Chocolates to Alba, Baby is Mostly Annoyed

Alba has been sick for more than a week now. I hope it's nothing serious. I bought chocolates for her at Chocotenango (picture at left is of Ishmael and his chocolate shop) and took a tuk tuk to her house. We spent 20 minutes looking for the house (Lot 20-G) and the numbering system was wacky. The guys here, at least the tuk tuk drivers, do stop to ask directions. We had to stop 3 times. The numbering on the houses is as bad here as in the states, maybe worse, and in Alba's town, San Pedro El Panorama, not only are there no street signs, but the streets are not named. I'm amazed we found it at all. Finally, Luis (the tuk tuk driver) went up to one door and found the number (brown numbers on a brown wall - it doesn't work well if you want someone to find you).

Isabelle is still sick, and so am I. I don't dare take her out in public without her hat when she is sick - to the Guatemalans that is child abuse and they will tell you so. Day before yesterday when Terry and I were out walking around, a woman put the hood up on Tommy's jacket, said "Now he's not cold" (in Spanish) and gave Terry a really dirty look. Now, you need to know that the weather here is about 70 degrees F and we have the babies in carriers so they share our body heat. They are not cold. But it's true that during this "cold" time - their winter - they bundle the babies in about 4 layers of clothes and blankets so they really do believe it.

You can see from the picture that Isabelle is still not feeling well, and she makes sure I know that too. She has continued with her latest trick of screaming when we're in the middle of a store and I'm in the middle of buying things. I think when she's sick she doesn't like it when I just stand, like in line at the check-out, but I wish she had a quieter way of showing it. It does make our outings shorter because we only get necessities (and, yes, I do count chocolate from Chocotenango in the necessities category).

I've also discovered the wonderful pastries here - cinnamon rolls and cream horns and bear claws and apple turnovers. And they're about 50 cents each. And then there's Seritas icecream shops, where for $1.50 I get an ice cream cone dipped in chocolate and covered in nuts. And the ice cream is really good. I am no longer losing weight.

These are pictures of our truly wonderful house-keeper, Virginia, and her adorable daughter, Robin. Virginia is one of the hardest working people I know. The house is spotless when she's done, and that's after 4 families with children have spent the evening and day making it a mess. She is kind to me and lets me practice my baby Spanish on her.