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Well, after a very enjoyable Thursday afternoon where I helped a becario translate the whole of ´illegal´ (santana and christina aguelieriaria - he better get full marks, it was well hard) I also managed to maim myself on really sharp dead leaves playing kickball, oh, and got almost no response from retelling the spanish jokes we learnt last weekend, oh and got beat in like, 15 moves in chess against Urbano Thursday night (but redeemed myself by winning a couple of rounds of dominos) - this weekend has been fun fun fun.
We got up earlyish on Friday so that we could rake our patch early whilst there was still some shade and we wouldn´t fry to death. I hate raking. Like, it is the thing I hate most in the whole world. Lo ODIO. But, Matías was really impressed when he came by later to fix our loo, which for some misterious reason, got blocked.
We then just kind of chilled out all day on Friday. There was nothing to do. We went to the shop for sweeties and coke, brought one back for Urbano (we think he lives on the stuff) etc etc etc. I am desperately trying to think what else we did, but I cannot remeber. I think we were mainly preoccupied by the loo. I may have read the book that is falling apart, and I think Lizzie drew some really funky shape pictures that are now on display in the bathroom, but other than that, and having lunch, I can`t for the life of me think what we did. Lunch however was very good though, as there was a group, so the quality of the food was WAY better. Bistek and salad. MmmMmm.
Oh! wait! I know what we did! Rocendo, the multitalented paramedic artist dude, ate lunch with us, and then we went to see the giraffe he made out of foami stuff to measure height. My god. It was amazing. Then he told us that his whole house was decorated with things he had made, and he changes them every year, and he did a whole massive nativity scene out of just paper that took him 3 months to finish.
In the afternoon, (after spotting him running past the cabaña), Andres, one of the consejeros came and said hi, and took the mick cos I was lying on the bed ´sleeping´(I was actually doing some grammar stuff, but I was momentarily resting my eyes). We didn´t have to do that much in the evening, and after popping to the infermería to make some paper burros with Rocendo, we all ate dinner together, and then sat in on another talk with a different group of aspiring consejeros. It was a bit boring, as it was exactly the same talk as the group had last week. Then they played the copying pictures in the dark game, again which we did last week, but this time, nobody injured themselves on falling goal posts. The becarios who were working in the kitchen at the weekend stayed in the consejero cabañas, and we had to share ours with a couple of the girls, Viri and Rebeca, but they were no trouble. The three lads who stayed next door, Rey, Marco and Jose, ate all our sweets (nearly) and attacked me when they belted the windchimes in our doorway, I went out to see who it was, and had to run across the spikey grass with bare feet when they all tried to hug me to death. I was scared.
We got up at 5:15 in the morning to climb la Guarda, a hill thingy with a rock on top which I climbed at easter with another group, but this time we climbed up to see the sunrise. All the birds were really noisey, and you could see really far because the sun didn´t reflect too much off all the pollution. From the top, you can see a huge volcano, Popacateptl, and the sun rose right next to it. It was really pretty. Then, after an uber quick shower (Lizzie and Andres went for a run round the camp, I did about 100m then gave up), Andres had to show the group how to put the HUGE mexican flag up. He had to climb in the window to get the flag out of the office cos the door was locked, (contributing to the running joke we have about him being scouse) and I had to carry it round the little paradey area type thing and hold it whilst he clipped it to the rope. I was terrified of dropping it. Never again. Also, I felt a bit silly standing there saluting whilst everyone was singing the flag song and the national anthem. Lizzie and I don´t know the words, so we just stand there like morons waiting for them all to finish.
But breakfast was GOOD. Chilaquiles! Mmmm.
After that, I had to go and supervise in the pool. The teachers of the huge group that were there played some crazy game which consisted of covertly lobbing tennis balls as hard as they could at each others´ heads. And standing behind me for protection. It was quite amusing, until I almost got hit. ¡Aguas! - apparently it means duck! although it isn´t really much help if you don´t understand....
I also (this is really exciting when you´re stood doing nothing for 3 hours) got to confiscate two bottles off some lads who were using them to empty water out of the pool. Their faces! hahahaha!
But Christian, on of the teachers or helpers, (not sure which, he looks a bit young to be a proper teacher) who had talked to me and lizzie last time the group were here, chatted to me a bit. He freaked me out slightly, because he remembered our names, where we were going on holiday, where I lived, and told me that Liverpool were playing Arsenal on Wednesday.
After another tour of the campsite with the aspirantes and some more games which resulted in a forfeit of standing in the sprinkler for 10 seconds and many people lying on each other and falling over in the dirt, we had lunch, and then went and made some more kites in the sala de juntas. Lizzie and I made friendship bracelets instead, as out kites that we made last week were so class, we just couldn´t surpass ourselves this time round, and we would have been a disappointment to Rocendo.
We then did some swimming things, the toro came out again, but as it was 7ish and dark, Lizzie and I just helped chuck balls in the water and put the pool light on and take photos of people flying off the toro and made sure they didn´t nut themselves on the side of the pool.
After din dins, there was another talk (We were practically falling asleep having been up so early after little sleep the night before) and then a campfire. There was some ace song which Andres sang about being a Torero, it was hilarious, and Urbano did one about dancing where you had to hold onto each other´s ears etc. We hung with Octavio, one of the becarios juveniles who was doing the course. We think he felt a bit left out of things, as he was clearly so different to the rest of the group, but he eased up a lot after he took the mick out of us singing the wrong words and ran from side to side holding onto our knees. Lizzie and I (all the way frooooom, England!) sang alice the camel, and then, after evaluation time, we sat round and Urbano played mexican songs on his guitar. It was dead nice, really chilled, everyone was falling asleep. After everyone went off to bed, we noticed that there was a power cut, so after failed attempts to fix the lights, we gave up and sat by the fire. I went and lay on the ganchas for a bit looking at the starts, cos they´re really clear when the lights are all off, and I saw a shooting one! which I got very excited at indeed. When we finally went to bed, we entered our cabaña to find about 6 cucarachas in the bathroom, and our shrieking caused Andres to see what was going on, and laugh at us a lot as I batted them around with the brush and Lizzie hopped about in the dark pointing out the stray ones.
In the morning, (after forgetting the hour went forward and us being late for the first time instead of the group, oh and noticing the FIELD that was in our cabaña from all the grass that we brought in on our clothes after lying on the floor after the campfire) we had a quick brekkie, then there was another talk, during which we tidied up the bodega, and then Lizzie stayed and supervised the pool whilst Andres and I went into tepo with the group to do a rally thing. We just had to sit in the church park thing doing nothing for an hour, but it was rather amusing listening to complaints about how there are no pretty girls in tepo, and my god isn´t that woman gorda, and why becky, why didn´t you bring sweets with you...
After the group finished, there were a million hugs goodbye (jeez) and then we got an agua and walked to get the bus back to camp.
Back at the ranch, Urbano regaloed us a coke each, and we got changed to go into town for some real food. We ended up at a veggie restaurant (kind of indiany which was good cos I had a craving for curry earlier) me, Lizzie Urbano and Andres, and we ate loads of dead nice non chilli spicy stuff. Top platano. There was the obligatory tepoznieves ice cream, cafe con leche y creama con pasas pour moi, and then we had to say our goodbyes to Andres who had a football match to play in.
Lizzie and I looked round the market, (I bought some ACE pantaloon type things to wear as pjs, pictures to follow, I had to smile loads and beg the guy to knock 20 pesos off, and he only did 10 in the end. grr) which was packed it being a Sunday and all, and then we (after avoiding food cos we were very very full) went back to camp for a quick swim. Our cabaña ran out of water, so we got that fixed, and ate cereal and fruit with the head cook, georgina, who lived in LA for a bit, and really wants to learn more English, so we taught her foody words, and how to ask is someone is veggie, and chopped lettuce and stuff. Then, after fully intending to have a real shower with hot water and everything, and then make a mini campfire and eat marshmellows, we couldn´t be bothered, and went to bed at 9 o´clock (only 8 real time). I vaguely remember being woken up at 10;30 by lizzie battling more cockroaches. We really have to remember to put the wood over the drains.
So, back to the same old routine today. We taught in Ixcatepec before, and now we are going to nap before the becarios come back. sooooo tired. And it´s soooooooo hot! Adios!!!!¡¡¡
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