Chores and Chairs (August 13, 2010)

I spent this morning at home doing laundry and other household stuff, so Refugio, our housekeeper, would not have to be alone in the house while Mari worked in town.  It was rather nice to just hang out at home, and I have discovered just how "addicted" I've become to  my computer!

The detective from the Office of Public Ministry returned today with two men from the "crime lab."  They spoke to neighbors, and discovered that one neighbor had seen about 6 men entering the house yesterday, and a tuk-tuk parked around the corner.  Another neighbor has a camera taping the street area, and we are hoping that maybe we will be able to discover the number of the tuk-tuk from their video.  They also dusted for finger prints, but I didn't see them "lift" a single print.  I'm not sure how much good it would have done anyway, since the break in was over 24 hours ago, and none of us living in the house were finger-printed!  I think they were just trying to make us feel better about the whole thing.  And, once again, Mari fed everyone lunch before they got down to work.  I'm learning that things are done very differently in Guatemala, and a also learning to just relax and enjoy it.  I did not, however, enjoy cleaning white powder off of every conceivable surface in my room.

After lunch Dick stopped by and brought me a computer to use.  (I don't know if he was trying to be extra kind to me, or just wanted to make sure we got "our" journal published!)  He also invited me to go with him and Espin and Elder to deliver a wheelchair to a lady in Santa Ana who we had visited last week.  Since I was having a little bit of  "cabin fever" and Mari was home, I decided to tag along.

This dear lady has had four strokes, and has use of only her right hand. . She and her husband have lived in Guatemala for thirty years, and she knows both Spanish and English. She has some speech, but it is very slow and and difficult. Her mind, however, is right on target, and she is a delight to visit with. I'm hoping, once I replace my computer, that I can develop a simple communication book for her so she can make requests more easily. 

Today, after some minor adjustments, she was traveling around her house freely for the first time in a long time.  She had used an electric chair in the past, and needed only a short time to get used to "driving" around her house.  This is quite a challenge, as it is a small house with a lot of funiture, but I think she'll get the hang of it in a few days. 

On the way back to town, I was delighted to hear Dick talk about how the kids had continued working yesterday even after I left.  I was a little surprised when he told me how well my "students" had done working on their own, as I hadn't really thought of them in those terms before.  From what he described, though, that is an apt description of these kids--they are learning much and teaching me more.  I've always said that the sign of a good teacher was that her class could run without her.  Today, the kids made me look good!