Day Two is going much better. I am calmer. I have Reiki music going, I’m making lists of things that need to be done, and I’m slowly checking things off. I started the day off by greeting her warmly, smiling, and asking how she was. We’ve been chatting a little too. I asked her how long she’s been in Panama, and she’s been here a few weeks less than we have! She has two kids. Her son is here with her, but her daughter, Jennifer, is still in Nicaragua with Marta’s sister. She misses her, of course, but she says it’s only for a time, and things will get better. She tells me that she lives in a place here in Panamá where people steal. It takes her two hours to get here.
Last time she was here, she asked for a small step ladder before she would dust the air vents, then showed me a deep huge scar from when she had fallen before doing something similar. I agreed that a step ladder was a small request considering possible medical bills. So today, when she pulled out a chair to do it, I went in to spot her. We talked a bit in there too, and she’s even smiled and laughed with me some, so I’m feeling much better about our relationship. I just plain can’t be the boss all the time. We’ll have to arrange something a little different. Yes, I’ll have to make sure everything gets done before we pay her or before she goes home each night, but things will have to be pleasant or else I won’t be able to soportarlo (to bear it, to endure it).
I’m finding that my Spanish is coming along rather well. I’m really enjoying our Spanish teacher, Marianela. I may have said in earlier posts that she is the one who taught my friend Brie (the one who I’ve known since preschool and who moved here over 10 years ago). I can’t say how glad I am that we decided to go with her because not only is she a great teacher, but she is just a great person. We get along so well. We are similarly minded people. We’ve discussed, in maybe 6 days (long days, mind you – 4 hours of just sitting and talking to each other), religion, politics, racism, immigration, different measures of beauty, anxiety, illness, family issues (don’t worry Mom, your secrets are safe with me), women’s rights, the list goes on. She asks me to read the Bible (in Spanish) for homework, and I tell her Bible stories in order to practice the past tense.
Mostly, we chat…but about important cultural issues. But she also challenges me. What DO I think about immigration in the US? Mostly I’ve always thought about the basics and how it’s a really tough problem. There’s no simple solution, I’m not the one who’s in a position to solve it, I have other big issues that I deal with in my work and my life, so I honestly don’t think about it too much. But when she pushed me yesterday, we had a great conversation. She brought up points that I’d never thought about. And then that spurs great conversations between Eric and me.
I wish that Eric was able to have the same experience with her. He has to drill with her. He has to come from a 9 or 10 hour day of work with Red Hat to a table of workbook pages or to tell her where he went on vacation last year. He’s working on past tense (one of the two of them) right now. He’s doing GREAT, and he doesn’t see it…but it’s boring. I get it. He can’t speak freely like I can. He can’t even experience Marianela’s incredible personality because they don’t have the chance to interact on a deeper level. I’m sure they think much differently about each other than I do about either of them. Actually, i’m sure Marianela gives Eric a lot of credit b/c this is her job and she gets it. I’m guessing Eric doesn’t really know much about Marianela. So I try to tell him what I know of her.
One more thing, I found out yesterday via Facebook that Sweet Briar College in Virginia will be closing at the end of this summer due to “insurmountable financial challenges.” This is Brie’s alma mater, as well as that of her sister, and the two are devastated, as is the entire Sweet Briar community. It’s a small women’s college – a little over 700 undergrads and 0ver 700 graduate students – and it was founded in 1901. It has an incredible reputation. Jackie Kennedy’s mother was an alumna. Anyway, it was horrible news for that community, and I’m hoping to take Brie out to lunch or for drinks soon to hear the whole story, to let her vent, and to see if I can do anything for her. She’s just the best kind of person, and I hate to hear about this kind of thing happening to her. I can’t imagine Carolina just disappearing one day.
To lighten the mood, I’ll leave you this morning with a few voyeuristic (maybe I should say sneaky so I don’t feel so dirty) photos of Marta, just so you can get to know her a little.
