Oiga, si oigo

Oiga means something like listen but it is also how the kids address us and pretty much everyone else.

It’s half way through October, time seems to be flying. Some weekends I look back and the week seemed like a blur. Janiene and I have been here a little over two months and are pretty much in the swing of things in some stuff and still a little lost in others. Everything on the farm is still pretty much the same, except it’s about to be pecan picking season. We have a pecan tree outside our house and if the wind is blowing at night we’re woken to the sound of pecans pelting our roof and windows. In the afternoons, when we are with the kids, Janiene has thought of some fun activities to do with the kids. I pretty much float around, either playing with the kids or helping with homework (mostly English). The afternoons have been pretty calm lately; the kids are taken in groups to be fitted for winter coats (bummer, actual winter weather) and the rest busy themselves with playing or trying to get pecans to snack on. Sundays are still our toughest days with Janiene checking kids in and me outside and in charge of dinner.

The dinner thing is still a little new so I was a little lost on my first attempt. This past weekend the kids didn’t want to line up or settle down for prayer, which could have led me to losing my cool. Luckily one of the older boys, older being 12-14 yrs. old, helped me get the kids in line and settled down for prayer. He also volunteered to help with the clean up, all around he made the whole thing go more smoothly, he then snuck out with a bag of cereal… ah well. I’m still working on getting to a position where I don’t have to lean on a 14 year old to help me do my job. We’re also helping out with these groups of tourists that come from an agency called Collette Vacations. It’s this kind of conscious minded organization that incorporates social justice into their vacation packages. Currently they are helping supply the kids with dressers which the nuns believe will help instill a deeper sense of identity and self esteem in the kids. Currently everything is shared here and the kids really don’t have any personal space. Working with Collette vacations has been great as in doing so we have been able to learn more of the back stories of the children. One of the past Granja students is now at a university studying phys. ed. and works weekends here. This, I believe, is the ultimate goal of this institution to produce valuable members of society of good conscience. If you want the actual mission statement of La Granja I will forward it upon request. At the moment Janiene and I are working on a trip to the Sierras, pictures to come… hopefully. For this weekend we have a quinceañera (catilian for all those that don’t habla español) and trip to these rock outcrops in the hills behind La Granja that look like these ancient pillars of some ruined temple.

Peace