Where's My Horny Monkey?

I've been on the go for the last three days. I hope that what I've learned can be properly reflected as briefly as possible.

March 22nd
When we prayed before work, I volunteered to pray for the first time. It felt good. I hate to admit it, but I'm such a total space of a person, I sometimes go off in my own little world during prayer. The focus on each other and myself and our guide in the sky felt like nothing I've ever felt before. When I was little, I used to be very very religious. I still love the tradition and personal relation with God that goes along with Catholicism, but I've had too many unanswered questions and discrepancies to consider myself religious in the traditional sense any more. I've forgotten about lent and no meat since arriving here. I feel like I'm in a whole nother world despite the many American qualities this island does hold (it is a tourist destination after all).

As beautiful as the culture is on this island though, I could never live here. We taught and performed theater for some of the kids in the classroom. It was their first time ever learning anything about it. Theater is nonexistent here and unnecessary for this culture. That is probably why I don't feel very connected here. This is also a very small island - I feel very isolated. However, I definitely want to come back in the fall when Kim brings another mission out, if finances allow. I've been teaching several children, between the ages of 7 and 11, how to read and write. They legitimately want to learn, but its hard in a school with no sound proofing and developing organization. They would not survive without volunteers like us. These teachers have the patience of saints, and hate their jobs. What amazes me is the fact that they don't hate it for the classroom work (which is chaotic) but for the anxiety they feel for the children after work.

March 23rd
This boy, Alexis, taught us how to make the jewelry. All the locals are constantly selling it on the streets. They are so talented it's ridiculous. His mother is a thief, his sister has been beaten so bad that she cannot speak clearly anymore, and he is so smart, the adults of the island respect his opinion. I bought so much jewlery from he and his sister (who share the money with their mother, but keep enough to take care of the family) its just silly. I even accidentally bought a boy bracelet for whoever wants it! I have a strong feeling he is going to make some major influence in his life.

March 24th
The kids' swing set went up today. I can't get over what a change it's going to make. The school doesn't have access to any machinery to create and level the land. Everything we've done has been done by hand. The last few days, one of our major jobs has been sifting sand to create cement so that their week old wooden septic system may be protected from the water. It was also my afternoon off today to go snorkeling. When we got back to the hotel, the guys in our group were telling us to hurry as fast as possible. Apparently, they'd been told that if we got there an hour early, we'd get to snorkel for an hour longer. No one told me and I still had to find an ATM to pay for the trip. My friend Aaron and I sprinted through the streets barefoot, praying not to be late. I had grabbed the card last minute with my key, both in my hand. Finally, by the time we made it there, we discovered that my card was gone.

I was bawling by the time I got back the hotel. We're all poor, no way am I going to make someone pay for me. I used the hotel cleaning lady's phone and canceled the card right away. It is gone forever. So I was at the hotel with the wonderfully amazing workers calming me down and Aaron comes on some random bike back up the beach to me saying that the snorkeling people would take pity on me and take me along for free. I am so grateful, but now I have to borrow from Kim for the rest of the trip. She is the most generous woman I have ever known.

I've been working on this blog too long. More to come later.