A Day in the Life...

When people ask me what an average day looks like for me down here, I’m never quite sure what to say.  I think the word “average” is what throws me off.  Every day turns out a little different.  Some days are pretty normal…hanging out at the house with the guys…that sort of thing.  But then…other days get more interesting…

Yesterday wasn’t some kind of crazy, adventure day or anything.  But it’s typical of what life can be like down here.  I happened to have my camera with me so I snapped a few pictures along the way.

I spent a couple of hours in the morning waiting for a plumber to show up to stop the water dripping into my bathroom and laundry room from the apartment upstairs.  He said 8 AM.  I waited until 10.  He never showed.

Then I went over to the house and hung out there to make sure things were running smoothly…or as smoothly as a house of twelve guys ever gets.

Jose Manuel is working at the city airport (he’s studying to be an aviation mechanic) doing his practicum.  He doesn’t get paid for his work or get lunch, and we don’t have the funds for him to buy food every day, so I usually take him a plate of whatever we’re for lunch.  I know some people are going to ask why he doesn’t just fix himself a sandwich in the morning, but this isn’t really a sandwich kind of culture.  Lunch is the big “hot” meal of the day.  He has classes after work so he doesn’t get home until 9 PM or so.  That’s a long time to wait for your big meal of the day. So I took him lunch.

Then Roberto and I went suit shopping for his grad (which is tonight).  He’ll be our first graduate.  I’ll post some pictures from his grad later.  He won’t be leaving us right away because he still has to specialize and that means a bit more studying.  But he will be finished with university.

We went to a couple of places before we found a suit he liked AND we could afford.  Ha…I’m sure that sounds familiar to all the parents out there.

Our only funny moment came when I realized I didn’t have enough money on me so we walked five blocks to a bank machine and then on the way home realized that if we’d turned the other direction there was one a block away.  I told him it was good for our health and that he was getting fat so…

Suit shopping (and searching for a bank teller) took longer than planned so I dropped him off at another market to find shoes and headed for El Jordan, my friend Corina’s ministry.  They were doing a weekend camp out in the countryside for the kids of their students, and I’d volunteered to drive.  They also asked  Yimy to drive their truck.

Driving a truck load of kids out into the country on a muddy, crazy road pretty much defines what I like about my job.  =)

 

 

 

After we dropped them off it was back into the city to buy more Christmas decorations and pizza.  It’s become our yearly tradition that Ken bribes the guys with pizza to help hang up lights and whatnot.  I’m trying to get into the spirit here and everything…but I’m a Canadian at heart and without snow it’s a little tough.  Closer to Christmas it’ll be better.  =)  You‘ll notice the guys are all shirtless.  It was like 40 C in the house that night….

 

 

 

 

And that was my day.