Friday

The finished mural (except for the pin-up board which will be in the middle)
Hung around this morning waiting for the launderette to open at 10 to pick up Emily and my laundry. Stupid, ridiculous woman wasn’t there, and when I went again she put up the price by 5 pesos (even though the calculator said 3), and proudly presented me the the top of mine she’d lost the first time (even though it was actually a different T-shirt that I’d taken in this time). She would not be getting my business again if I stayed.

Everything seemed OK at the casa – you wouldn’t think anything much had happened. I saw 2 people with bandaged fingers, and Miguel had washed all the gunk out of his hair, so he looked fluffy – other than that all was as usual. I saw the women deal, quietly with 2 different boys (one upset, the other angry…not at the same time). Miguel helped me until lunch (around 3pm) and a lot of other boys did too. Had a quick game of basquetbol with Jorge (who came back last weekend) – I won. At lunch they all noisily celebrated something (a birthday?) but I had already declined to eat with them having taken in a sandwich). A few of the boys came to ask me to eat. We signed the mural with everybody’s names who had helped. I wouldn’t have understood or been able to join in the sing-song anyway. Spanish really felt lousy today, I had it (fleetingly) but I’ve lost it again! I just left. Feel Like a should have gone to say goodbye, especially to Miguel, but awkwardness of language put me off.

Really humid today and I felt a bit woozy. This evening it has chucked it down – lightening and everything. I had had vague thoughts about going into town – they’ve set up a stage in the zocalo for ‘cultural activites’ to tie in with day of the dead, but have stayed in. Discovered all the DVDs in the house are in my mother tongue so have watched Jarhead (pretty good) and will watch more later.