Day 1 of "vacation"

At Luz y Vida, we're having 2 weeks of in-school "vacation", fieldtrips, games, crafts, and other fun activities. Today was the first day.

I got off the bus and Andy handed me 40,000 pesos. "Do you know how to make pancakes?", he asked. The store, he said, was just around the corner, and I should plan on breakfast for 60.

I recruited Linda to go with me, but when we walked around the corner, the only store we saw was closed. We kept walking until we found a bakery which looked like they were selling flour, but it turned out to be arepa mix. They gave us directions to what turned out to be the same store that was still closed. As we were walking out, we ran into some more of the staff who were stopping in for breakfast. We left, when I realized they could probably give us directions to another store, plus, I found money of my own in my pocket and really wanted some bread. So, back we went, and bread bought and directions obtained, found a little store that sold milk in bags and individual eggs with everything behind the counter.

While I made pancakes, our normally rambunctious dining room became chaotic. All the children from the Other Way, plus the continuing education students are spending these 2 weeks with us as well, so we have more than double the usual amount of students.

After breakfast, I shepherded all the children 8 and under into the first grade classroom for a devotional. A visiting team of YWAMers on their outreach from New Zealand led while I translated.

Afterwards, we split the kids up into groups for stations. I spent my day helping kids stuff bean bag frogs with cotton and toilet paper (we just didn't have enough cotton to go around. . .)

When we finished with that, we painted animal cutouts with glue and shook them up in a bag full of paper scraps (an idea I got from my friend Leslie).

The day ended with a mad scramble into the bus (which technically seats 22), as we stopped by the Other Way to drop off 10 or more kids there, then went on to Paraiso to drop off 11 more kids, and then headed back to the 127 house with 23 people still in the bus.

I think these "vacation" days are going to leave me more tired than regular days, but it's fun to see the kids enjoying themselves and doing new things.

The little things that make it all worth it

I almost cried this morning, riding on the bus with my kiddos. We stopped at a light and one of my second graders started to read the street sign out loud "entrada" Another pointed out another sign that said "centro de . . ."

They're reading! On their own! And, what's even more beautiful, the fact that they are doing that means they see themselves as readers.

Septimazo

Bus- 1,350 pesos

Shish-kebab- 1,000 pesos

Aromatica (herbal tea made with fresh herbs)- 800 pesos

A night at Septimazo- Priceless

Every Friday in Bogota, they shut down several blocks of Septima, one of the main roads. There are street vendors selling everything from handmade jewelry, to art made out of melted plastic cups, to collapsible laundry hampers. There's also food for sale. Arepas with cheese, corn on the cob, hamburgers, fresh sliced pineapple and mango, grilled meat, potatoes. . . There are street artists too. Groups that dance salsa, others that dance hip-hop. There are people who wear elaborate costumes and paint themselves and pose like statues until someone puts a coin in their collection box, and then they come to life. There are comedy acts and jugglers.

I went this weekend with some of the girls from the school and Doris. We had a great time bargaining with the vendors, people watching, and laughing at Doris as she took over the aromatica stand when the vendor went to get change and almost sold a man a cup of tea for half price.

Dumplings in Colombia

As I walked out of the 2nd store where I'd failed to find ground pork (after stopping by a roadside stand to pick up cabbage, garlic, and green onions), I contemplated my options- take the 20 minute walk to Exito and hope they had it there, or give up and make beef dumplings. I wasn't sure I had time to walk to Exito and back and still get my dumplings made by 7, but I didn't want to give up either, so I walked toward ninth, trying to make up my mind.

Somewhere along the way I remembered the butcher shop which was practically on my way home. Once someone appeared from the back, I told her what I wanted and waited as she took it to the back and ground it for me.

Everyone was busy in the kitchen, so I took over the dining room. I mixed my dough and started chopping cabbage, glancing every once and awhile at our family blog where I posted the recipe the first time I made dumplings. J (she's a 12 year old Colombian-American) came over to see what I was doing and saw the power point I had open which I hadn't had time to start. She offered to help, so while I made Chinese dumplings and we listened to salsa, she worked on a slide show about the United States.

KT (a 5 year old) came over to watch too, and she wanted to help. So, while I rolled out dumpling wrappers, I showed her how to put a spoonful in each one and seal them. She's a careful little worker, and loves to help. She did a great job, though at times she liked to be silly and ask me if she should put in about 3 times the amount of filling I showed her.

After we'd been working awhile, everyone from the farm arrived. E (3) and T (not quite 2) wanted to help too. So, we pulled up chairs to the table and I gave everyone a ball of dough to roll out.

Everyone who walked by wondered what we were making until they saw the ready-to-be cooked dumplings. Then, to a Colombian, the answer was obvious. "Oh, you're making empanadas!" Well, sort of. I told them they were a Chinese version of empanadas.

Culture night was pretty awesome. We had food from Colombia, Venezuela, the US, New Zealand, Holland, and, of course, my dumplings. And, once the food was eaten and the presentations over, we cleared away the chairs, and danced. I love that social dancing is a part of life here.