since I don't have enough to pay EVERYTHING I have to pay for (until the translation money comes), then I prioritized my payments and, between today and the 15th I HAVE to pay:

gas
groceries
nanny
Ale' school
oil change
cc

what will remain pending for the time being is:

personal loan
car loan
cc
rent

not too bad....not great, but much better than before!

said with her most impish expression...
This is what Ale asked today when I told her I wanted her to review her toys and separate them into: "to keep", "to give away", "to sell" and "to trhow away"...so I explained to her that, since her friend T. is going away, she's getting some of her toys...
"Oh, to make space!"
Smart girl!

we certainly don't use one everyday, but, there's some stuff we have been unable to do (replace 3 light-bulbs in our house...2 of which are in the staircase!) because no-one is able to reach it!...it's also a problem whenever we paint walls...
I'd say it is a need, because most of the time we stand on stools or chairs or get very creative when changing lightbulbs and, although we've been lucky so far, it IS a security issue....
what has made me put it in the want section is the price (the one we need would cost about $80...)
HEY!!! scored!!!...I called the other admin and, she has an old ladder...which she just "donated" me!...I'm supposed to go pick it up on Friday (after the painters are gone!)
woo-hoo!

let's see how I'm doing, shall we?

NEEDS: ($150-$200 for ALL)
Uniforms for Ale (including shoes, socks)-taken care of! all I need are the socks!
Oil change for the car - scheduled for the 11th/aug
New windshield wipers (rainy season!!)..will see if they have them at the place where they do the oil change{/b]
New dictionary for translations….(not URGENT, but IMPORTANT!...if I’m to get serious about the translations, I need the right tools!)



WANTS: (about $100-$150 for ALL)[b]proud to report I haven't indulged in any of these!
New curtain for my bedroom (been using an old sheet and, frankly, it does nothing for the room!...and, since we have been decluttering-reorganizing, I’ve started to feel that it would look SOOOO much better with something nicer, in a different color…)

New clothes for me – just because my older clothes have started disintegrating!!...I still have enough to make do for a while, though, so not really a need!

New shoes…after all, we HAVE been going to all those shoe stores! LOL!...don’t worry, I won’t give in so easily! (although if I find a bargain like last year, Hush Puppies at $10, I will probably get them!)

1 day of relaxation at the beach during these holiday period (4 days…) not likely to happen…

well...I have discovered that, by some miracle, I still have some $$ leftover...so, rather than spend it on pizza and soda, I'm going to buy fish and cook it...we all love fish, but don't have it as often as we like, since it's so expensive (about $4.50/lb)...so it'll be a nice treat for all!..I've already chosen the recipe!!

my bank FINALLY has an agreement with the issuers of my cc1 to take online payments...yipee!! right?.....not so yipee! after all...it takes 5 working days for the transfer to be complete so that it is reflected in cc1....I learned this the hard way! (made a payment on Friday and called on Monday to find out why it hadn't appeared yet...should have asked BEFORE I used the service!!)...but, at least now I know that if I am to use this method, payment has to be made at least 7 working days before the due date--just in case)...it's good to know!

The $$$ is starting to flow!!...$326.73....so, I'll take out the $55 I'm pendig of paying to Ale's school for her enrollment fee and the $53 for the uniforms/shoes...leaves $218.73...to be distributed as follows: $80 to catch up with 1 payment for bank loan...$100 to cc1 so it's up to date (yipee!! I had until Aug 18 for this payment!!)...$25 to cc2 (to remain up to date and pay a bit over the minimum for this month)...that leaves $13.73...$10 should go to the Children's Home...and, if I add $2.27 out of my own pocket, I have enough money for a trip to the Children's Museum, including the new Planetarium, for Ale and myself during the holidays!(they will be open!)...

It's a plan!

FINALLY! my income tax return is ready!!! woo-hoo! $172...see it come and go, as it has already been allocated for debt (this one goes to B.Agricol.a.)...oh, but, of course, instead of depositing it directly in my account (as I had requested!), they issued it through another one, so today I have to go to the bank at noon to withdraw it and then go pay it! ....oh, well, at least it's here!

WOO-HOO!...I was thinking of doing something really cheap (but really cool) and just getting a thin board and paint it pink and put some giant stickers- Disney Princesses, what else!...ok, maybe Hello Kitty!), or buy one of those plastic curtains (kind of like beaded courtains, but with platic shapes, like flowers or hearts or...what else! Hello Kitty!)....and, was going to start quoting the stuff this weekend (I know the stickers were going to be $3!)...when my niece announced that, since her dad is upgrading her little brother's room, he was getting rid of the old furniture and she asked if she could have it (smart girl!)...so, Ale gets the headboard and niece gets the dresser...she also asked for the night-table, although we are not yet sure who will keep it/where they'll put it!...Niece is a wonder with furniture arrangement (you'll shake your head and say: It won't fit, and if it does, it'll look crammed...and she'll find a way to make it fit AND look good and spacious!...I always said she should be an interior designer!)...bottom line is, we have a new headboard....and it was FREE!!!...didn't even have to pay for transportation!!

LOL!...well, no, not really, but, at least now the places in the cementery and the funerals are all paid off! Yay!...officially, July would have been the last payment, but, I called the company and the lady that handles billings told me I had 2 options:
1. Make only the June payment ($35.33) and then finish paying in July (another $35.33), or
2. pay $42.18 and finish paying NOW!...

guess what I did?? (the difference is for debt insurance, taxes, interest and fees!- OUCH!)...
....now, the cementery lot is ok (fits 5, and only mom and dad are there at the moment), but the funeral services were 3, so that leaves only 1 paid for/available....and there's still 4 of us! (sis, Ale, niece, nephew and myself!)...and while some would rather shut their eyes to the possibilities, we all WILL die someday!...

you've read my rants about my cousin and the $1,ooo in phone calls her son made on my line...this is VERY old news (this was in January of 2006!)....and how she had only repaid $300....well, she gave me $100 towards this debt yesterday!!...
I am truly amazed!... I honestly thought this was going to be one of those times when she promised and "something came up" at the last minute!!...
I just HAD to tell you all!

well, I still haven't been paid for the first one (payment is due on 6/30), and already got more translations...the first one was billed at $74 and, this one was much longer, so it'll be $261!...
I'm $150 from recovering my "missed" salary payment...and about $700 away from undoing the damage that missed payment caused!...still, I already allocated the money and, hopefully, I'll be able to catch up on all my debts sooner than I expected...I see God's hand in all of this, because I had prayed for $600 before the end of this month and, if other payments come through as well (my $172 from income tax return and $100 that I've been promised by cousin towards her debt...we'll see!)then the total would be $607!...I'm going to start praying/giving thanks for $250 in translations each month...

I don't know if I mentioned that during our trip to the northern zone our translator was a guy that used to be my best friend at school...(very long, painful story...the short-short-short version: he slept with my boyfriend!)...
back to the present...so, there we were and, all that hatred that I felt for him at one point? GONE!...all the bitterness? GONE!...you know what? forgiveness IS liberating! (I just don't think it's entirely a matter of will, you have to be emotionally ready to let go!)...well, the thing is he came to our house, we chatted for hours and hours and got up to date and, the next day he sent me an email apologising for what had happened over 12 years ago! (I didn't expect that, honestly, if I invited him into my home that meant everything was over)...so, anyway, I wrote him and explained that, from the moment I had invited him, it was because he was forgiven and, that we both knew we ALL had some sort of "fault" in all this, if only in not knowing how to handle all that was happening...so...we are friends again...I don't think we'll ever be "best" friends again (though, who knows? ) ...and, since he' s working on translations now, he sent me some work that he didn't have the time to finish...so, this week I get $74 for that work and, he already knows I'm available from 5pm onwards to do translations!!!...so, besides a renewed friendship (which is priceless) I already got an economic benefit out of the whole thing!

we had our new furniture installed this week at the office (at one point I was sitting on the floor typing on the laptop and answering phones!...I would post pictures, but cameras are forbidden inside the Embassy building...unless you work for security or for the public affairs office!)...anyway, all that furniture came in boxes...HUGE boxes...I picked the biggest one and brought it home for Ale...she´s having a blast!...right now, she´s just laying inside it with her feet on the edge and laughing like crazy!...she´s decorating the interior with hearts and smiley faces (that´s what she´s reporting right now!)...I don´t think Ale would be more entertained if I had brought the most expensive toy in the world!....last night, the thing was a spaceship going "back to her own country, ten countries away from France" (if anybody can tell me where that might be, please do so, I´m terrible at geography!)...ah, the magic of imagination! ...I actually pity the poor kids that have enough toys that do everything for them!...boxes, pots and pans, twigs....those really are the best!

I finally went to get my severance check and, it turned out it was more than I thought it would be ($600 instead of $200!)...BUT, regulations required me to endorse it to the employee coop due the loan I have with them... I had much better use for that $$ (applying it towards higher-interest debt!)....oh, well, at least that means I owe the coop nearly $1,300 instead of nearly $1,900!!... gotta look on the bright side, right??

ok, so I asked God for a new job:

1. which paid more than what I was earning...from $12K to $16K per year, gross earnings...and less deductions!!!

2. where people appreciated and recognized my work (it was recognized and appreciated at my previous job, I just didn´t want risking falling into a job that didn´t!)

3. close to my home (5 blocks...I´d say that´s close!)

4. which allowed me more time to be with my daughter (I cannot stay in the premises beyond 6pm without an escort...I leave the office between 5 and 5:30...which means I arrive home between 5:10 and 5:45...at my previous job I left between 6:00 and 8:00...and it took me anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour to get home, depending on traffic!)

5. Interesting, so I wouldn´t be bored or feel like quitting....

So, I just wanted to give Him public thanks for giving me this new job!

Well, the trip to the Northern Zone was really eye-opening...in more than one sense!...
at one point, a very young girl who works for the national development committee came to me and said: I wanted to introduce myself, I hear you are MI, the new admin?...Yes, thank you, we´ve talked so much on the phone these last days...
Next thing I know, I´m in the middle of a semicircle of 5 people, all looking at me with wide admiring eyes...((hello, I´m pretty average looking, really...)) ..then there was this really awkward silence and I said: eh, yes??...and they said: oooh, it´s just that we´ve heard so much about you, they are really impressed with you, they say you´re a superstar...("they" being the country director, deputy country director and program officer)...they did??...yes, superstar, that´s the exact word they used!...((wider eyes on their faces))...oh, really?...
Now, that is actually intimidating...I now have to try to live up to that reputation!!...and, if I think about what I´ve done this past three weeks, nothing seems extraordinary to me...I mean, yes, I´ve added value in small ways, but, I don´t feel I´ve done anything to deserve the "superstar" moniker...
So, this part of the trip was scary, but nice! LOL!

These past two weeks were crazy, but it was worth it!...we had our First Northe rn Zo ne Tour last Wednesday...

To oversee the completion of the compact signed between the Milenium Challenge Corporation and the government of ES, a board of directors, consisting of 4 cabinet members, 2 NGO representatives and 1 private sector representatives was chosen at the beginning of the year...

We helped organize a committee to go to the NZ of the country, where the aid will be concentrated, as this is a "poverty belt"...well,let me tell you, it was EPIC!!!.... we set out at 5:30am, a caravan of 14 vehicles, carrying 60 people....including the ambassador....

So, here I was, little old me, with all these prominent people, whom I see on the news everyday: the minister of education, the minister and viceminister of public works, the minister and vice minister of agriculture, the deputy technical secretary to the presidency, the managing director for our organization, people from the private sector, the ngo representatives, the newly elected executive director and deputy executive director in charge of actually complying with the compact, the coordinator and several members of the National Development Committee...10 drivers,2 translators and some of us "lower level" people from 3 different organizations...no press, so that the attendees could concentrate on actually hearing what the people were saying instead of on what they were going to say to the press!...this was WORK!, not a publicity thing!

It took us 3 hours to get to our first stop, where the group met with mayors on the advisory council, members of a coffee cooperative, cattle farmers and members of a group of municipalities involved in water preservation...

We had a VERY tight schedule, but, the people at the towns we went were VERY organized and managed to stay on track with the time!...

After that first meeting, we left to visit a National Education Institute in a small village 21 kms away...so you have an idea of how bad the roads are there (about $200K for road construction), it took us 45 minutes to get there!!!...We were greeted by the school children, who were waving flags... it was very touching...

Here, the meeting was to hear the expectations and plans of the students, parents and teachers at this little village....the parents said they expected that the educational component of the compact would allow all their children to study and complete their high school education, and, who knows, maybe even go to the university some day...The representative of the private sector asked what they thought were the reasons for the high migration rates this village has and, the parents told her the lack of jobs...being honest, even if you graduate, what then, if there´s really nothing there, no stores, no factories...and, the land is really inhospitable there!...

It was amazing to me to see something so desolate in my country...I would have imagine this was pure forests and, instead, I saw some cows that were kept together only by their hides....trees that twisted in the dry, hot air, like lost souls out of Dante´s inferno...here and there you would see a tiny house made out of tin or cardboard.... and, here and there you would see Mansions (yes, capital M, houses as luxurious as the ones you see in the capital city, only larger!)...these are the homes of the families that receive remittances from the US...I mst say, I understand the lure to migrate...even for those in the mansions....If I had one of those mansions in THAT place, it´d want out....not necessarily to the US, but, at least to the next town!!!! ...but, for those in the tiny shacks....well, just think what they must feel...the difference is really EXTREME!!....

After about an hour and a half of more bad roads, we reached the Lempa river....our ancient Father river...even in dry season, we needed to board the ferry to cross (the compact also includes building a bridge over it)....it was a beautiful spectacle....once all 14 cars were across, we went to yet another town, for yet another meeting, this time with the cattle farmer cooperative, who also explained the opportunities they see with the new road, and with the productive development component of the compact....we had lunch there, organized by the mayors of all these towns we had visited...local river shrimp (they looked more like tiny lobster than shrimp) and hen....quite tasty...

Then back in the cars for the last meeting in a small city, this time on paved roads, but, they were so narrow and full of curves, the cars couldn´t really go much faster than they had on the dirt roads!...

At the last town, the meeting was with the business sector, especifically transport and small commerce representatives...

by this time, it was 4:30pm and, you can imagine how tired everyone was!!!...we left the small city at 6:00pm, back to our capital city....we took a different route this time, and it took only 1 hour and a half to get back home (we COULD have taken this route, but, the whole idea was for this people to actually SEE what the people in the NZ have to live every day and how urgent it is to do something for them and how much of an impact our work will make in their lives)...

Everyone was tired when we left, but, all the people in the caravan where very pleased with the tour and very glad they had joined the tour...could you believe very few of the attendees (me included!) had never visited that part of the country? (where the heaviest fighting was during the war) and, we even had one person who had never actually left the capital city!!!

I don´t have enough time to polish this entry, because Ale wants to play, and it really is a shame, for I know I cannot begin to convey the sense of historic momentum that this trip left in all of us!

I will tell you more about the new job some other time, but, for now, this is the most important thing and, I really wanted to write about it before the feeling goes away!! (and, honestly, I hope it never does, because I feel like I´m really part of something much greater than myself at the moment!)

My first day was good..I got loaded with so much info, my head was swimming by the end of the day...we finished at 4:50pm! unheard of!!!and I felt guilty about it!!...next day was a bit easier, I got access to 1 network (Im going to be working on two networks, but, since I need an id badge, my fingerprint AND a password to log in to the Emb network, I still havent even touched THAT computer!!!...and it is an "Unclassified" station!!!...I do not want to know what they require for someone that uses a classified equipment!) Our whole team here in ES is going to be five people... we will be complete as of April 29, since the development specialist is already hired but finishing his job until that date...Everyone is really nice and they have done their best to make me feel welcome....I have done my best to make myself useful (as much as I possibly can without full acces to everything and with my very limited knowledge of how things work!)...I really think we are going to make a good team!...and, once I get the hang of things and start meeting more people, I wont feel so lost and useless!...They invited us (Ale was included) to go bowling on Tuesday....Ale loved it...and, in typical Ale fashion, half an hour after meeting the people, she was being cuddly to the point of harrassment!...hugging people, tickling them...fighting with them!! ...at one point, one of the women asked me if Ale spoke English and I said: no, not really, why?? ...and she said: Oh, because it looks like she's talking to L. and he doesn't speak A WORD of Spanish!...well, that's never stopped Ale before!!...lol!...

As you can see, I'm quite happy...I predict that in a month it will be as if I had always been there!....(although, I do miss the gang...especially since going from 22 people to 4 feels quite lonesome!) -- oh, well, I get to see them o Friday the 13th, as I'm invited to someone's 30th b-day/engagement party that day!

sold some toys and my share (of profit) is $49! woo-hoo!!

just a reminder

well, it's official, I am starting my new job on April 2nd...yay!!!...Part of me is really excited...of course, part of me is sad to be leaving my "children"...
one of my bosses made me cry yesterday (the one that has helped me with Ale's school)...he made sad puppy eyes at me when he said "I'm so happy for you"...

I'm also a bit mad at the other admin, because she is indignant that "they don't care" ("they" being our bosses)...and, I know that is not the case...but, I cannot tell her because obviously I cannot tell her about the 1001 ways in which they have proven their appreciation to me (plus, that would probably just make matters worse!)...oh, I need to let that go, I cannot really do anything about it...

So, I have two weeks to clean my desk and finish any pending tasks...also to bring the other admin up to speed on my tasks/responsibilities...OUCH!...she's going nuts as it is with all the travel arrangements not only for our unit (22 people) but for 2 sets of consultant teams (6 and 4 people, respectively), plus all the travel arrangements for people that are coming for interviews... It would be simple enough if people would make up their minds as to what they want....she hasn't been in the best of moods lately and, I guess the perspective of dealing with all the admin stuff on her own is not too appealing...

well, my taxes have been filed and supposedly I should be getting $173.00 before May...which is fortunate because I have to pay for Ale's school books in May, and they cost $200...so, now I need a 3 page translation to cover the rest!...

just jotting it down so I don´t forget!

my sister´s best friend´s mom is here for a visit...after 26 years!...we three sat in our living room yesterday afternoon and just chatted and chatted and chatted...of love, life, death and everything in between...it´s funny because she remembers us as children, and we remember her as "a grown up" and, at this stage of our lives, we are just "women" and I guess we understand each other a lot better than we ever did!...

She brought as all presents...a nice outfit for Ale, a pencil case for her pencils, and a watch....

some outfits for sis (I still haven´t seen them) and niece and, even some for me! ...so now I have two new blouses that fit perfectly and pants, which I need to fix (not surprising, sis and I are always doing this, becuase we are short, all our pants have to be adjusted!)...they´re nice leisure clothes...which is an extra luxury for me!

we made $56, which means we have the $$$ to buy the tubs of glue we need (we had each already contributed $20 for the paper and 12 tubs of glue), cover the entrance fee ($3) and still had enough left to buy $2 cards for our cellphones...not a bad deal!...Ale bought a plush bunny and, afterwards, when we went to the supermarket, she bought a book and a set of 24 colored pencils...

...through numerous initiatives and fierce competition, the company employees were able to raise over $16K for the Telethon...the owner matched our $$$ 2X1...so total from the company will be almost $50K...of course, thanks to the PR fairies, the employees' donation was the first one of the event, so it got a special mention in the press!...

Still, it IS a good cause and, they HAVE built new centers not only in the capital city but also in some of the other major cities....

she got money from a friend of mine ($50)..she kept $10 at home ($5 for herself, $5 for charities) and we went to deposit the other $40....when we checked her bank book, we noticed her $16.40 deposited in July have since turned into $0.02...so I explained to her that this was the interest that the bank had paid her for keeping the money there...

Oh! and Raton Perez is due back for a visit tonight...she lost another tooth! (he´s leaving her $0.85)

Ale counted her colored pencils yesterday night, to make sure she still has 12 and hasn't lost any...LOL!...she did this on her own, without my asking her to!!...

soooo....since Ale couldn't find her colored pencils,the next case was to come out of her piggy bank...first she asked: can I take out just $1?....sure! we'll see which kind of colors you can buy with that...first she went straight to the nicer cases: $4... $3.60....ok, to the cheaper ones...$1.71.... $1.41.... $1.27 ....OK! a case for $0.99...How much will I have left? $0.01....hmmmm...just one cent??...can we find other ones??....ok, we found a case of 12/24 (12 pencils/24 colors) for $0.85 (on sale)...those ones, Mommy!....

and, yesterday morning she must have still been thinking about this because she asked: Mommy, who will buy the next case of colored pencils??...so I said to her: It depends. If these are all used up, then I have to buy them, because that is my responsibility as a parent, to provide you with the stuff you need to study, but, if you lose them, then YOU will be paying for them, because it's your responsibility to take care of the stuff that I give you....

so, I guess taking the $0.85 out of her piggy bank (she put back the change!) REALLY hurt!