Update

Hey everybody—
So its been a little while and I'm not really sure where I left off last time- and honestly it was so long that most of you probably didn't even finish reading it. This one might be equally long so we'll see if I can keep your attention. I'll start from the end and work backward.
Today was super great because I was able to do three students in my project- so just in case some of you don't know what the heck it is that I'm doing here- basically I'm making some kids in Mexico do sqauts and planks and pushups among other things. Its like fitness testing but Mexican style. But yeah soI was able to finish three kids today and that makes six total done- only 24 more to go. Thats a bit overwhelming for me but that's alright. Next week I should be able to finish the other nine kids in the school here in El Encino and Hopefully I'll get some kids from another Rancho, Santa Rosa next week. I went to the school today to give the kids the consent forms to sign. We'll see how many I get back. At this school I didn't really have the help of the teacher to introduce the project and the kids were kind of running around and I did my best to make the project sound appealing and told them I'd give them candy if they brought back the form. I'll cross my fingers that it'll work. It was actually really easy to get the forms back in El Encino. I just told them that the first 5 people to bring back the forms would get to use the pedometers. I had kids running to my door during their lunch break to bring back the forms. It was great. :) I didn't have the pedometers to give or show to the kids in Santa Rosa so they weren't so easily intrigued. It also looks like one of the kids here broke or lost a pedometer and so I will only have 4 to work with. That will tag on some extra time for the study since I'm down a pedometer. I also decided to give the kids a questionnaire anywhere because that will be a sort of back up way to check their physical activity. It helps too because I can't monitor their pedometer use all the time and I know there have been a couple kids who haven't worn it every day.
But anyhoo- the kids are doing a good job with the exercises. They seem to understand me pretty well and do them right. That makes me feel good. (I'll take this time to remind everyone that I started learning Spanish January last year. Its going pretty well.) Also, the kids seem pretty strong. I don't know how kids in the US would do but they are really good at some of the exercises that I think are harder. Its fun to watch them do it and see how easy or hard different things are for them.
So before I could start my project I had to make the equipment. Last week when I was in Irapuato I made a couple of the kids from the ward take me to Home Depot to buy wood and pvc pipe. (I can't tell you how happy I was when I found out they had a Home Depot. At first when I asked the guys where I could buy wood they said they didn't know. So I started looking online and I found a home depot- which they apparently already knew about but I guess they didn't know you could get wood there. I don't know. They also couldn't fix their car a couple weeks before when it broke as we were going out for tacos. You can take from that what you think it means.) Anyway, we went to Home Depot and I also again successfully explained what type of stuff I needed and how I needed it cut to the people working there. It turned out they couldn't really help me as much as I hoped anyway, but thats alright. I bought a  box cutter and whittled away at the pipes myself. Its pretty good makeshift equipment that I made for myself.
 Also, I have to ask what the deal is with no one having change. I give them the equivalent of a 20 and to pay for something that's around 7 dollars and they ask if I don't have a 10. No I tell them. So they look in their register and then ask again if I don't have anything smaller. NO- but this time with American attitude because I know that I'm gonna have to wait around for someone to pay for something with a 10 so they can give it to me as change. I don't get it. I've never worked in retail or whatever that is but I'm not sure what it is that we do in the United States but there is always change for a 20. I can understand when the little tiendas don't have change but the bigger grocery stores? Anyway, I live in Mexico.
Okay- soooooo otherwise things are good. I'm happy that I started on my project now. I'm feeling the pressure a little bit and I have some other coursework that I'm supposed to do while I'm here that I'm behind on. But it'll get done. School gets out July 8th so I'm working really hard to get all the kids done before then. So ideally I'll finish with the study in a couple of weeks and then later I will get going on the other coursework. And hopefully we'll get to go more places and meet new people so that I can learn how to make tortillas. And hopefully it will rain soon so that we can go swimming in the river and I will also wash my clothes there too. Right now I just go as long as I can in my dirty clothes until I'm just too disgusting I can't take it anymore and then I wash them in a machine that they have. I was half disappointed when I saw that she had a machine but also I was okay with it. I wasn't sure what it would be like here for that. I also wasn't sure if there would be a toilet. Which there is not but there is a latrine. Its nice- made of cement with a hole in it and a little curtain for privacy. I never close the curtain because the wind just blows it in my face. And that  way too I can overlook the beautiful landscape. It has a pretty nice view- mostly flat dry dirt and some cactus scattered about. Sometimes there are goats in the distance. They keep me company when I've had an especially upsetting meal. Okay so maybe that is a little too much information for you guys but I will have to say that you win the prize for continuing to read to this point. But yeah- we have a latrine that is pretty luxury, some people do not have that. The worst is when I'm in another village and at someone's house who doesn't have an outhouse or anything. I'll keep that story to myself.
But yeah- we also have a shower. I was expecting to give myself sponge baths from a bucket for three months. But actually I'm living the high life out here in the-middle-of-nowhere Mexico. I have an outhouse, a shower that looks like a cave, and a washing machine. You'd think I never even left Provo. You can tell me if you agree. I took some pictures so I could show you folks at home the exotic adventure I'm having.
Oh one thing that I do really have to mention- the stars here, incredible. Definitely better than what you've got in Provo. It´s okay be jealous of that.
That's all I have for now. A la prochaine.
Barb