today I was playing the guitar and decided we needed new strings.... then a genius idea came to me! cat gut! we have an evil cat here who likes to pounce at me - what better use for it? hahaha only catch is Ana would never speak to me again....

there's loads I keep forgetting to tell you. I taught my first lesson yesterday!! in biology. it went ok actually - the class behaved (almost too well - i was called ma'am continuously - slightly disconcerting) and I think the message all got across ok - considering they are learning it in english which they're a bit shaky on its quite impressive. Judy had to teach maths today - a much harder undertaking... she coped very well even thought the course is stupid and doesn't make sense half the time. I'm teaching again tomorrow.

Also we got a keyboard for the shelter. It was quite an interesting experience buying it... it was originally 7500 pesos but when we walked away they ended up putting it down to 5000! also we got a free guitar with it - hence the cat situation.

Last night we went to the bars for the first time. We went to the most posh and expensive one called Atlantis bar. I think they're letting us in slowly. There were several hundred girls ranging from young, awkward looking to what were obviously the 'pick of the bunch'. There was also a pregnant girl working there and some were obviously underage. There were men watching from three floors and the girls were picked out by the mamasans (female pimps) using a laser. Though some of the girls were dancing sexily they ran away from the laser when it was pointed at them. Shows what was really going on in their heads. Judy also saw a man touching a girl who jumped away instinctively but then had to force herself to go back. Also there was a man with two girls to himself and a man kissing his girl who was all over him - obviously trying to get him to take her out so she can make more money.

One thing we saw on the way to the bar was a soldier who had two street children by their shirts so he was choking them. They were screaming and crying. He said they had been fighting and he was going to take them to the police but Paulo made him let them go. The police would have beaten them. Street children have no rights....

There's two more girls coming to the shelter today so we are going to be sharing our room with Margerie and Rowena.

Gotta go help move boxes

bye bye po xxx