Rainbow Families Foundation Newsletter - August 2002

August 2002

I apologize for the difficulty reaching me by telephone. The phone service is not available in many areas so if I'm in the countryside or passing through a community with no service it is not possible to get through.  Also the possibility that we have had a lot of rain and many things fail, electricity, phone, etc.  The owners of the facility didn't want to break the lock and finally after 10 days and not finding the key they cut the chain. I'm sure the key will show up sooner or later. With the heavy rains the roof leaked and things got soaked so we had to take time to rinse and hang dry things for many days. There are no dryers here except in the launderia. The sugar cane factory is burning the sugar cane fields and the soot is everywhere.  Consequently it got into the facility and caused many problems. Just sitting at the table during a meal we had to constantly blow away the soot while it fell from the ceiling. Don't know if you remember in Jacobo's house and Corrina's house and the majority of the buildings here for that matter, the walls are built and then a 2 x 4 separates the walls from the ceiling therefore the buildings are vented this way. Many of the roofs have the corrugated tin roofs and not so secure. Hence the soot was everywhere.  I can only imagine how much soot, cockroaches, ants, omigas and other creatures I have eaten. The omigas are like tiny ants and are everywhere. You may remember them when we were at the hotels here.  Mid-last week I got sick with a cold and have been down the last five days. Today I feel better and thought I'd take time to check emails. We've had heavy rains and very hot weather.  Jacobo, Ganny and the kids are always sick and the kids always want to climb on me.  Early last week I asked that they not climb on me. Jacobo asked if I don't like kids. I had to explain and he knows I've always allowed the kids and sit and poke and pull at me but they were sick, it was incredibly hot and I didn't want to catch their germs. Not sure he understood. Unfortunately it didn't work since I got sick anyway. Where he lives in the mountains it's even worse because the days are so hot and the nights get very cool. We were working in the late evening and I caught the gripe (cold). Almost everywhere I go where the families are familiar with me the children call me tia "aunt".  It's so cute. We were supposed to go to the hospital once again last Friday but I was sick and didn't want to spread my germs in the hospital either.  Not smart! Hope to go again the end of this week. No I didn't go to a Jazz Festival. Didn't know about it. It seems every 3 or 4 weeks there is a government holiday. Last Friday was the change of military promotions or something of the sort so it was a holiday and every city had a party in the street as well. No, I didn't go to this either.  It's raining hard now and the power keeps flickering. I'm going to send this message before the power flickers again.  Don't forget, when I'm in the countryside or in certain areas the phone service does not work.  I am fine and continue to work to finish so I can come home soon. I feel like this has become my second home but miss the comforts of being home.