The last week or so

This is Chely. She turned five last week. Now when I ask, "How old are you?" she gives a different answer, four instead of five.

She's a quick learner, likes to correct my Spanish, is stubborn and a chatterbox.

I asked her what the stuff she had on her face was called - brillo - my new word - shine - as in the English word brilliant - yet another Spanish/English cognate. I imagine a great deal of sacrifice and love went into her outfit, everything coordinated, even the sparkles on her face were tinted blue.

Mexican people never miss an opportunity to party, and so on Friday there was a combination birthday/Valentine party for the children.

There was a gift exchange. Mothers drew names and purchased gifts. It didn't go well. One of the boys was given a truck that carried a few cars, a costly gift I'm sure. The gift the boy beside him got was two pencils. The boy who received the two pencils was heart broken and cried his heart out. My guess is the mother who gave him the two pencils was embarrassed either by her misunderstanding of the amount of money that should be spent, or her lack of money.

I purchased bus tickets yesterday for my upcoming trip. The Mexican first class bus system is the best in the world. I have found my rides on the buses extraordinarily comfortable. My senior's card gave me a 50% discount. Wow!