And the ants go marching

As some of you know, I'm organizing a weeklong daycamp to be held this July for 10 through 13 year olds. It has to do with the environment and we're going to do normal fun camp stuff too. So I've been handing out the final fliers at the nearby schools, and I included in the information that the kids should wear sneakers and shorts, if possible, since we'll be moving around a lot (not to mention the heat factor). This point has been a big deal! Almost all the little girls have been asking me wide-eyed, "We're supposed to wear SHORTS?" I reassure them that they can in fact wear pants if they don't have shorts. I have actually seen most of those same little girls wearing shorts before; perhaps just around the house, but shorts nonetheless. One father on a motorcycle rode up next to me on my bike the other day when I was en route to my home, asking me specifically about the shorts issue! Who knew it would be such an issue?

The ants have been bothering me just a little lately, some days more than others. They are everywhere! They're on my toothbrush sometimes when I take it out of its holder, they try to get into toothpaste, they're on bread if your host brothers don't tie up the sack tight (a rare occasion), they're on plates that have just been washed, they're on all sorts of things! Sometimes you don't notice them if they aren't on your food until you feel a little tickling on your hand, and realize they're on the way to your plate. At least they're not biting ants. . .

Last night I was hanging out at the grandma's house right down our little road, and there was a group of about four of us playing cards. It's always fun to be out in front of the house, because pretty soon more kids and adults arrive, and we're all sitting around chatting. The funny part is that two of the kids realize they still have homework to do around 9:00 (which is something that is not an everyday event) and so go get it. The assignment for these fifth grade students: to draw a picture of the environment. All of a sudden everybody's asking me to draw it for them! I deferred, telling the boys that it was their homework and they need to do it themselves. Well, the adults and older kids sitting around took up the pencils and crayons and started drawing. I'm not sure I actually saw any of the kids whose homework it was actually do anything at all, except hand colored pencils to some people. I was opposed at first, but when they had me draw some fish and trees, I couldn't say no the second time, and the group effort was pretty enjoyable. We were all sitting around discussing what else should go in, cuddling with the littler kids, and coloring. Morally opposed? Yes. A good time? Yes. I think it sort of depicts the family relations in the country: everyone helps each other with everything -- it's expected and welcome, and can be pretty fun!

One last riddle: How do you change a towel from nice and soft and fuzzy to one that's hard and doesn't really dry your skin well anymore?
Answer: I don't know, but it has something to do with Dominican laundry!