welcome

hello friends and lovers, and welcome.

i never thought i would do a blog. it seems so trite. but it really allows me to bother you less and allows you to read on your own free time. so here is where i will share, i guess.

after a week of homestays that was uneventful to say the least, we had a huge party. i am not even kidding. it was a going away party for the 4 jv's that we replaced and the 200 plus people they had met and learned to love in the last 2 years. we served tons of food and drink and i went to bed around 11:30... fell asleep around 12:30 or so only to awake to the sound of a mariachi band in our living room. thats right. at around 2 in the morning. so the party didnt end until 4ish or so... and the day after the party myself margaret mary and josh left for león. its a small touristy city where we are learning spanish but we get to do fun stuff too like climb volcanos, watch campesiños make sugar the same way it was made 300 years ago, and swim in the ocean. yesterday there were 15 foot waves crashing onto the beach. the pacific ocean. she was pissed about something, but who could say. so we just kept diving back in and fighting to stay above water. then we sat, read, and relaxed. today we learned how to dance.... more or less, of course. but tonight or tommorow we are going to try out our new skills with each other, i don't think any of us are brave enough yet to dance with any of the locals. one day maybe. this past sunday we went to mass in the main cathedral in leon. its gorgeous and old and spanish and stuff. there were quite a few people there for a 5pm mass on a sunday. right around when the priests homily was getting a little too long for the 92 degree heat a man dressed in near rags comes from the front left. he starts down the aisle with his hands out to the people, imitating a traditional catholic collection. the priest ignores him... most of the people do the same. but a few foolish souls give to the special collection this week. later during the normal collection nearly everyone gives. something about this contrast struck me. the charity of it. how many people give to support a building and a priest but hesitate when a man puts his hand in your face. and if he rose up off the ground, i pondered, and revealed the face of jesus... how many would have tossed their coins his way then. maybe nobody, maybe all of these people are wise enough to realize that jesus didn't come to ask for our donations, but i have my doubts. but then again, when the world needs a revolution, whats 30 cents from my pocket? we may go back to the beach again this saturday. there is nothing like passing time with those you love in beautiful places. i hope you all have a beautful week also.

james