I was at the internet on Sunday but didn´t write because there wasn´t a whole lot to say. Everything was the same.. we didn´t have kids all week (even on Friday when I thought they were going to come), and I just didn´t do a whole lot. But! The kids are back and this week has been a busy one. Monday I had the kids do another drawing for my project, this one being of their house. They all did a great job doing that. Tuesday Avy had to leave early and so I took over her class from lunch (12:30) until 3pm. I will be completely honest and tell you that these kids are definitely a handful. They are used to living in the camps without a lot of supervision or many boundaries. When you tell them no, or to stop doing something they often look at you and then keep on doing it. When forced, my Spanish is actually fairly good. I gave them an English class when I had them Tuesday afternoon. Surprisingly they did well, and Irene even knew many of the words. Amazing, considering I had not had them for English Class for a week and a half! I was so proud of her, I kept saying "bien, bien!" and patting her on the back. I was proud of myself, as well, as I managed to give the kids vocabulary cards and tell them to give them to their mothers to practice. My grammar is horrible, as is my pronounciation, but they at least understand me. Not only did I have them Tuesday afternoon, but Avy, I guess, is not coming for a week. This proves a small problem, but Brigida is handling it. She combines the class for everything. The Kinders go off to school, and so I have the class from 8:45 to 9:15, and again from 11:45-12:15 when Brigida is gone.

Sometimes they are too much, though, I have to get Norma (the lady who cleans), or Geno to come and tell them something. They always listen for the person who actually speaks good Spanish! The kids also say things to one another in Spanish and I don´t understand. However, I do understand tone of voice and once Yoseline was yelling to JoseManuel from the across the room. I had to go ask Brigida what she was yelling, and I was correct in my assumption that it was not nice. She was yelling "Barracho!" which is someone who likes the alcohol too much. Aye.

I got out my camera for the first time with the kids. The babies were so funny, they just stood and smiled for it. The Kinders, though, are absolutely crazy when I get it out. I was practically tackled by Elizabeth and LuzAdriana. I have to be discreet when I get it out and by the time I´m ready to take a second picture the kids are all over me. I have started sneaking around with it.

I got to interview Geno and Brigida´s dad today for the first of my interviews I need to do. He was very willing and gave me a lot of great answers. It is amazing to think of the lives some of these people have lived. He and his brothers have always worked on the land. At one point he was threatened by a man with a gun who wanted all of his posessions, and Juan had to flee with his family to another state, leaving everything behind.

I also got great news from Erma, who is a Canadian who has lived down here for the past 10 or 11 years. I asked her if she knew anybody I could interview and she mentioned a 100 year old lady who has lived her whole life in the Baja. I thought this was great, but I told Erma that I don´t have a car, and the lady (sorry, I don´t know her name) lives an hour and a half away. Erma said she is going down to the same place in a week or so, sometime before the group from the school comes. I decided that was great, but I would need an interpreter. Lucky me, the lady speaks English! She was born in Baja, but she actually had to flee with her family because her dad is Italian, and during the Revolution they left to go to Calexico, which is in California on the border. She went to school there and subsequently learned English. I am VERY excited about interviewing this lady. Living through the Revolution, and everything that has evolved since-- what a wealth of information!

I have been reading so much down here it seems that that is all I ever do. I also sleep a lot, and I think the last time I got this much sleep was the summer I spent working for my cousin in Long Beach. While my classmates at school are up at midnight, 1am, and later working on papers, I´m fast asleep by ten pm!

I have been having some very strange dreams while I´ve been down here. I don´t know why, but every night I seem to have very vivid dreams the next day. One night this week I dreamed that I was over at Sandy house and my car was outside. I was in the house and went to look out on the street and there was a HUGE river of mud flowing down the street, high enough to cover half my car. The hill behind the school had decided to slide and our street was covered with water and mud. This is probably the result of hearing of so many mudslides in Southern California and Tijuana.