Monday, June 18, 2012

Home Alone

Brandon is gone and isn't going to be back all day.  I am sitting here trying to think of excuses to keep us in because I'm too scared to go out with the girls alone.  I know that things would be fine because everyone is so nice, but I am just a pansy.  Last night as I was lying in bed I started making a plan for the things we could do today, but then I thought of about a thousand things that could go wrong and got myself so wound up that sleep was out of the question.  The students that Brandon is in charge of are so much less wimpy.  They aren't afraid to just head out and explore by themselves even though they hardly even speak any Spanish.  I think I would be a little less hesitant if it weren't for the girls.  They always have so many needs, which makes it kind of scary even taking them out when we are in the U.S. 
So far to burn time I've done all the chores that I can.  What I really need to do is mop the floor but that would require going out and buying a mop because the one that is here looks like it would do more damage than good.  I did wash all the whites so our neighbors will have a nice view of our underwear hanging out to dry.
Brandon left me a $500 which is impressive even when we are talking pesos.  The problem with it is that it is a little bit too big to spend at a small business, and the Bodega Aurrera still seems too wild for me to attempt with the kids.  When we were there on Saturday they were having all these promotions and giving out samples and it was overwhelming.  It was like being at Winco on a Saturday where you can hardly even maneuver your cart through the aisles.  I think it is natural to sometimes feel that everyone is looking at you, but in this case, everyone really is looking at us.  They are friendly and smile but I could see the sample girls hesitating and debating whether or not they should try and approach me.  I can see that they think we are interesting, but they are a little bit uncomfortable because they don't know what to expect. 

It is funny to figure out the ways that you can do something embarrassing without even knowing it.  For example, when we were checking out the girl that was bagging the groceries just took off.  I didn't know if I was supposed to take over myself or if I should tell the other cashier.  I was standing there, paralyzed with awkwardness when she came back with a new supply of bags, she had simply run out.  I also am never sure if I'm supposed to tip someone.   Brandon is always really good to ask questions in a very good way.  He is the ideal language learning student.  He will say something like, "I'm sorry to be so direct, but I'm not sure about the custom..." and then ask about what he doesn't understand.  He also reads every sign, label and advertisement and looks up the words that he doesn't know. 

Well, the water bottles are all filled, the beds are made, everyone has showered and the laundry is drying.  I've bleached all the fruit and put away the 5 toys we've got.  The girls are decked out in sunscreen and have had a snack and I've got no other way to avoid it.  We are going out.  Wish me luck.

1 comment:

Denece said...

You are so much braver than I am!!! Thanks for sharing your adventures!