We need to catch up.

I keep hearing of friends here talking about updating their blogs. I keep thinking we need to do the same. Here it goes:

Things have picked up here. Time is flying. I don't know how next week is the end of October. Now life looks more or less like this: Drew is out in the campo now about half the week, and the rest of the week, we are visiting friends, hand washing clothes, or at Church.

My school is going well. My kids are starting to straighten up. I am pleased with how they are coming along, and learning how to love their distinctly active personalities. Right now we are practicing for our Halloween dance next week. We learned the first 20 seconds in 45 minutes today. Its a 3 minute song, so there is going to be a lot of practicing in the next week.

Co-Op, the second half of my life here, has been good. We've had several large orders go out. Every day I have more and more respect for these women. They are slowly feeling comfortable with me to share their stories. They are such strong women who strive to live their lives well. What kills me is they use the "We were conquered by the conquistadores" excuse for being timid. I tried to tell them that they have so much to offer, they have just been beaten down so much in their lives, its hard for them to believe they have worth. How can I show them otherwise?

On the negocios side of the Co-op, I am trying to fix up our old computer to give to the Church. I am going to train one of the women to take over what I am doing now. So, she is excited to learn computer skills, and get more involved. The problem is that I organized everything, and most of the organizational stuff is stuck in my head. Now I have to make sense of it for some one else. I was an education major, none of this kind of stuff. As for the women, they have really come along. Their products are becoming excellent quality. I'm proud of them.

My school has asked that I let them know by the end of November if I will be staying to work another year. Thats added a bit of stress as we have no idea what will be happening (for me at least, I am the worrier).

Looking ahead, the next few months will be filled with holiday celebrations, visitors, and who knows what other adventures. I'm ready for them. I just hope time slows down a little so I can really enjoy them.