Just Glad To Be Home

March 24, 2013. Commence rooster and a whining puppy that I think was being attacked by the rooster right outside the wall at 5am and I was up... We drank coffee and had a little bite of banana bread before Ivette and I were on our way. I got to ride on another moto (by myself this time!) and again, love it. The views from Laura's place are amazing; despite having to wear a helmet which screams, "I'M NOT FROM HERE." The guagua picked us up pretty quickly and it was nearly packed again. Ivette and I got separated there a bit and a woman in the back was very sick... She eventually got off, the cobrador made a nasty comment, and he tried talking to me (even a little in English). I wanted to bad to say, "Yo se solamente un poco espanol pero cuando hablas en ingles, no entiendo nada" (I may only know a little in Spanish, but when you talk to me in English, I understand nothing). But, as per usual, I froze. The bus cleared a little along the way and though the driver was INSANE, the trip was much faster than the way out on Thursday. A little girl right behind me did throw up after her mother fed her hard-boiled eggs, salami, and soda at 9am... The smell came and went in waves. I don't think it's possible to travel here without an episode or two. Back in the city we picked up the last guagua to head back to Pantoja (home). The cobrador tried to take my helmet and offered me a ride on his moto but Ivette fought back and said only if it's a free ride back to Pantoja.. He left us alone after that. Someday. Someday, I'll defend myself and be strong...
When I got home my host mother and sister weren't there. I called the number she gave me but it ended up being the house phone which I could hear ring and not her cell. lol. One of Paola's friends came looking for her with a game so we started to play while we waited together. Shortly after, they got home. Paola sat down and played with us. It was a cute math board game and they both did very well with their addition and multiplication facts. We talked about my trip and the game and I really interacted well, I think!
After, Paola showed me the pool in the back! They decided to swim and I went to unpack my bags. After, I changed and went in the pool with them. I told them I didn't want to wear my bathing suit because I was red and showed them my shoulders. We talked a lot about my friends and family back home and Paola's friend asked me a lot of questions. I understood it all and we had a pretty smooth conversation! Ugh, so good. My host mom made us lunch which was platanos maduros, ham, and onions (oh and AMAZING pineapple juice; which I have to say, I totally missed fresh fruit juice in those previous three days without it haha Today I've already had fresh cherry juice when I arrived, fresh pineapple juice, and another juice with pineapple, rice?, and sugar = more dessert-y tasting ). This time, I ate all my lunch cuz I was starving :). At the table we all talked about the other volunteers that my host family has had and it was a lot (I was totally wrong before when I didn't think they had any... Oops)! My host mom said that all of us volunteers are really smart! But their first one drank a lot of beers, another made this weird noise that they kept imitating, one danced a lot, and so on. Again, a smooth, flowing conversation and I don't think I missed too much!
After we ate, I showed them pictures from my trip and Paola and her friend went to her room to watch TV. I finished up my report and cleaned up my blog to prepare for posting tomorrow. It's only 2:30pm now, but with the way things have already gone today, I'm just glad to be home.
I did some homework and extra studying since we have almost an entire day of assessments on Wednesday to prepare for CBT next week (!). I then went outside and chatted with my host mom, Paola, Jenny, and played with the little one. Julio and Francis came over with Sona and they started playing Dominoes. I went and got my workbook and brought it outside. I sat down and my host mom gave me coffee and said, "Aye more homework, Julie?" I just said I needed to study and I didn't want to be in my room. She agreed because of the nice breeze outside (winning here with conversations! Lol). I worked for a while while they played but the guys at the colmada across the street kept staring and hissing (the hissing burns my ears). So I left to get cards to see if Paola wanted to play. She had her door shut though so I journaled a bit about my weekend (sorry, you don't get to know ALL the details ;) ) while Mumford and Sons cooled the burning and sent a calming pulse to my heart. Goodness I love them. That was one of my smart purchases before i left (I need to start looking for some Spanish music now!). Hopefully they didn't hear me singing in English out there lol.
I went in and out of my room trying to mingle but they played Dominoes all night so it was difficult to interact. It's 7:45pm and I'm sweating still... My sunburn probably isn't helping any. I think I'll shower and head to bed soon. Maybe play a few games on my iPad first :). For whatever reason, I'm in high spirits at the moment so I'm gonna just enjoy it in my room. Buenas noches, everyone.