Cansado

It is the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere, the first day of autumn in Bolivia. Fittingly, the weather is quite cool and cloudy all over as of this morning. This is the first day I have felt cold in Cochabamba. But I am underdressed: under my habit I am wearing an undershirt. Time for heavier layers, then.

It was a struggle to get through classes this morning. My brain and body were too tired. I could not remember and apply recently learned rules of grammar. I know this stuff, but I cannot yet integrate everything I know. There are, of course, other rules that still elude my grasp. God bless Profesoras Liliana and Julia for explaining patiently the logic of Spanish, especially those finer points that go beyond the textbook. Wow, what a difference it makes to practice a language when you are well rested! Don’t try it with less than adequate sleep. In my fatigue, I just could not spit out the words today! And I was good last night; I turned off the computer a minute or two after ten and went to bed. Perhaps I should have turned it off earlier, you say. Perhaps. Anyway, I must have slept a lot less than I thought I had when I woke, wide awake, at five on the hour. In hindsight, it was a restless waking. Oh well; what can you do? Short of turning the computer off at nine and skipping night prayer or evening convivencia with the brothers, not much. And even if I did retire early, it wouldn’t do much good. Your correspondent is and always will be a night owl. Can’t change my feathers now, friends.

What about a siesta, instead of drafting this item for the blog? A great idea, except I cannot take a nap this afternoon. At two-thirty I will go with Myrna Arébalo, the volunteer coordinator at the Maryknoll Mission Center, to a girls’ shelter near Plaza Colon. Nuestra Casa is a home and shelter for girls, both children and adolescents, who have survived sexual abuse in their families. The shelter is looking for volunteers who can assist the staff at least once a week for at least two to three hours per visit, with availability on either weekdays or on weekends. Some Spanish skills are required, of course, but as the majority of activities are oriented toward hands-on play, education, and therapy, I think less will be demanded of me as far as oral, verbal communication goes. I have written about violence against women in a previous post, and last week’s conference clinched for me the direction I would like to take with volunteer service. So we will see how the initial visit goes, and with hope, I may start helping out next month, when my next six-week term at the school begins.

I will post this item after the visit to Nuestra Casa. For now, off to the Maryknoll chapel for a little prayer, and a determination to stay awake. I had a little lunch at a small buffet nearby, which gave me a little more energy, though I still feel earthbound. I was hoping to practice the phrases and expressions I had just learned on Monday and Tuesday for placing orders in a restaurant. But the server took pity on me and spoke in English. Shucks.