Feliz Dia de la Madre!!

Well, today there was a mother’s day celebration at Fundabiem. Oh yeah, in Guatemala, mother’s day is celebrated on the 10th of May, no matter what day it falls. So, they weren’t having regular therapy classes today from 9 to 12, only fiestas with piñatas and snacks and games. On Wednesdays, Eunice has therapy, so we didn’t go. First of all, I’m not a mother. Second, on Monday, I had a pretty hard morning with Eunice. She didn’t want to go into her first class, physical therapy, but the therapist came out and carried her in. But when it was time for her special education class, she threw a fit, biting herself and kicking me over and over again in the leg and ankle and stepping on my foot. I didn’t know what to do. Everyone was looking at me and I was on the verge of tears, so I gave in and brought her home early. So, Steve and I decided not to take her today.
I stayed home, cleaned house, etc. The old man who does the gardening in the neighborhood came by and cut my grass and trimmed the hedges.
More good news is that I finally got a plumber to come out yesterday and fix the leak in the shower. It was so bad I was keeping a bucket in there just to save the extra water to wash dishes and flush toilets when I run out of water, or to water the garden. Ironic thing is that a few hours after to dude left, I ran out of water. So, I’ve been without for almost 24 hours now, and my bucket is now empty, but I’m about to ask the neighbors if they will let me fill my buckets with their hose. Water shortage is getting bad all over Guatemala. It’s worse in the rural areas, of course. But we’re seeing the effects here too. A huge blessing was that the plumbing job only cost me about Q300 ($40)!! That’s labor and supplies! It’s so different here. I waited about 3 hours for the guy to get here from zone 1. He came by bus with his tools in a backpack. So, when he needed parts, I took him to Cemaco, which is a Home Depot-ish type store, and then another construction supply store in the city to finally find the exact parts he needed. The parts altogether cost about $16, so for his work it cost me only $24!! Unbelievable!! So, when I do finally get water, hopefully it will come in tonight, my shower will no longer leak!! Now if I could only get the widow-maker to work again!! Thank goodness for hot weather that makes a cold shower seem not-so-cold!!!