singing in the rain

i think rainy season has officially begun. i've worn my rainjacket everyday this week. but i love walking in the rain. i put my hood up, stuff my purse under my jacket, and sing my heart out. i'm sure i might seem a little crazy - everyone else tries to walk close to buildings and under roofs - but who cares? the only problem is crossing streets - one step off the sidewalk and its into a murky river flowing with garbage.

i had some actual bonding time with my host brother, manolo, yesterday. usually our interaction consists of my eating dinner, he walking in and saying something really, really fast and i respond with a si, and he walks away. he's 33, lives in a room off the house, and is getting married on dec. 23. turns out he plays walleyball (volleyball in a raquetball court) every tuesday and thursday night. he invited me to come and while i was a little apprehensive (i asked if any girls played, picturing my nose getting broken by a rogue shot) but went along. ended up having a blast. we played 3 on 3 and although its been a while (9th grade gym class), i held my own. it's a nice replacement since vball ended last week.

today i ventured out to run some errands for centro menno. we're selling cds in the sala and needed some colored photocopies of the album covers. i wandered up and down some streets, stopping in at copy places and asking if they had color copies. i finally found a place - a video game playing internet cafe - and got my copies. as i was walking back to centro menno, i realized that the little outing was completely painless and not awkward. sure i didn't speak the best spanish, but i got my message across and got what i needed.