May 17th, The rain is fierce

Today and Yesterday are really the only days worth talking about. On the 15th, I woke up at 6, left for the beach at 6.30, found 4 nests, and hustled back to camp with lachanga (sp?). I napped from 9 to 12, ate food, and then read until about 4 oclock. I ate dinner, and went back to my house and read a little bit more. Then I retreated to the one who knew me best: My laptop. I stayed on that for an embarrassing number of hours, and then called it a night.


Today, I followed Thursdays schedule with a few adjustments in the morning. It didn't rain this morning, so I went out again at 6 with Lachanga. I've become the unofficial morning person. I don't mind it though. I can stand getting up that early, and when it's of my own free will, no other parties included, I'll even enjoy popping myself out of bed and making my way out the door. I'll ride for hours, tracing the outlines made by waves on the beach, looking for turtle tracks. I get to see the sun rise, and before in April when it wasn't as humid, you could see the shape of the sun coming up so clearly. Now with the end of May coming up, the rainy season is lerking upon Tecolutla with every rain cloud, trying to muster up a storm. For the moment, the clouds can shout with thunder and rain for only 30 minutes. I can watch the sky through my window, though. It has a fierceness I've never seen in a Pennsylvania sky. It wants to pour everything it has out onto this town, but is restraining and holding back its full power. I can see it in the clouds.
We arrived back at camp faster than I can ever remember getting back. Probably because I drove, what normally is an hour, back to camp. I like kicking it into 4th gear, and zooming along the bumps of the beach. We made it back in approx 30 minutes, just in time to watch the little kids scurrying to the beach to collect their baby turtles from Ramido and Roberto, and then set them free into the ocean. It was quite a site. Parents, Grandparents, 3 year olds, 15 year olds..Everyone..came to set a turtle free. Everyone was smiling and taking pictures with their camera phones, excited to get to hold such a tiny creature. Until that moment, I had somewhat been taking my privelages for granted. I, unlike everyone in this town, get to ride up and down the beach with the pro's who have been at this for years. I get to touch eggs, direct spectators to a safe viewing distance, and collect baby turtles like it's no big thang.
After witnessing the two rounds of releases that would be happening that morning, I went back to the house and had some cereal. Cereal has definately become my comfort food. I'm not eating in all the time like I can't live without it, but when its breakfast, I'm eating cereal. I started consuming much more after Katie left on Wednesday. That also was when I started feeling sick. Now it isn't like before, when I knew I would be throwing up at some point, this is more like something that is just gonna hang around for a while. It may be part of the reason why I sleep around 7 hours of sleep at night, 4 hours of sleep scattered thoughout the day, and still feel sick.

I had breakfast, round two, with a crowded table of 8, all tired from the mass turtle releasing that happened and the flood of people that completely occupied Vida Milenaria's camp site, buying t-shirts and turtle trinkets. While we were eating, Dulce (19 year old who made fun of me my first night here in March, but is now one of my closest friends.) was complaining of a stomach ache. I offered up the spare bed in my cabin for her to nap. She took me up on the offer and joined me later in the cabin while I was cleaning. I sweeped, put away clothes, made a actual dirty clothes pile instead of floor and chair, and cleared off the spare bed I had started piling books, my towel, and random articles of clothing on. Dulce asked me some questions here and there about my mom and brothers anticipated visit, then got comfortable and just curled up. I asked if she needed anything else, and given a smile and no, gracias in response. I was still cleaning when she passed out, and right then I more or less felt like her mother.
Dulce's mother has been out of the picture for years, and although Dulce lives with her father, she rarely sees him because of his work and hers. She also just doesn't like him that much. Dulce has pretty much been raising herself for 8 years, working and studying for university as I found out today. She talks alot and is quite animated. She smiles at me everytime I see her, and I always return the smile with a big hug. Today, more than ever, I felt like she was my closest friend here.
Dulce went back to work around 10.45, after a good hour of nap time. She said she felt much better, and as she was leaving I told her if she ever needed a place to nap, she could always come here. She smiled her smile, and walked right back to camp.
I read for a while after she left. As usual. I couldn't help it though. I was into my book more than I was into Eat Pray Love, and just wanted to learn and educate myself on Greg Mortenson's experiences. I was reading about his 6 day courtship, before getting married to the woman of his dreams, how he had gracefully learned from his first school experience, quickly producing more elementary schools all over Northern Pakistan's most remote villages. I felt like his dream could be my dream..or something of the sorts. It truly is an inspiring book. Three Cups of Tea. Buy it online at www.threecupsoftea.com, or even just visit the website for more information. You'll be happy you did. Did you know 1 penny can buy a pencil for these Pakistani kids, and that one U.S dollar will cover the wages of a teacher for one day...that's less than $365 to hire a teacher for an entire year! IT IS SO WORTH CHECKING OUT..PLEASE..Look at the site..You'll be inspired www.threecupsoftea.com

I read until 4 again. Naida came to my cabin and asked if I was hungry. She said that before Dulce went back to work, she had told her that I really loved reading, and that I would probably need someone to pry me away if I was going to eat. Naida let me know there was food if I wanted some, so I thanked her a million times over and followed her to the house. I ate, and listened as people talked around. They always ask me if I understand what their saying after they speak to each other really quickly. They know I can't follow the fast pace of their language, so asking me makes me feel that much worse that I can't understand. The ones who know me will slow it down, like Naida and Dulce. She asked me a couple questions about when I was going back to the states, if I wanted juice, and told me there were only a couple tortillas. I ate and went back to my cabin. For some reason, I just get uncomfortable with all the faces turned towards me and asking questions, slipping curse words in just to make it funny. Everyone laughs and I have no idea whats going on. I guess that is kind of to be expected though. haha.

I looked around the cabin in between reading and really just felt alone. I couldn't understand anyone and they really couldn't understand me. As the end of my second week was coming to a close, I felt homesick. I layed in bed, wishing my Dad was here, or wanting to just talk to my mom on the phone. I wanted someone to know how I felt, so I could just get it out of my system and move on. I looked up at the fierce sky, and asked for some help..anything it had. I layed there for less than a minute when Dulce and her friend came walking in front of my cabin. She wanted to see me before she left, and when I tried to tell her I was sleeping, she just came in and gave me a hug. My eyes were wet when she pulled back from the hug and said, "You may not understand anything I'm saying, but you don't need words to know that I'm your friend." and gave me another hug. This was just too much haha. Right as I was allowing my heart to give up, Dulce came and really saved me from myself. She asked if I missed my family and I told her yes. I straightened myself out and invited the other friends of theirs that had wandered onto my cement slab porch to come in. We looked at pictures of my family (they are all quite infatuated with my brothers now, declaring how muy guapo they both are) Dulce then pulled out a big packet from her book bag. She handed it to me explaining it was part of her school work, but that the first few introductory pages, and a list of rules, were all listed in English. She had a small dictionary at home, but no verb book, which I find is pretty important. I told her not to worry about it, but that I would translate the majority of it so she knew what the foreign pages were trying to tell her. She wants to get into tourism and hospitality, hopefully getting herself out of here and exploring all over Mexico, and hopefully Spain.

The storm of people passed as quickly as the rain did, but that 30 minutes of smiles, laughing, and meeting new people, truly made my day.

Now I'm in my bed. It is drizzling, and glorious lightening is filling the sky, followed by a lulling roll of thunder. I hope it stays this way when I go to sleep. It is extremely peaceful.