Feliz Cumpleanos!

Well, after the family returned from Mass, we went out for lunch. We had had plans to meet up for someone´s birthday, but the plans didn´t seem to follow through...however, on our way out the door for lunch, the plans were back on. Things seem to be very last minute around here...

Anyway, we went to the birthday party of someone´s Aunt. She was turning 89! Her 92 year old sister was there to celebrate too. They were funny! First we walk into this gorgeous resturant and go through the whole drill of saying hello to everyone and kissing them on the cheek. Then, I get to the old lady and she asks me if I am German. (I am surprised I even understood her...she was missing half her teeth and she was spraying me with the empañada she was chewing while talking with me...ha ha).

She and her sister both had never been married. (If that is my fate, then I am one third of the way to being 90 and single..ha ha). But, the two sisters remind me of the two old guys on the muppet show. They cannot live together because when they play cards, they fight. ha ha...

The one of them, for sure, had never taken medicine, never had glasses, and is still in great health, minus the fact she is missing half her teeth. The other is in great health too.

They joked around about never marrying...why would we do that? ha ha...

This trip has reminded me about how small the world is. The man who put on the dinner has a daughter whose husband works for Pioneer. He travels to Des Moines several times a year and is taking long distance courses for his master´s in Agronomy and MBA (a combo deal). He works for Pioneers ¨winter production¨meaning they grow the seeds that farmer´s in the US will plant in summer. I thought it was interesting. Cargill is all over down here too...in fact my host mother worked for Cargill (contracted) , teaching English to their employees.

Also, there is a couple volunteering in the same program I am. They have their kids here too, two kids. They went to school at Winona State and their parents, one set of parents anyway, live in La Crosse. Small world, eh? Too, one of the guys here, who is 21...when did I get to be ten years older than a 21 year old? geez! Anyway, the kid is from Ireland and he had friends from Ennis, which is the town I was doing my practice teaching...ha ha...fun to make some connections.

Small world. It is nice. ha ha...and I saw one of my fellow volunteers here in Santa Cruz today while we were picking up flowers for the Old Lady´s birthday...My family stopped the car so I could yell at him...slowly, things are becoming familiar. But, as my host mom tells me...I will hit my homesick moment in two months....at which time I may want to throw some dishes on the ground...as long as they aren´t her good dishes! (evidently, when she was working in the US she was feeling homesick and her friend gave her some dishes to throw on the ground...to make her feel better...haha..)

Alright...the food was fabulous at the lunch...they brought out this huge cake that I was hoping would be chocolate on the inside, but it was eggfruit. Yep, eggfruit. All I know about egg fruit is that it is grown in the north...it is dry...and you mix it with milk. I still haven´t seen one. The cake was so sweet, I think my teeth are still hurting...tasted almost like a maple flavor and the cake itself was layers of something like solid sugar...oh, I don´t know the appropriate term... whatever it was, it was good. I may not ever order it, but it was fun to try.

It was a fun afternoon. Next is my Spanish lesson.....