thru this. The other day I was talking to her about another friend who has become addicted to Oxycontin...She's been thru treatment, and Halla does not know how to be her friend, who to help her, support her. Well I talked to her and suggested some of the ways she might be feeling and she said it was exactly! how she felt. So I suggested Alanon and she was very interested, maybe we can go together down here; I know there's a meeting. My baby is acing alot, is becoming aware of alot, is learning alot. My baby, 19 years old, and growing up. I ache to see them both...ah- so I won't end on a sad note...cause...YIPEE I'm gonna see my daughters next week!!
