Day 27

7/4/13

I'm happy to say that I finished the drawing and taping for the mural yesterday, then I picked up some cheap tupperware to mix paint in tomorrow on the way to Magaly's. Matteo and I read English stories to prepare for his reading test tomorrow. The family went to the hospital together, as they've all got some persistent and uncomfy cold symptoms. Of course, this took awhile, but while they were gone, I did a little reading and helped Fany go on an email-deleting mission. She apparently hasn't checked her email regularly for the past three years-- Her inbox started with 1950-something unread messages, and, starting from the oldest, we deleted half of those. It reminded me of helping my own Oma work her computer (though if there's one thing my Oma knows backwards and forwards, it's her email. And she'd never have more than two unread messages =7). Fany and I ate dinner, then Magaly got home with the fam, and we saw the news on the kitchen TV-- the whole continent of South America is collectively pissed off (which could be a positive, considering it's the first time in history they've been 'collectively' anything) about the disrespect they've been dealt lately. Basically, what happened is this: Ex-CIA guy leaks secrets about creepy US gov. surveillance that pissed just about everyone off and thoroughly embarassed the US-- and since leaking classified info's a crime, he's now on the run. Of the 21 countries that he applied for amnesty to, many are in South America, and many have not yet responded to his application. To the US, this makes said countries potential betraying boogar-faces, so when the Bolivian president came back from a powwow in Russia where this guy was apparently hiding, he was denied his request to stop and refuel in three Western European countries. Basically, he was treated like a public enemy.  I'm at least happy that my friends in the US say this is actually getting news coverage (surprise!), and that I get to witness it from this unique perspective. What a Summer to be in South America! 

Today is my first Independence Day outside the US. I'm not super heartbroken, it was just a weird revelation. Probably won't be seeing any fireworks. However, I WILL be mixing paint colors at church for the mural, which is just as colorful and exciting. :)

~Ely