miclason's Personal Finance Blog

tomorrow, I have to take Fiona to the vet's (rabies vaccine), Ale to church... go grocery shopping...pay my personal loan at the bank...

I'm thinking of dropping Fiona at the vet's, the Ale at church, go to the bank, pick up Ale, then Fiona...

and going to the grocery store in the afternoon instead of in the morning (I like to go with Ale after church because church is about halfway between our house and the supermarket with the lowest prices...if I go drop Fiona off at home, then it's a lot of extra gas...and I can't go with Fiona to the supermarket...and I'm afraid if I go to the supermarket after church I won't be back at the vet's on time to pick up Fi!)

((sigh))

another 2 small translation jobs!

we are supposed to eat for nourishment, but, for some of us, there are a host of other things associated with food.

Mom alternated between anorexia and bulimia. She was obsessive about food and would also go years (YEARS) on end eating the same food (egg-salad sandwiches for dinner, for example. She also went through a fried egg and a tamale phase).

Food was important in our house.Food was an indicator of love. Mom cooked to show she loved us, but, if we didn't eat the food (you HAD to have seconds) it meant you were rejecting her love!... we learned to "trick" her by using mini-servings, so you could have seconds...or even a third helping!

There was always excess food at the house. Mom liked to have "extra" in case we decided to invite a friend or two...we were a family of 4, and always sat at a table for 10...and, believe me, there was enough food for 10 at the table! (food for the maids- yes maidS, there were at least 3 of them- was separated before the food got to the table...contrary to local custom, maids didn't get to eat what was left over from the table, nor did they get beans and rice only: they got whatever we got, and a full portion was separated before sending the food to the table. If, additionally to this, they wanted something more, there were always beans and rice and tortillas). Any leftovers were packed in individual bags and given to poor people who (knowing there were ALWAYS leftovers at the house) would come by once or twice a week to collect them for their families.

So...yes, we could spend a lot less in food (mind you, we DON'T cook for 10 nowadays!)but...food is important EMOTIONALLY for us...

And, it's funny, sis stops eating when nervous, while I eat non-stop! oy!

***
chose this image because my friends all say one of the things that impressed them the most when they came to visit was that our pantry looked like this!


Mom also HAD to have food available in large quantities... know that '@' symbol? In Spanish, it is called an "arroba", and it is the symbol for 25lb!...we bought our potatos and onions by the arroba!!

from urgent translations....just finished the 2nd one! ...time to go to bed!

Ale woke me up at 7 am to give me a note that stated she didn't want to wake me up, so she'd be downstairs playing....and to please look for her once I was awake so she could give me my presents
I went down at about 7:30...Remember that conversation about not BUYING presents? like the little mice in Cinderella, she went about looking for discarded stuff she could recycle. She got my niece to give her an old bead (BIG BEAD) from a broken bracelet and she turned it into a necklace!...she also used bits of construction paper to make me 3 different cards! ...oh, and she has taken to going around saying I'm her "favorite parent"!

She also told me she had wanted to bring me breakfast in bed, but that we were out of cereal and she doesn't know how to use the stove! :P

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on a funny/ kind of sad note, my sister's ex stroke again and left HIS daughter stranded downtown, where she takes an advanced math course on Saturdays, so Niece and Nephew went to get her and she had lunch at OUR house...how can he expose her to what could be a potentially hostile environment?? -- perhaps he was counting on us being civilized enough to 1)let the siblings go get her and 2)be nice to her and ask her to lunch!...we've seen this girl (she's 15) probably 4 times in her entire life. I think she's nice; sis is rather indifferent towards her (let's not forget this poor kid is "living proof" that her ex was cheating on her!- plus, the kid is very introverted, and sis is extroverted...), but, in the spirit of it all not being the girl's fault, sis tries to be nice and make her feel welcome (both times she's been to our house, anyway!)...this guy is really something!

There's a program at work whereby your boss can nominate you for a cash award. The nomination is then reviewed by a committee...well, my bosses nominated me and I got it! ...I still don't know how much it is, but, hey, any (legally obtained) unexpected income is welcome in my house!!

Nephew came this weekend (he comes every 2 weeks) and he had asked sis to buy some stuff to fix our front door... sis did buy the things, but was very skeptical that he'd be able to fix the door...she thought that he'd make it worse and that we'd end up having to call a carpenter...or having to sleep without a front door!
Well, Nephew DID fix the door, and he did a very good job, too!...it cost us only $20 + the stress of having to hear sis yell at him for dismounting the door! - seems he learned some carpentry at one of the last re-hab centers...

It's a first because he's finally taking care of us (at least in some respects), as opposed to us having to take care of him! (I know that sounds awful, but, it's true!)

ugh! I was looking at the office's travel budget (we need to send an update on projected vs. budget) and, we had "left over" money ....we KNEW there had to be a problem, and thought maybe I had left out some trips or something...I went over the trip allocation twice....and then proceeded to re-check the other numbers...ah-ha! turns out the "remaining available funds" figure I used were NOT ours, but another country's!!

I had one set up 5 years ago to help with the Disney Trip (should have had $1k by now, but I had to get $$$ out to pay for debt a while back!)...soooo, now that I'm closing this account (to get the $285 that I currently have there), I've already spoken to the Bank's exec to set up a new one! Yay, me!- she'll be dropping by later to pick up my docs (we have a mini-branch inside the compound, with a cashier, and the account exec comes 2x a week!)

I've been trying to NOT buy soda for lunch for ages...I do well a couple of days and then go back (just so you can imagine how ingrained the soda habit is: my Mom bought our sodas directly from the soda truck...and they gave her the wholesaler price!)...

so, today I decided to face the fact that I lack self discipline: I put $0.30 in my pocket (I needed to buy a tortilla for my lunch, didn't know that they cost $0.05!) to make sure there wasn't enough money for the soda (they are $0.50 each!)...

It worked!!...so, all I have to do is NOT bring any money to the cafeteria!!! - wish me luck!

Ok, I just finished one translation work. It was a 2 hour job, and it will bring in $40! yay!

As is the case with many Catholic rites in Latin America, this originally was an indian rite adopted/adapted by the Catholic Church: at the beginning of the rainy season, to ask the gods for a bountiful harvest, the pipiles used to make offerings of fruit. Now those offerings are made on May 3rd (Day of the Cross in the Catholic calendar) and placed at the feet of a cross. People put up these little crosses in their yards, with garlands and fruit. We put ours in the living room (to guard the fruit against Tonio and Fiona)

The cross in El Salvador is made of a special wood called "palo de jiote" (don't ask! I don't know!)... the peculiarity is that the bark peels off and leaves behind a very smooth surface. It is believed that the indians saw in this wood a representation of the Xipe Totec - an important Mayan god who wore the skin of the dead

There's some information here: http://espanol.groups.yahoo.com/group/sanromero/message/39

The top of the page is in Spanish, but if you scroll down, you'll find the info in English.

I will deposit the cheque on Monday...
Yay!- and they still owe me $258!

Niece got her Dad to give her giftcards to a clothing store instead of him buying the clothes for her! so all 5 pieces she bought fit/ she likes them! yay!

It's "official"! we both said yes!...they don't have any work for me right now, but they are expecting some soon!...it's a very nice project translating scripts...yay! Pay is not much, but, it is light work (they sent me some samples of a job they just delivered, also the corrections made by the end customer)

I am happy, because a friend had scared me a bit about putting my $40 towards savings, quoting the inflation and rent increases...but I had already decided I was going to try to make it at least for 6 moths, figuring I could offset the increases through translation money.

sis and I are constantly teasing Niece about her having 1,0000 shoes, while we only see her wear the same pair....same with clothes...

I guess anticipating getting a ton of new stuff for her b-day, she decided to clean her closet last weekend...

I got a pair of shoes, as did sis... (please note sis wears a size 4, I wear a size 5 and niece wears a size 7!....)

What niece discovered was that:
she has 14 pairs of shoes (after the ones she gave away)...but of those, 5 she "absolutely loves" and were "total bargains at half off"...but they hurt her feet so she doesn't wear them.... hmmm...

Of her many blouses....some are too loose for her taste (bought by her father, LOL!), some are already too small and others are not really her taste (gifts)...she gave some of the ones that are too loose to my sis...and I asked her to pass the ones that are too small to Ale...I suggested giving away the ones she doesn't like (plenty of people will be more than happy to have those!)

She has 13 pants, between jeans and "regular" pants...but "can only wear 1 pair"...the other ones...you guessed! either they don't fit (too loose) or she doesn't like the way they fit! ...ok, keep those that can be fixed and fix them, give the other ones away!...

I think she finally understood that we WERE right, that she DID have a closetful of stuff she wasn't wearing...I also hope she realizes how silly it is to keep a closetful of stuff that doesn't fit or that you don't like!...

is April 30. As long as she remains in El Salvador, she will ALWAYS be able to have a party ON her birthday...See, May 1st is Labor Day here, and a National Holiday!!!

We had an early dinner here last night (7pm), so she could then go for another dinner with her father and then go clubbing with her friends!....

Sis got her a watch (she has a boxfull of watches that she never uses- yes, I've given her quite a few myself....her excuse? 1. She likes to be able to color coordinate her watches with her outfits, and 2. Most need new batteries!)...
Ale and I got her a picture frame (in purple, her favorite color) and a teddy bear (which I suspect Ale is hoping wil end up sitting on her own bed instead of Niece's!)- just to make it financial: I spent a total of $6.50 on both presents!

I had thought I'd be getting about $20 more per pay period...but the payroll stubs came today and I will be getting $43 more per pay period!...I will splurge this pay period (Friday) and buy a ticket to go see a Mi guel B ose in concert ("general" locations are $20)...and I will make arrangements to have $40 withheld towards my savings account with the co-op starting the next pay period (May 16th)

I was lathering some of the (prescribed) hand lotion today, and, I suddenly realized.... the Dr's fee ($20) and the creams (~$20)were an unexpected expense...paid for in cash....without me having to be late on payments for anything to be able to use those ~$40!... I didn't even have to touch my meager savings or put in on a cc (putting it on a cc didn't even cross my mind!)...True, I had to wait 2 paid periods, but since this Dr's visit was just so I could get my passport, it was not an emergency and could wait...

This is real progress! I was reading my Jan 2005 entries and I was complaining about not being able to get $33 to bring my cc up to current status!!

I feel accomplished!!

1. I wish I had known they were NOT inmortal!- it may sound silly, but, part of me still believed they'd be around forever!
2. I wish someone had told me that, no matter how prepared you think you are (long lives, long illness, etc), you are never fully prepared (emotionally) for your parent's to die!
3. I should have thought of making "keepsake" boxes for Ale- she was so young when they died, some days she is anguished because she cannot fully remember them!
4. I wish I had written down some of Mom's recipes! - some are gone forever!

There are probably more things, but these are the ones that jump at me right now!

got a referral from my sis...the brother of a friend of hers needs translations.
I just wrote to the guy and sent him my contact numbers (the brother had sent me his e-mail, only)

This is good...another "direct" customer!! (potential, anyway!)

Ale recently wondered how children who don't have a father living in the house can get a present for Mom without asking her for the $$$ (as that would be both tacky and unfair!).... I told her they don't necessarily have to BUY a present...her eyes lit up!

So, today I have to provide her with: wrapping paper, glue, markers and some yarn from our homework box.... I'm not allowed to know what it is for...other than it is for my Mother's day present! (I'm also supposed to be confined to my room while she works!)

Isn't that sweet?

I made eggplant lasagna (again!) - because Ale didn't get to eat from the last one...and made a chick-pea/eggplant soup from a recipe I found on the internet...
both were huge hits (except, Ale liked the chickpeas, but not the soup)...that's ok, I can make the soup for everyone else and serve her something different... at least, we got out of the routine, ate something delicious/nutritious and cheap!

I totally confused the payperiods!!!...I got paid LAST week...which means there's still a full 8 days until the next payday!!

How could that be? How could I get confused like that? Either the mucus or the medicines are destroying my brain!

I'm getting better! LOL!
I was reviewing my entries and I've gone from $0.48 to $11.51 in my account before payday....Yay!

that's the balance in my pension fund (got my account statement today!)

And if this sounds low, consider this:
under the old pension fund regime, some people retired with 10K COLONES, at a rate of exchange of 8.71 Colones per 1 USD!

Nanny had a problem and couldn't come to work....I left my office at 3:00pm and am now making phone calls to try to arrange some appointments for a visitor that is leaving on Thursday!...I made a list of #s and brought it home with me so I could do that; not really required, but, since I already took half a day off yesterday to get my passport, I'd feel guilty if I didn't do it!

I thought since I am here, I'd make a lasagna...only to discover that the horrible little pasta bugs attacked again...my beatiful lasagna pasta is infected! -

I did find 3 potatoes (haven't been able to go to the market for the produce yet), so I'm thinking meatballs and mashed potatoes instead (good thing I still hadn't prepared the meat sauce!)

I don't know what it is, but there's a very bad virus going around....Ale got it last week, and, wouldn't you know it? It hit me on Thursday. I did go to the office on Friday because there were several things outstanding that could only be taken care of on Fridays (don't you just love bureaucracy?), but got sent home at 4pm, on account of "looking terrible"...I spent yesterday coughing and sleeping, and today coughing, sleeping and sneezing...not a nice combo, let me tell you!...I think I may be feeling better, though, the coughing is less frequent/ painful and I actually want to have a shower!
Sis had to leave for San Miguel (2.5 hour drive) to drop off my nephew at the rehab, and niece left to have lunch with friends...as I was really in no condiiton to cook, and there was nothing that could be heated in the microwave, I bought a pizza for Ale and myself. Spent $6.50.
ouch! the coughing has returned!

ex-hubby came to dinner yesterday (I served him my now-famous eggplant lasagna and garlic bread, with a nice Concha y Toro white wine) This was his birthday dinner, which I promised to make because I couldn't attend the birthday party he hosted in January!

He brought by the standby airline tickets (called "passes") AND, get this: he wants to pay for Ale's park entrances! this is to be her b-day present!

(what can I say, there IS a reason I fell in love with this guy! -- you have to remember: he's not Ale's dad! and, in a culture where men divorce the children when they divorce the wife, it really is a large gesture to give such an expensive gift for another man's child!)

He told me to go ahead and purchase the tickets, and then mail to him the amount I paid so he can reimburse me!

You should have seen the look in Ale's face when I told her!

First, let me say that translating is a lot like teaching, in that just because you are proficient in a language (or more) that doesn’t necessarily mean you can teach others how to do it / translate to or from it. Teaching requires an additional set of skills, as does translating, it requires an understanding of the language (you may be fluent in a language and know when you have to use “I, me, my or mine”, but you may not be able to tell WHY – in the case of teaching. Or, you may not really know when to use a certain word instead of another – in the case of translation, otherwise, you’ll end up with the type of translation you get from those translation softwares….with things like: "The ghost is willing, but the meat is weak!")

ES is a very small country and, traditionally, not many people speak a second language- this is reserved mostly to the elite; the few fortunate ones to either have attended a bilingual school (misleading name, since there are a couple ones that are actually tri-lingual!) or that have lived in foreign-language speaking countries and have learned abroad.

If you take those 2 things into consideration, you’ll have: 1) a group of people who don’t speak a second language and 2) a smaller group of people that do speak a second language fluently but that don’t feel proficient enough to translate to/from it.

"Standard operational procedure" if you belong to groups 1 or 2 is: call someone who is considered to be fluent and ask if they are willing to do it. Since I know many people who are fluent, I just let them know that I DO translate, give them my fees ($0.05/word) and my phone number….so, if anybody asks, they refer them to me!

ES is a very small country, so Word of mouth goes a long way!

Another option is to sign up with one of the (very few) translation agencies in the country. They generally have a pool of translators that they use when the owners can’t do the job themselves (due time constrains or just because the topic of the document is not their area of expertise).

A few freelance translators publish small ads in the classifieds, but people generally prefer to go to someone they know or that is referred by someone they know (they figure it’ll be cheaper and, since they are being referred, they feel they have assurance of the quality of the work – as a friend wouldn’t recommend someone whose work they don’t know!)

I am starting to get a reputation now; a very good one. Generally, the saying is: fast, accurate, cheap: pick any 2!....My prices are market prices (average is $0.05/word or $10-$15/page…), I’m GOOD (I take pride in that and, I double and triple-check unfamiliar words/expressions to make sure they are what’s used by the specific industry or area related to the document) and, I’m fast! (I translate at night, after Ale has gone to bed, and, generally average 5-7 pages per night….and I’ve been known to translate up to 80 pages in just one weekend!-again, with good quality!)

I have done consecutive interpretation (“oral” translation is called interpretation), in which the speaker will make a pause so I can interpret what s/he said in the target language….I have never done simultaneous interpretation, though (where you interpret right as the person is speaking- I’m not sure I could do that, though I’m told is just a matter of training and, giving that I CAN type a letter while listening to a conversation without having one intrude into the other one, it’s fair to presume that I could do learn it quickly)….Interpretation is the BIG money maker, since you can make anywhere from $200- $300/day

Some day, I hope, I’ll be able to do this full time (after I pay off all my debt, and have a small fund set aside, since, as you can see, payments can be a little unreliable) I’m not going to lie to you, it IS a scary thought! – but it is also exciting!