May You Live in Interesting Times

On Saturday I went to Yom Kippur services and someone's home to break the fast. Keep in mind that I'm far more spiritual than religious, so the sense of warmth and welcoming that I felt (post security check) were remarkable. At the end of the night I discovered ESPN 3 is one of the few sites that streams sports nicely here, so I got to watch the Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State (but not Northwestern) games while playing chess with Guillo. Having not played chess against a live opponent in many years, the first three games were very quick losses. I was able to stick around long enough in the fourth game to come out the victor.


This was a very challenging week. For the record, the first thing I commented about Bogota following my visit in June was the uneven, dangerous condition of the sidewalks which necessitate a lot of walking while looking down. On Sunday I was headed to a Tim's apartment (he's a math teacher) to watch the Bears game on the NFL network. Momentarily distracted by not looking down, I all but sprained my ankle heading down Calle 61 toward the Septima. Writhing in pain, and nearly passing out, two taxis and a girl in the park across the street apparently didn't think it would be a good idea to help out. They were probably afraid I was faking it to rob them. So I was lying on the sidewalk thinking, "I don't even have my brand new insurance card in my wallet." I finally made my way home -- I was only four to eight buildings away -- and was eventually able to see the second half of the Bears technical victory over Detroit. Anyway now my foot is a beautiful rainbow of healing colors!


Last Monday night Tim and I took Peter Bagnall, a new math teacher here, to the airport for a 1:30 a.m. flight. He had to return to Canada because his sister and her boyfriend disappeared mountaineering in the Canadian Rockies. Unfortunately after two weeks now they haven't been found, and a memorial service is being scheduled for the lake where they would've camped out. 


Back to my wallet, it fell out in the dark back seat of a taxi on the way home from visiting Tim in the hospital due to kidney cancer surgery. He is doing well, most importantly, and as a bonus there wasn't much in my wallet. The bank and credit cards were at home and there was little cash. I do have to replace my cedula (identification card). So, I have earned a trip to the notary tomorrow and a return to the Dept of Administrative Security on Wednesday morning. I suppose I've also earned a trip to Calle 60 where I hear there's a leather district so I can get another wallet.


As for good news, I enjoyed a few games of Bunco with friends. Earlier that day we served lunch to the general service workers. It was very poignant. (Keep in mind labor down here ain't expensive.) My classroom management has started to improve as well. It's a process of spending time getting to know kids one on one. That's a good thing of course, though it was a real adjustment on my part to spend so much time not on mathematics. It has definitely been worth it so far. This Friday I'll be performing in the TMLMTBGB style staff play -- I should really learn those lines soon. Saturday night Pilobolus is touring from NYC, and my friend who's going actually has an acquaintance in the cast. Go figure!