Tequila, fun, and falling over

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Wednesday 7th March

Yesterdays project was interesting. We took a bus out of town to a poorer neighbourhood and walked to the orphanage. I think it is a Catholic one. In the yard there was a rusting set of swings and a slide. The children were inside the house and sat watching TV and looking bored. They looked pleased to see us. Their carers didn't seem the most enthusiastic or caring. Some of the kids had physical disabilities but some seemed fine. Simona asked one of the carers what they wanted us to do today. She told us that we were to teach them some English and not let them play ousdie because she didn't want them to get dirty. Like at Kanesin, the other project I am on, it was hard to teach them as my Spanish is so poor (but improving) and they get bored easily or don't understand. After about 40 minutes of talking and trying to work with them we started playing with them, and Adam, who looks like a gawky Macauley Culkin, ended up with his blonde hair in tiny bobbles all over his head.



Thursday 8th March

I've been a bit lax in writing my journal, so today I am catchng up. I can't really remember what I did on Tuesday night, I think that was the night that Leigh, Adam and I went for food nearby. Ordering in Spanish was hard. Well, it wasn't ordering that was difficult, but trying to understand what the dishes were when the waiter explained. Afterwards I think I just played some cards back at the house with some of the boys and went to bed.

The next day, Wednesday (yesterday), I walked into town on my own, taking some photos to replace the ones I accidently deleted (I wiped my memory card just after I posted my blog the other day by accident, but it was only 2 days worth of photos and a load from home, not the end of the world but still irritating, but there's no point crying over spilt milk eh!). I looked round some shops. There was one called Liz Minelli, which amused me. I was after some stationary and craft stuff for the kids because the Orphanage didn't seem that well equipped, but it was hard to find. At one point I walked into a haberdashery and accidently interrupted a knitting circle of old mexican ladies. I walked around the main square and ate a box of fresh fruit I bought from a nearby hostel. As I walked next to one of the big main buildings with a large balcony I felt something drip onto my arm. Bird poo. Typical. I practically bathed in handwash to get it off.

In the afternoon we went back to the Kanesin project and I got to work with some of the same kids again. This time it was a little easier as I have learnt how to say 'write this', 'draw this' and 'can you repeat this for me' and 'what is this in spanish/english'. On the playground I got involved in a game of El Gato (the cat - a bit like tig). I slipped hard on the smooth concrete that they seem to love so much over here. The kids didn't even laugh, they just did the universally accepted sign for OUCH - a sharp intake of breath and narrowed eyes. I got up straight away, but ended up with a bruise on my chin (to add to my beard of bites) and another on my leg. It seems I am as clumsy and unlucky in Mexico as I am in the UK, although I haven't lost anything yet.

In the evening there was a suprise organised for one of the other volunteers, Helena, who is Estonian. Wednesday was her 30th Birthday, although she doesn't look a day over 21. Lisa had organised a cake with her name on it and there was a Pinata, which we had a lot of fun smashing apart. I didn't realise quite how fiery Helena was! We walked into town and went for a meal. I had stuffed potato skins with Pastor, which roughly translates as 'all the meats'. Even before the food had arrived I'd polished off a much overdue cocktail - a mango margharita which tasted like a smoothie and was blended with ice. It was delicious, but I kept my distance from the chili salt they had put around the edge. Two of the boys, Dave and Pete, tried a shot of the house special. None of us quite realised what they were letting themselves in for. All of the staff gathered around our table to watch. The waiters set up a small table with some metal gravy boats, ice, a spirit and... worryingly, some lighter fluid. Dave's eyes nearly popped out of his head. They heated the dishes over a bowl of fire before pouring the spirit into them. It sizzled and bubbled and was eventually set alight. The waiter poured it between the the two jugs and it burned blue. The boys looked horrified and I was in hysterics. A funnel filled with ice was put in their mouths and the spirit was poured through, still alight. Afterwards, the waiter grabbed the boys heads and violently shook them and said something in Spanish. All in all, quite a spectacle.

Once the bill was settled (which took AGES as there was 19 of us and we kept coming up short) we went outside. Tipsy on tequila and cocktails, I bought a friendship bracelet from a little kid in Mayan dress. That felt very gap-yah. We walked to a car park where a mexican guy that Helena knows had his jeep. On the way I got my foot stuck in a hole and a load of people saw my pants. Not cool. 15 people got in Carlos' jeep, either in the seats at the front or the wagon at the back, but Adam, Leigh, Joe and I drew the short straw of taking a taxi to the next place. We decided to stop in a bar first before we got the taxi out of town, and got some more tequila. We were ripped off a bit - it was $50 - about 2.50 and the taxi too meant me and Leigh could only afford one drink in the next bar, Nitro. Nitro was in an out of town development, ingenously named 'city centre'. I had a good dance and a lot of fun. Two of the other volunteers paired off, much to everyones suprise. Thats Tequila for you! Once home we had some of Helenas cake on the roof and a food fight broke out. Some of the more drunk volunteers were stupidly messing around near the edge of the roof which was frightening.

Not much of a hangover this morning. I have just been sitting writing and typing this then I may go to Wal-Mart as I need to stop eating out so much. I have $900 left, which is about 45 pounds, of the 100 pounds I took out before I left, so I've spent 55 pounds since I got here, and that includes an 18 pounds key deposit. I'm not doing so bad.

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