Two for Two

There have been no new blog entries this week due to Travis visiting... no time for blogging! To say that it was wonderful to have him here is an understatement. My family here loves him and the two boys (who both speak English really well) joined us for nightly boggle games :). Travis got to enjoy the "mundaness" of my life here (home to cedepca and back home daily) as well as the adventures of taking the bus for the first time in the city and driving adventures with Emily. Dennis (dad) is still in the U.S. and Mari (mom) cannot drive, so I drive the family everywhere whenever we go anywhere and have become somewhat of the taxi in residence!

We're two for two on bus "incidents." The first of two bus adventures happened on Friday. We went to a movie "A Good Woman" and were trying to return home before it grew dark, as the buses are not safe after dusk. Our number (203) pulled up, I pushed my way up the stairs thinking Travis was right behind me. But he was trying to pay the money collector, and couldn't climb on. The bus started moving with Travis holding my hand over the crowd of people between us, me unable to get off, and him running along side the moving bus! The bus was so packed that there were several men hanging on the outside of the bus with one foot on the open door. He yelled that he'd catch the next bus as he let go... and I could only think about the fact that Travis doesn't speak Spanish, had no idea where we were or where the house was, and didn't know the route or where to get off! So I got off at the right stop just as it was growing dark, and watched 5 or 6 buses (#203) pass by... and no Travis. Just as I was starting to worry, he walked up and explained that he had disembarked a couple of stops too soon, and had to walk a distance to find me.

The second incident happened on... well our second bus outing Saturday. We went to the center in Zone 1 to explore the central Market and Square. We hopped on what we thought was the right bus to return home, but discovered about 10 minutes later we were wrong. Here's Travis at the intersection of two bus stops where we finally got off to wait for another bus. I have decided that it is not whether or not you get lost that matters, it's whether or not you can find you way back from there. And we did! I'm a bit tentative to have my next bus adventure without him, but I'll venture to one of these days.

We spent much of the week studying (for my teaching, and for his classes) but did make it to the central market, movie theater/mall, out to dinner in Zone 10, and Zone 1. The restaurant in Zona 1 was a great little hole in the wall with graffiti all over the walls, plastic stools for seats, and old marked up wooden tables... but great food and atmosphere! No Salsa dancing this time though we tried... we'll have to find a place in December.

Travis dancing and doing jump and jacks in the living room so that Benjamine and I could play with the action settings on our cameras. What a sport!

Bags of herbs and spices at the central market... these are the only labeled ones I have seen. There are usually just bags of grains, spices and herbs the contents of which seem to be common knowledge.