Teva Madness

Please. Can someone please explain to me….what’s with this fascination with Teva’s? I’m seeing them EVERYWHERE. Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something extremely unattractive about them. I’m thinking I even saw them in “The Stuff White People Like.” What’s worse, while Teva’s themselves are, I believe, an American phenomenon, they, or sandals that are disgustingly similar, are worn by travelers the world over. I’m seeing all sorts of [foreign] folks wearing them. While I absolutely love my Van’s flip flops, I just can’t understand why the Teva/Teva-style shoe is by far the most prevalent footwear down here among tourists down here. Oi.

Soy I Am

Sunday night, I spread the joy of tofu to La Guardiania. What was going to be a nice small gathering at a friend’s house became a huge multifamily affair. We all gathered in someone’s house, where we watched Ice Age 2 in Spanish and discussed “los carismaticos.” (I still don’t know what they are, but it made for an awfully interesting debate that, as a non-Catholic, I kindly stayed out of.)

The evening began at Mateo’s house (pictured below with his wife, Maria).

I then proceeded to teach them how tofu is cooked (excited starting face below).

First, you chop up your veggies.

Throw them all in and give it a good stirrin’. (If I was Paula Dean, this is where the stick of butter would come in.)

Give it one last shake and you’re good!

Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of people trying it – that would have been a hoot. There were two jalepeños for a mere block of tofu, so it was pretty darn hot! They all enjoyed it nonetheless and I’m certainly glad to be spreading comida a la Benjamín throughout Latin America. (As some of you may remember, I taught some other friends here how to cook tofu and now I have it at home every ones in a while.)

Finally, here’s a picture of the snow that appeared one day last week. If the crackheads in Washington want to claim THIS kind of snow is nomal and evidence that there’s no climate change (like they did a few months back during the bad storms) then I really don’t know what to say….

First Official Post

So I’ve finally made my own blog. Not sure what all I’m supposed to put in here. As on facebook, my life is now an open book and everyone and their mother (including mine) can read it. Whoopie…..

The week started off okay. As usual, it took some time adjusting to the whole immersion thing. Aside from the computer, I’ve had three conversations in English since leaving the states Sunday morning. There were a few students at school and of course my mother via skype. It’s a nice feeling, though, as I’m settling in with the family and am progressing in school. My teacher this week was pretty intense, but she also gave me a lot of new vocabulary, which is what I review after class when I’m not playing cards with the kids.

Certainly the most interesting part of this week has been spending so much time with the kids (two are seven, the other is ten). This year, I understand them much better, fortunately, and am able to communicate with them better, as well. I’m hardly good with kids – especially younger ones, but I think I’m doing okay. It makes me think about wanting to be a parent and all those other deep things one is supposed to think about on vacation. I think I’ll settle for getting a dog for the moment.

It was especially tough last night. While I’ve mastered the commands such as “don’t do that!” and “listen to me!” they don’t do much good when kids aren’t listening. Even though I’ve known them two years, I never know how much I’m supposed to yell at them. To make matters worse, after one started taking off his clothes to be funny (strange as I was as a child, I don’t remember doing this), he wouldn’t listen to me when I told him to stop. After speaking to my friend, his grandmother, I came to find out he generally only listens to his father and that that’s what his father wants….ugh. Those crazy parents….I tell you.

This weekend I plan on relaxing, but studying more, as well. Two more weeks here in Antigua at Proyecto Lingüistco Francisco Maroquin, then off to San José, Petén. After that, on to México. Actually, I just wanted to use the fancy letters now that I’ve remembered how to do that.

Tonight I had quite a dinner. Veggies and beans, as usual, but then finished with atol de plátano. Plantains are boiled to give this thick soupy gamish. Put in a little oil and a lot of sugar and you get atol. You can do the same thing with corn and they’re VERY tasty, although they certainly don’t look like it. I don’t have any pictures – I’ve actually only taken one all week, so I’ll try to get better about that.

Hasta luego…

Trial Run

Well....I've finally made a blog. So yes....here it is....my first entry. More to come Sunday, but for now I'll put up my departure picture from last Friday. (Thanks again, for the fabulous new do, Junior!)