We have fallen into a routine here in Cenovia Aguilar, but every day brings something new. We started out the day with walking the kids to school. I have started to look at their textbooks as we walk. This morning Brisa shared her book on Helen Keller with me; the elementary reading is just at my level. We said goodbye to the kids then headed back to the house for breakfast and planning.
A lot of us are covered in bites from ants and other insects. It is hard not to scratch, especially during the night, so we went to the corner pharmacy to find something for the bites. The pharmacy was very basic with only a couple hundred different medicines. They also sold cockroach spray, hair gel, and cologne (All the essentials). After the pharmacy we needed to stock up on some supplies so we went to Gladis and Brisa’s store to check out their stock. Yesterday their mother asked where we shop for food, so I feel like we should spread out our business and not go to the closest store all the time. There are probably two dozen stores in this little town and we have cleaned every single one out of yogurt. A couple days after we got here one of the stores put up a sign saying, “We sell yogurt.” Yesterday we went back to that store and they no longer had yogurt or the sign.
This afternoon was dreary with a slight mist hanging in the air, so we decided not to go the river. On the days we stay back from the river we don’t have as many of the Lost Boys, but we attract some other kids by playing futbol, painting nails, and braiding hair. One little girl, Judith, plopped down next to me and started talking. She talked about school, futbol, telescopes, and the stars. Judith was great to listen to, because she talked and talked so I was able to listen to her Spanish. I asked Judith to come to church in the evening so she could play games and sing songs with us. Judith explained that she wouldn’t be able to attend because she goes to the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church does not have services at the same time, but the parents do not let their kids attend. A futbol rolled by and Judith sprang up to chase after it.
This evening we sang new songs and played musical chairs, which was a hit. Halfway through the game one of the little toddlers started crying. He did not stop crying until his six year old sister came over to pick him up. It was quite a feat for her to pick him up because he is about half her size. A good number of the elementary age kids come to services with a small child to take care of. The older kids are very good siblings most of the time and look out for the little ones. They serve as little parents comforting, reprimanding, and encouraging one another.
