Fany left Tuesday. She turned off all of the electricity to her house, which means the water can't pump to my house, so I've been going nuts trying to preserve water. Samuel took a bunch of photos of me and afterward I realized I don't remember the last time I washed my hair. Ooops! But such is life.
I've been trying to call Ana for a week but her phone is always broken. I promised them we would do something for Semana Santa. Yesterday I called her son Jired's phone and Ana answered. She went to do tests for a surgery scheduled on Monday and they hospitalized her, not because she is sick, but because they want her on a liquid diet. It makes no sense to me, especially because she just called and asked me to buy her food. She swears the doctor okayed it.
Anyway, that left her kids alone. Her mother was planning to come and stay with the kids Saturday or Sunday, but they weren't expecting that Ana would be hospitalized before her surgery Monday. By the time they found out, all buses stopped for Semana Santa. We agreed they kids would be okay alone for last night. Jired is 18 now. But I would entertain them during the day until Ana's mother gets here.
Ana didn't have any minutes on her phone so I bought minutes for her. Today she told me that the phone company stole her minutes. Fany swears they do that too. Who knows. It's never happened to me.
I called Jired a couple of times yesterday. Each time the kids were calm. You can tell from the background noise if the kids are happy or not. Everything was good and Jired seemed fine. I told him I'd take them out to do something today.
This morning I called at 10 a.m. Samuel was eager to go. He asked what time I was coming, how many hours until I got there, and should he shower and change his clothes yet. Hahaha! He's growing up a lot. He's much calmer these days, not quite as "tremendous" as he used to be.
When I arrived in Los Pinos to pick them up I got to see Kevin. He used to be Jired's best friend when I was at the church with them. He's a super sweet kid - the kind that is just as loving and silly at 18 years old as he was when he was little. He doesn't care about trying to be "cool" which makes him super cool to me!
Then someone called my name from across the street. My contact lenses have been screwed up, so I couldn't see well enough to see who it was. Turned out it was a Kebelin, a girl I used to work with at the church. I haven't seen her since soon after I stopped serving there, but thanks to Facebook we stay in contact. In fact we chatted recently on Facebook and she told me she is pregnant.
A while ago Ana thought Kebelin was pregnant. I was hoping it wasn't true. She just graduated from high school a few months ago and her boyfriend is still in high school. In any case, I was super happy to see her! She ran across the street and gave me a big hug. She still looks the same, only she has a baby belly now. She is due to have the baby June 17th. Her plan is to go to college in September. Sounds like a tough road to me, but I only tell her that I am sure she can do it.
After lots of hugs under the hot sun Kebelin headed home and Ana's kids piled into the car. The younger kids wanted to go to McDondald's but Jired was very set on Popeyes. Jired hardly ever voices an opinion, so we went to Popeyes. The playland was hotter than the weather outside but the kids had fun. Then we went to McDonalds for ice cream sundaes. It was the first time the kids ever ate a sundae. They thought it was a little strange, but delicious! Playland at McDonalds was smaller, but we all decided it was better. And air conditioned. I had my fill of fast food for the year.
Samuel took some great photos. Isa's going through a stage where little things scare her. She's never been a scaredy cat before. In fact, she's the opposite! Maybe it's because her mommy is in the hospital and she's never been without her Mom before.
As I dropped the kids off Jired pointed out that Lorenzo was playing on the side of the road. I stopped and he ran up to the car. We only chatted for a second. After I dropped everyone off he was still there, trying to get a mango off a tree with a stick. There was only one that was ripe. But it fell on the other side of the wall, so he couldn't get it. Poor Lorenzo. His face matures, but he never grows.
As I was standing on the street with Lorenzo, my phone rang. It was his sister, Erika. I figured she had seen me or heard I was in Los Pinos. Word there does travel fast. But no, she just happened to call as I was standing next to her brother.
Erika said Carlos wanted to talk to me. All of the kids had exams last week. Something provoked me to ask Carlos how he did on his tests. He said he did well. Then his mother grabbed the phone. She said I needed to talk to Carlos because he won't go to school. He didn't pass any of his exams. He got a 4 out of 30 in Spanish class.
She said she walks him to school every day, but then he leaves. I asked why and she just said that e says he has no interest in school. Carlos wants to drop out of school and be part of Impacto Juvenil like his big brothers. WHAT!???? I assured her that Impacto Juvenil will not take Carlos if he drops out of school and reminded her that Impacto Juvenil is not about education. It's about morals and values and lots of good stuff, but it is not a substitute for school!
At first I was frustrated with her, but then I realized she is doing all she knows to do. She asked for an appointment with our psychologist. She and Carlos will see the psychologist first thing Tuesday. She's really on the ball! I applauded her for that. Then I talked to her about punishment. I emphasized that I was not talking about physical punishment, but rather consequences for not studying. She is even on top of that! She said that Erika is tutoring Carlos in math and Spanish. He has been studying during vacation. According to her, if Carlos doesn't do well on tests for recuperation on Monday, he will have to withdraw from school. I'm glad she has the appointment with the psychologist Tuesday. He can help her figure things out for Carlos. (Something really cool about Impacto Juvenil is that if one family member is part of the program, the whole family has access to our therapists and lawyers, so Carlos is covered too.)
Carlos got back on the phone and asked when I was going to visit. I told him I am not sure, but that if he does not apply himself at school, I will not be taking him on any fun outings. I will take his siblings, but I will not take someone who is not in school. When I asked why he doesn't want to go to school, he was silent. Finally I just told him I love him very much and I hope he will study. He said he will.
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| Samuel has been chosen for a soccer team with the local private college |
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| David was great at entertaining the smaller kids. He's such a sweetie. |
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| First sundaes ever! |
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