The Week In Review

Thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. It has been hard to make or receive calls in my site due to mysterious cell issues. I don't believe it is my phone, since I tried on multiple phones and the outcome seems the same, choppy and screwy sounds and sometimes no sound at all. So if you tried to talk to me I am sorry, I think Tigo is doing something to the cells in my area.

The week started well, with a cool meeting for a human rights group aimed at forming a network to investigate, educate about and combat human rights violations. This is not directed at illegal border crossing even though it sounds like it, it is directed at violations perpetrated against the will of the victim, unlike border crossing which often violates human rights, but the victims choose to proceed of their own free will. Either way, this sounds like a promising project, and they insist on having me take on a position in the committee eventhough I told them that I shouldn't really take one on besides support and advice. We'll see as time comes, but I am happy to be a part of it and look forward to spreading info about this if it turns out well.

For the day before my birthday I was in the capital for medical and wound up spending the night. Randomly one of my pals showed up, so we grabbed a few beers at the hostel that night. That was pretty much the extent of my celebrating.

Only a few people in my town knew it was my birthday. There was talk of slaughtering a goat for the occasion, but that didn't happen and I don't think I am too broken up about it. I had planned to hang out a bit, but that day a river overflowed in Cara Sucia and washed away a few houses causing the mayor to declare an emergency situation. That took everyone away from my town and left me to spend the evening relaxing in my hammock. Wasn't a bad birthday, but a relatively lonely one.

Saturday I met up with lots of volunteers for the monthly soccer game. (Each month it is at someone elses site.) We played hard and had a great turnout, but we still got our tails whipped. We did score though, and so it wasn't a complete loss. Besides we spent the night in a huge house on a gorgeous lake in Santa Ana, which reminded me of either Tahoe or Matt's lake house in Washington.