Thinking over today makes me smile. It was a 6 a.m. day. Only 3 more of those left. I've figured out how to time it so that I leave at the same time as my neighbor. That is so awesome because then I only have to get out of the car once to open the gate. He passes through (and doesn't have to get out of his car to open it since it is already open) then he closes it behind him. It is something so small, but I really don't like stopping to get out and open the gate, driving through, parking the car, getting out and closing the gate and getting back into the car every single time I come or go. Lazy. I know. My pastor from the US suggested an electronic gate, but that won't work if you consider how often the electricity goes out.
Swimming was extra great today. The other coach took the little kids and I worked with the big kids. All but one (who was sitting on the ladder, not trying) learned how to do the kick/body motion of the butterfly! Now we just have to integrate the arms and they will be flyers! The butterfly is really hard to do. I am so proud of them! It's super cool to watch them start out flopping all over and the next thing you know, one by one they start gliding through the water like dolphins. They feel so proud when they catch on. It is really exciting - a privilege to see.
Next week is the last week of swimming. I want to integrate the arms for the butterfly and perfect their breast stroke. I'd also like to teach them flip turns, if there is time. I will be in the pool a lot next week because they need to actually see some of these things in order to get the right rhythm and understand how to do it. It has been a steady 57 degrees when I pull into the church every morning. If there is no sun it doesn't warm up much from there. I'll be praying for sun next week!
As I got on the bus to leave the club today I was reminded of the girls' powerful socks. Wow, that bus stunk. I recognized the smell from when I did the girls fútbol team's laundry. I told them it stunk in a slang way. The kids all cracked up at my slang word. It's not a bad word, it's just funny. I think it's funny when I hear little kids say it, so I understand why the kids on the bus laughed. The word is "who-ko". I'm not sure how to spell it. It's not in the dictionary and you can't google it. I'm guessing it is "juco". It means gross and disgusting - in a bad odor or slimy way. I'm thinking I can put it to good use and get some more laughs.
My Aunt Cathy learned today that she will be going to a rehab facility, probably tomorrow. Mom is there to take care of her, but this is even better. Mom said my Aunt was back to herself today when her pastor, who is also her boss, came to visit. The people from her job at the church are being very supportive.
Since the kids weren't let into the church today until the food was almost ready, I got to hang out in the kitchen. Someone commented that it was odd to have me there. I reminded them that I used to work in the kitchen a lot when I didn't teach the pre-school class. I was in a really silly mood, but I didn't notice until someone asked if I had too much coffee. (I hadn't had any coffee.) We laughed and joked. Every single kid said thank you when they received their food with no reminder. That was really nice to hear. I needed that.
I am still really saddened by the lack of gratitude and by the lying I heard last week. I keep trying to figure out why the kids were so "off track". All I can imagine is that maybe there was such an abundance of things for them, they got overwhelmed and went crazy. Instead of being grateful, they got greedy. They are not accustomed to receiving so much. That is the only conclusion I can reach. I could definitely be wrong. But for some reason my mind needs to figure out why they behaved the way they did.
I've also thought about why their poor behavior hurts me. Do I feel embarrassed by their behavior? Is it a strike against my own pride? I don't think so. I think that I want everyone else to see all of the good things in them that I am able to see. I think that I am so used to being proud of them, and seeing little spurts of poor behavior which is easier to accept, that I am shocked and very surprised by the problems they had last week. I do think that the group who was here will still love them, despite their less than stellar behavior. But I wish the group could have seen the kids that I know and love. They were not themselves last week.
It was fun hanging out with Ana and Marlin again. I had lunch with Ana. Then we sat and chatted for a while. She was really excited because the diapers I got for her daughter had pictures on them. She even showed me. Apparently she has never gotten diapers with pictures before. Sometimes it's the simple things... Marlin and I had some good quality time too as we were cleaning up. It was really nice. Then our time came to a close when a rat ran across the kitchen floor and we had to call Don Juan to come kill it. Then David ran for the broom. It was trapped in the corner when I left but I was told they killed it with the end of the broom handle. Yuck!
We spent all day yesterday cleaning the kitchen. Don Juan pulled EVERYTHING out of the kitchen. Literally only the kitchen sink was left inside. They cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. It's sad to think there could still be mice. This was a brave one. He came out and ran between four of us as we were standing there talking in broad daylight. Don Juan found great glee in picking up the dead mouse by its tail and holding out in front of him, wiggling it all of the way to the garbage behind the kitchen. Gross!
