playing catch up ...

It is Sunday and it is pouring. Time to quickly write what has been happening in the last few days.

Monday, Elmer more or less jumped out of bed because I almost screwed it up for him by re-setting the alarm to the wrong time. He had to literally run to work in 5 minutes flat. They get fined for every minute they are late 10Q so that can add up quickly ... I felt so bad about it because it was work and of course he was swearing in lovely Spanish! I started out with house cleaning and than going to the laundry place. Elmer called and asked me to bring him some food since he was starving, having had no breakfast. I felt so bad for him and hurried up to get him something. I did lots of shopping in the market for fruit and finally bought a used blender. I just couldn’t believe the price they were asking in the shop like 3x more for a new one. No way! For the difference I could have bought 2 more jeans. By now I am good in calculating what I could have bought for it and I start thinking in Q and not anymore in USD or EUR. I also got our pictures from the vacation printed off. Some of them are very nice and others are a bit like aha ... I was planning on making a collage but have changed my mind since I got soaked on the way back to the house. I was visiting his sister and when I was about to leave it started pouring and since there was no chance of it stopping I had to go for it. The streets here are so used and down trodden that the middle part is very deep and the water catches in there quickly and depending how good the drains work you can either be facing a river that is running or standing water that is very deep and there is no way around it. You have to literally walk through it and get your shoes soaking wet. I was walking through knee deep water which was very dirty and disgusting smelling. Barefoot though is no option since you might step into God's know what! I was thinking I was being smart taking the shortest way but no luck since when I as about to turn the corner into my street the walkway was under water and the fire trucks were pulling cars free that had been parked and where the water was up to the middle of the doors. I got home and dumped my things. I got the rain jacket for Elmer and brought it to him. He thought I hadn't gotten soaked but my back was completely wet and I got told to go home take a shower and change clothes. I was so glad that the guy had fixed the shower that day so we finally have warm water (hot in my book is something different). Hanna, thank you so much for leaving me your sweat pants. They are great and so nice and warm in the house! I was finally all bundled up in dry clothes and was about to fix myself a warm tea to warm up from the inside as well when the next wet person showed up. Our room has got a certain smell to it now due to drying clothes ... very yummy - NOT! We tend to go out Monday night's but we both didn't feel like getting all soaked again since it was still pouring so we stayed in. Actually it was good fun since we had long chats and watched TV.

Tuesday, we both slept in and felt refreshed. He was going to see his parents and his son after brunch and I had my date with Ema. Oh for those of you who haven't heard the news yet?!? There is a prospectus buyer for our place in Vleuten but since no papers are signed yet it is too early to cheer so just all keep you fingers crossed that it will happen and that I can close the last chapter in the Netherlands! I should know more by start of next week ... I met Ema for her birthday coffee. She was really happy with her gifts. I got her a scarf, chocolates and a card which I signed off with daughter and she was like yes that is what you are to me. I just love her! I tried a chocolate cake and that piece was huge and so rich that I decided to take it home with me I managed not even half of it. I had to buy more clothes since with the rain too many clothes are wet. I bought another jeans, sneakers and a sweater. I am starting to get used to the white bread but only with butter and honey or even better with frijoles.

Thursday when I left the house with Elmer I had planned to go the market and buy fresh things and he had to go visit his parents and son. I bumped into Genevieve right when I stepped out of the house. She was also on the way to the market so we went shopping together. We made some really good deals when buying fruit. I thought her Spanish was better than mine and she thought mine was so that was very funny. We ended up with so much stuff that we went to my place and left it all tear and divided the fruit up and afterwards we went back out shopping. First a quick stop at McDonald's though since I finally wanted to meet Elmer's son in person. Since I was with her it was normal to bump into each other since his son doesn't need to know right now that we are dating. He looks so much like him and is so adorable and although shy with us I bet he can be a handful. They went shipping for shoes for him and we girls also did some more shopping. I had in the end finally some more pans and Tupperware as well. Elmer was impressed with my shopping but at least we can fix ourselves some decent food. At night we were supposed to go out dancing but I just wasn't in the mood and felt kind of out of it. I had fixed dinner though and it was good. He was like okay I am going out and I was like I might go out later ... so we split up and I did go out very briefly. La Sala was too crowded and I just couldn't be asked to deal with it all. Although I wasn't alone and had good company I just couldn't be asked. Just when I was about to go Elmer showed up and was a bit upset that I didn't want to dance with him or anyone else for that matter. He stayed but said that it was full and hardly any girls to dance with. Oh well!

Friday I said that I need a lab since I had a pretty good idea what was wrong with me - bladder infection! So I let them do their work and I could go and collect the results after 5pm. Elmer took me to all the right places ... We had gotten up very early since we had to go to Guate for my visa. I have never been so grateful to him for coming with me. I would have been lost in Guate. It is a chicken bus but it goes directly to Guate. Elmer had asked his Dad the night before what street to get off best. He was all prepared and than the bus driver decided that he can’t be asked to go to the end and says today it ends here. HERE was somewhere in zone 3 and no taxi no nothing around. He asked some guy and we waked a bit and than waited for a bus. We had to change buses and walk around until we found the INGUAT and than we got told that they had moved office as well. Filling out a form and paying 15USD for a visa was okay. Afterwards we went to a shopping center and that was huge it felt as if being back in the States only the people didn't look that way. We had a huge pizza there since we were both starving by than. On the way back to Antigua we were both beat and almost fell asleep in the bus. I was ready to go home and straight to bed before work. I had a bit of sleep and went by the lab and got my results than had to wait for the doc to have time for me. Got my medicine and went to work.

Weekend> I think I was working, sleeping, watching soccer games, shopping, watching TV etc. Nothing out of the ordinary going on.