first, everything here is fine!

we had an earthquake last night in case our news didn't reach the states. it was my first but, there was no moment of "what the heck is going on?" i was in bed and woke up just before 2:30 a.m. to my bed shaking like crazy. i knew it was an earthquake but felt it stopping so stayed in bed another minute. (that also means that my super-human power to sleep was in full effect, because i didn't wake up for what everyone says felt like a very long first tremor.) then the a second tremor started and the girls started screaming and crying. i yanked my mosquito net up from under my matress and tried to jelly-walk to the door frame of my bathroom, closer to the outside wall of the building than my room entrance. it felt just like the room in fun-houses where the floor panels move in opposite directions and up and down. i kept screaming "esta bien, chicas, tranquila, todo bien, van a las puertas y quedan!" (it's ok, girls, calm down, everything's ok, go to the doors and stay!) it was long enough that i had time to think about, 1, how molly had had so many earthquakes living in japan so everything would be fine cuz it didn't feel too bad, 2, worry about girls falling out of their beds, 3, wonder at the coincidence that earlier that day i had been thinking about the major earthquake they had in 1999 that devasted casa guatemala, 4, that i better get some pants on cuz we were about to be seeing a lot of people. most of the girls were howling too much to get out of their bunk beds and all was still before we actually headed out of the house. the girls were a bit panicked running out and were caught by our on-site directora seno bea, who instructed them all on where to go... which was great because i didn't know. we've never had any kind of disaster training or information about what to do for what kind of emergency - though i'm sure it will be a hot topic at the meeting tonight.

i grabbed my extra flashlight, paracetamol (our pain killer of choice), a bottle of water and put one of my girls to walk with the little girls. we all went to the soccer field and did second and third head counts (or maybe that's just me...) seno bea sent her brother back with me to the house to get a shirt for one of my girls who ran out with just a skirt on! we were told to wait for a half an hour to make sure there were no more after-shocks, while seno bea and her brothers went to inspect the houses and make a plan for the rest of the night. there apparently were after-shocks that we didn't feel up at the campo, but that were felt back at our houses. the boys house over the river (literally) got quite a dose of water from the waves, and some superficial damage. casa de las ninas is fine, so little girls came up and camped out on our common-room floor, while the boys sat around in the downstairs area - and didn't sleep at all, though of course i fell right to sleep again...

the bbc reported a 7.1 on the richter scale, with an epicenter straight east of our part of guatemala, 36 miles north of roatan, honduras. the threat of tsunami has passed and only one death has been reported. our houses are built on stilts because we're so close to the river, and they definitely absorbed a lot of the shock from the way our huge orange house was swaying to and fro. it really did feel like a ride at a carnival. those stilts probably gave us a better ride than if we were connected to the ground, but whatever our connection, it was completely fascinating and powerful to feel the earth moving, and everything else around us as well. i felt how all of our physical surroundings all go back to the fact that we are essentially just moving plants, rooted to the ground and dependent on everything that it gives and takes and does to us. cool stuff, especially because there was only one casualty, and minimal damage.

hard to top that kind of news, so a quick update since the last blog. i went to the states for an extended break to watch my wonderful friend jessica marry her wonderful man josh. it was a fabulous celebration of these two people that i adore, and a really nice display of their love and the great ways that they balance each other out. then back to chicago with a ride from jeff and molly who came down to lousiville, kentucky to help toast the newlyweds. a nice dinner with mom for mother's day my first night back in the city, a memorable dinner with mom, her dear friend sandy, and my dear friend ashly at bistro campagne - marrow bones, pate, soft shell crab, beautifully done pork two-ways, polenta and a nice red wine. celebrated my nephew ethan's 9th birthday! with his sis maia who's also growing up fast, michelle, sister-in-law, whose so good at what she does the economy can't keep people from booking her design services, and had a great time hanging out with my brother and his band. ballet chicago put on a fabulous spring repertory performance, with dancers looking top-notch, arabesques miraculously all at 90 degrees (finally!), and a great premiere by the ever-entertaining ted seymour. the blamers (the great band that my friends have formed over a year ago) had a great show at their biggest night to date, sounding tremendous, much tighter, exciting, and awesomely dynamic. it's kindof like watching a puppy grow into it's paws; everybody really rocking their niche in the band and looking like complete strangers - rockstars for real! hooking up with shannon, kate the bod, emily shaw, weibke from germany and the like making it a really special trip. about 5 days before my plane i was feeling anxious and that i ought to be home - guatemala home - and what were my girls doing and were they behaving and was my partner chini ok with all the work alone?

it's been very hot here with no rain and high humidity. panic-inducing-hot. dripping, squishing, squeaking hot. it's so humid that i just noticed my pillow has little black mold spots, as do the vitamins, my toothpaste bag and numerous other things. we've had a nasty virus sweeping through the casa with lots of kids sick with high fever, sore throat, ear and eye infections and general misery. not much we can do for them either, which is the worst part. i've had mommy pangs feeling helpless and responsible for them and just wanting to make it better. the nicest thing i can do is put a cool cloth on their head and tell them they can stay in their sweltering beds.

agriculture class is on and off as the kids' behavior is pretty spotty. one day they're great and we learn a lot, partly lesson plan, partly the things i discover they don't know as we go along. we've been learning about irrigation systems, which has lead to the discovery that while they now know that rivers run to oceans, they didn't know it was because of gravity, or what gravity is. had never heard of it. glad nobody video taped me trying to explain that scientific law in spanish... one major problem is that they don't seem to grasp how to define things. they use the word to define the word and don't seem to be able to describe the thing in question. we spend a lot of time on that because most of the rest of their schooling relies heavily on word for word definitions on tests and they don't actually know what they're talking about. frustrating because they seem to be able to talk talk talk when we don't want them to, and clam up when i ask for an alternate description of "pressure."

we don't have school today, excuse being the earthquake of course, and what if there's another? i wish i had been keeping a log of our days off from school because it's pretty extraordinary. the other day instead of school, every kid 5 years and up was set to hauling rocks a long way from river to farm (huerto, really, where my classroom is for those who saw the video). all day.

casa guatemala is in financial crisis right now, with absolutely no donations coming in and major skimping and selling going on. we had a festival while i was gone to sell all the donated clothes that are new, and we're trying to plan more activities to raise money here on-site. there's a threat that the electricity will be turned off here and at the hotel. the hotel isn't even bringing in money right now, as it's only covering the salaries of the people who keep it running. we're also extremely short staffed at the casa, so that everyone is so over-worked they don't have the energy to help each other. i'm going to spend the afternoon helping put the library back together which totally fell apart during the earthquake, and even that small task i'm dreading.

i've got to get my beans and rice before there aren't any left. mom sent me down with a great load of groceries and nothing has been so good as hershey's chocolate syrup, laughing cow cheese, real peanut butter, and the vacuum-packed parmesan that made the trip well. thanks mom! i'm definitely thinking more about descansos and when i'll be going home on this half of the trip, but i'm sure it's a symptom of being alone with 31 girls... next trip is to tikal! some of the oldest mayan ruins around, and the biggest mayan city ever discovered.

anyway, thanks if you read this whole darn thing, and know that i'm grateful that i have people to share the craziness with.



peace to you

s