October 22, 2008 (3:30 am)

Can’t sleep again so I will write about what I did yesterday. It was a day very full and exhausting. In the morning, my counterpart and I had another dance practice with the kids for the cultural night. It went… alright. I’m still nervous about it. The girls are pretty good… the boys need work. After practice, my counterpart and I went around to find the children who failed to show up and make sure that they will come on Thursday for the final rehearsal. It didn’t take long, and once we finished I begged my counterpart to take me to find the owner of the house I want to rent. We failed to find her, but we did find out that another family has already agreed to rent it. I was (and still am) devastated. It was my home (to be)!!! I have a month to find a home. Cross your fingers for me!!!

My counterpart and I then went to Machala to find outfits for the girls to wear for the dance. We walked around the market but didn’t have much luck. My counterpart is stuck in the office all of today, so it is up to me to go back and see what I can find. Once I returned to my site, I wandered around and questioned people about available apartments/houses. I didn’t have much time, but several people gave me some suggestions that I will try to follow up on today.

In the afternoon, instead of Adventura de la Vida, my counterpart, the other volunteers in the area, the other people who work for INNFA, and about fifty kids went to a nearby river to go swimming. We took four vehicles and somehow managed to fit about 20 kids in each vehicle. Let’s just say that it wasn’t exactly the safest way to travel. Once we got to the river I was dragged into the water where I spent the next two hours splashing about in the river with at least 10 kids hanging off my neck and another 10 shouting for my attention. It was exhausting. I didn’t have much time to rest, however. By the time I finally returned to my site, it was time to go to Machala for my aerobic dance class. My friends and I stayed for two classes because we hadn’t gone yesterday. By the time it ended I was about ready to fall asleep standing up. I have no idea why I can’t sleep now.