Waiting for photos to tell you about the Mother's Day Celebration. It went really well. I was sicker than I had been all week, which was a real bummer. But the ladies had a good time and the whole event went smoothly so overall it was a definite success.
Now I am going to vent about something that just happened.
You know I have been trying to get Erika into classes for months now. Today one of my Honduran friends told me that I am crazy to think that the school is going to call me to tell me about the free classes which I thought we were on a waiting list for. She said that we have to go there or call every day.
Confused, I said, "But they told us they were going to call. And every time we go there we get a different answer. If they lie to our faces, aren't they more likely to lie on the phone?"
She acted like I was an idiot. She said, "The classes are free. They are never going to call. Why should they call you when they have lists and lists of people who want to sign up for the classes"
"They told us Erika is third on a list and when they have twelve people who are interested in the class they will call." I said.
"They only said that because you are a gringa. They are going to say those things to try to please you or manipulate you," she said. "When I told my friend that you went into the building with Erika to sign her up for the classes, my friend said that now Erika will never, ever get in because they saw her with you. It is a matter of pride. The classes are free. They believe you could pay for the classes for Erika if she were really interested. So they are not going to give them to her for free. They believe you should go to another school and pay for classes for her. These classes are for Hondurans without other resources."
She went on a little more, but it felt like I had gotten myself into some sort of strange, unexpected argument. Eventually I asked why she hadn't told me all of this a month ago. She had talked to her friend about it. She had talked to her husband about it. But she never said a word to me and we see each other every day. She said she forgot.
Apparently, all of this time that I thought I was helping, I was not. Tuesday we are going to look at other places for classes for Erika. That was already a plan. But this time we are bringing another Honduran girl, and this time I will not go inside the building. I will hide my gringa face in the parking lot.
