The books for the English program will be $200 (same as last year!) ...payable before May 30...yay! May has 3 pay periods instead of 2!!! - I like it when things work out!

is getting ugly...sis has actually prohibited cousin from entering our house (conveniently for HER, she did not bother to mention this to cousin when they were talking on the phone, but expects me to tell her/enforce it!...er, NO! this is THEIR problem)- don't get me wrong, I think sis is right in being mad, and, although she DID put herself in this situation by co-signing with cousin (just like I DID put myself in a bad situation by installing that phone line in her house under MY name), cousin's actions have been wrong. Still, I don't think it is fair to ask me to be the go-between.

This unfortunate situation may be just what cousin needs, though, to finally wake up to the reality that she's lost all her friends/family through bad money management... How so?...well, let's start with family: we don't have too many relatives - actually, we do, just not that many that we are close enough to ask for help, when her parents divorced, her mom decided the family had no right to see the kids...since my Mom was a total meddler - bless her heart- she kept going to my aunt's house to see the kids with the excuse of bringing veggies, fruit and cold meats from our store...her Mom's family is from another country, so she doesn't have close relatives here on that side, either...
There was 1 aunt who used to help her with her son's school tuition (this aunt used to pay for half the tuition, but decided to cancel her offer of help after being told on more than one occasion at school that cousin was behind with payments of her part of the tuition)... 2 she alienated cousin M, who offered financial help (lent her $1k at 3% annual interest, payable in 3 months to use as investment money for the toy season about two years ago...she took 1 year to pay it back...meaning she did not repay him immediately after getting paid for the toys!) 3. Me. Need I say more than what you already know? I still go into business with her, yes, but I don't lend her money, nor my credit or my name for anything in which I am not personally involved - and, given the results from the translation work, I've even considered withdrawing from that "partnership" 4. Sis. This problem with cousin's car first raised its ugly head a year ago...when sis got calls from the bank stating since she co-signed and since cousin was behind on payments, they would start docking her salary for the car payments...this was supposedly fixed: cousin refinanced her loan on the house (through a shark loan!) and supposedly got enough money to pay the remainder of the loan...I don't know what she did, but, apparently, she only paid the overdue amount and left the rest outstanding...until last month, when sis was denied a new loan she wanted to take to consolidate her debts based on cousin's outstanding car loan...
As it stands now, cousin would have to pay $800 just to bring that loan up to date enough that she could ask to re-finance it and making it into a new loan which would NOT have sis as a co-debtor... and she whines she doesn't have the $800 but says she could make payments of $50/month...if that is the case, why didn't she make those payments during these past 12 months?...Because, as long as nobody is knocking on her door, she doesn't really care! (that's the conclusion we have reached, anyway)...

It all reminds me of something my Grandma used to say: "don't (call them) 'poor' people, they'll end up believing it". Why? Because it gives me the impression that she feels that, because we have "steady jobs" while she is "on her own" (a.k.a: 'poor' her), we don't need the money as much as she does...and that it is "mean" of us to expect her to have money to pay her creditors amounts that "even we" with our steady incomes cannot pay....

Honest, I think in her mind, the reasoning must go something like this:

"oh, poor me, I don't have a steady job, and I work on my own, so it's more difficult for me to pay for my expenses than it is for my cousins who both have steady jobs/ good salaries. To be able to pay, I'd have to lose the house. I don't want to lose my house; they cannot expect me to lose my house. The house is my #1 priority. And, they cannot expect me to lose/ sell the car, either, my livelihood is tied to the car, surely they cannot expect me to lose the car. And, certainly, with all the deprivation that I endure, I am entitled to at least SOME fun, they cannot expect me to give up the cable TV. And, the internet connection costs so little, $15, really, since it is bundled with the cable, surely they don't want me to give up THAT...plus, the whole package is ONLY $50...and I need to pay $800, so $50 really makes no difference. And, I have so many other expenses...what with me having to have lunch out of the house, and not because I want to, but because sometimes I'm out on sales calls or trying to get new customers and I just go out at such horrible hours that I cannot make it home for lunch...and, since I wasn't home to make lunch, surely I have to bring my child some bought food. They cannot expect me to starve, or not to feed my child. And, after all, I don't even buy expensive food, but fast food. That is what? $3- $6? No, surely they cannot expect me to give THAT up" - you get the drift! SHE's the victim!

SO: this is where we stand right now. Can you tell I've had it?

a.k.a.
Tonio



and Fiona

There was a very famous tourist spot with natural spring pools that people loved to visit...the place was severly damaged by the 2001 earthquakes (besides damages to the actual facilities, the road was also badly damaged)...7 years later, they re-opened March 14th. They had expected about 17,000 to 20,000 visitors per month: they had over 5,500 that first day...And, remember, we were not "fully" on holiday until Wednesday!
The sad part is: by Wednesday there were already reports on the news that the facilities had been damaged. Apparently, the so-called authorities at the park did NOT close the park once the allowable number of people had entered, but allowe more people in than the park can handle...since there were no rest areas available, people just went ahead and held picnics in the gardens...they also threw trash into the pools, so that by Friday, the pools were filthy! (remember I mentioned that we don't have a "no littering" culture here?)

So, apparently it takes Salvadorans just 3 days to ruin something that cost $1.5 million to fix! Things like these not only make me indignant, but also make me ashamed for my country!

Like life, stand-by flying is unpredictable...You never know if you WILL get on the plane...you don't know if the plane you board will be the one you INTENDED to board...you may end up at your chosen destination via a roundabout way...or, you may have to decide on a different destination altogether...

One thing is certain: BECAUSE it is so unpredictable, it requires:

1. Plan carefully- know where you want to go, and the best way to get there. Know where to go to for help if needed. Always have a Plan B(in travel, this means knowing which are the peak seasons for your destination, and which are the routes that fill up more quickly. More than one frequency per day gives you a better chance of making a flight, always try to get on the first flight of the day to maximize your chances. Also, knowing which other options you have -besides flying- to get there, OR, have an "alternate destination" plan ready, including flight departure times from all intermediate points in your itinerary)

2.Double check your information - even if your ticket says your flight leaves from gate 10/ terminal D, check the screens...again: you never know!

2. Be flexible - Even with all the planning in the world, if the flight is full, or capped for weight, you may not get on!...Be ready to delay your plans or even change them completely. Always (Always) have a Plan B.

3. Make sure to have a cash reserve - you never know what will happen, if the journey is not as smooth as you planned, the cash will come in handy! (will save you from sleeping at the airport, or having to share a hamburger!)

4. Know what's important to you and KEEP it close to you -always bring carry-on(like clean undies and your toothbrush!)

5. Have a good attitude: the people at the counter are not at fault if you can't make the flight...and they will be less inclined to help you look for an alternate flight if you have been mean to them!...plus, getting upset will only ruin the rest of your trip!

ugh! sis is on the verge of a heart attack...about 5 years ago she co-signed for cousin's car loan (bad decision...but, she felt bad because cousin needed a car to continue with her independent sales/catering business....) cousin has defaulted on more than one occasion, and, last time we heard, she had managed to get a small loan to bring that up to date and even pay it off (there was like $1k left there)...well, sis is trying to refinance her debt, and, guess what...there's a problem with her loan due her co-signing for cousin (most probably, cousin did NOT pay off her car and has defaulted again!)...
and, as sis says: most probably the bank's solution will be: pay off that loan (or bring it up to date) and then you can get your loan...#1 sis doesn't have the money...#2, if she did and she paid that, it would be like giving the money away to cousin, because she's NOT going to pay it back!...
Really, the way I worry about my debt, I cannot understand how cousin can live like this and NOT CARE (because, obviously, if she still has her cable/internet AND if she's been talking about getting a NEW car ...she just doesn't care!)

**about the NEW car, she mentions it every time there are "promotions" in the paper...like the $1 downpayment and no payments for 6 months kind of thing...oh, and she doesn't want a USED car, either...her last one was bought new, so getting a used one would be "regression"...honestly, I've always tried to talk her out of it (or, rather, I have pointed out she shouldn't be getting more debt and, I've even been "mean" by pointing out she won't find anyone to co-sign for it...just in case she ever thought of asking me!...BUT, I always assumed THIS car was already paid off!!!!)

One of our neighbors moved out last weekend...she left lots of nice clay pots with dead plants in them outside her house to be taken by the garbage truck...we,er, recycled her pots...I gave niece $10 to buy plants and soil... so, now we have a "renovated" garden, courtesy of our former neighbor!

(she even left 3 "half-pots", the kind you fix to walls for hanging plants?...in perfect condition....those are $3.25 each at the store!)

Remember I told you I went to the grocery store and came out with nothing but a flea collar for Fiona?...I should have gotten something else...I should have gotten the milk, which was on sale for $2.95/ bag of 360gm....normal price is $3.55!!!...but, for some strange reason, my brain registered it as $3.95...so I thought the price was high...it took me about 2 days to realize that! ...duh!

Thanks to all for your friendship!

I know I've been "gone" for almost 2 weeks...there's lots to write about, but my energy seems to be very low lately (emotional stress - we had VIP visitors at the office!)...I'll post a "real" entry once I feel rested!

so...one of the companies we sold toys to wants 140 school supply packages...these are much simpler packages (read: less effort) than the ones we used to make for the school, plus, they are "a sure thing" (meaning once they've sent us the purchase order, if it says 140, that means they will buy 140...at the school we prepared packages and hoped that they would all sell!)...and, while profit on each individual packages will be lower than on the other ones....well, there's 140 of them! so, we end up making about the same amount of money!! -- woo-hoo!

I write so much about them, I figured I might as well "introduce" them! LOL!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to youu,
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday....
Happy Birthday to youuuuuuuu...

Here´s a special present just for you!!
(I tried to make the color scheme as un-Christmassy as possible!..hope you like it!)

silly things I did during my divorce process:

*I agreed to let him keep our apartment for as long as it took for him to buy his own, provided he paid the mortage...
*I also let him keep all the furniture...for free! (should have asked for some $$$ to at least help pay for the stuff I was going to have to buy!--but he did later buy me living room furniture, and, over the years, I've gotten a lot of home decor items back!)

I know there are more things, but, can't really think on them right now...

well, since the bus owners threatened to go on strike if the goverment didn´t give them a subsidy on diesel, now the Legislative Assembly has voted to have a new tax on gasoline: $0.10 per gallon....This will serve to give the bus owners $400/month per each bus...never mind that some of those buses are JUNK, over 25 years old and poorly (if ever!) maintained!....the only reason those buses are still on the road is that some assembly members ARE bus owners (talk about conflict of interests!...those people should be excluded from voting on those matters, imo)...so, the bus owners get their subsidy supposedly so as to favor the poorer segments of the population, who have to travel by bus....hmmmm...what is the Legislative Assembly going to do to protect them from rising prices due to this new increase in gasoline prices...because I doubt the guy driving his truck to haul fruits and vegetables is going to "eat" that...he`ll transfer it to the next person in the supply chaing, who´ll transfer it to the next one and so on, until it ends up GUESS WHERE??? ...that´s it, not only with ME, but also with the pooor segments of the population who cannot afford a car and have to travel by bus!

well, they will ch ange the oil, change the thermostat and the radiator cap, clean and adjust the brakes (they said that's all that's needed)...and they will charge me $105...

of course, they came up with a list of other gazillion things to fix, for a total of $532....I asked them if any of it was really URGENT and they said no, so I'll take the car out today and set aside ~$430 to fix the rest later...even if it means reducing the amount going towards debt!...

There are 20 kids in Ale's class...that means I KNOW I will have AT LEAST 10 birthday parties per school year...since she goes to a co-ed school, I know I will have to buy presents for both boys and girls (although there are more girls than boys in her class!)...I buy these gifts in bulk. Wholesale stores will give me the "by the dozen" price as long as I buy at least 3 of one item. I pick 3 items, generally 1 for girls (pretty purses, dolls, wands, plush toys), 1 for boys (cars, helicopters) and 1 "unisex" (puzzles, building blocks, doctor's kits, plastic farm animals, coloring books/crayons) and buy 3 of each. That gives me 9 items (enough to "survive" a school year). Because they are bought in bulk, I spend a lot less than what I would if I waited for each birthday party invitation to go to the store and buy each present! ...I also save on gas to go to the store and, even if Ale forgets to give me the invitations on time, I can always pick something from the closet at the last minute! (oh, and I always keep "recycled" wrapping paper on hand, too!)

I thought since she has PE on Tuesdays and Fridays, we could do with just one pair...but, it's raining too much and the weather is so humid all the time, they're not drying! (clothes dryers really ARE luxury items here in ES!- Plus, most of the time you don't NEED them! Even during rainy season we get ~4 hours of fierce sun per day)...but,this rainy season has been so...well, RAINY! and the sky has been overcast...so, the pants were still wet today!...I had her wear some other non-uniform sweatpants and gave her money to buy a new pair ($7)...her t-shirt was even wetter than the pants, but, she still has 1 from last year that still fits!

heard my previous workplace was looking for toys for Xmas, so we called and cousin went to give them our catalogue, show them some samples of things not included in the catalogue, etc...well, we suggested watches for the 10-13 year olds!...and they loved them!...it's actually a watch with several bands and several covers to make them look different...very much like this one!


they want 90!!!! woo-hoo!...and they also want an AM/FM radio with video games...55 of those!....

business is booming!!

We got a copy of the new certificate that the Ministry of Education issued Ale's school...they have now been awarded Category A

The school appealed the previous ruling, did their homework in correcting some things and presented evidence on the issues they considered had been wrongly rated and, got the new certification, which grants them a 10-year operation license, subject to yearly visits (see my previous entry:

Have you ever seen one? tasted one?...

I looooove anonas (and they are in season now!)... and they're cheap...AND, there was a recipe for anona cheesecake in the paper yesterday...I think I'll try it!)...sounded positively exotic and sinful!

is threadbare and has to go!...I will darn it and give it to charity (the bad spot is near the seam, so perhaps someone skinnier can use it and just take in the seams!)...I will darn it carefully before putting it in the To Give Away bag...)
I've had it for way too long, but was one of my favorites...I'll have to start looking for a suitable replacement!

yipee!! because of the holiday, we are allowed to leave at 3:15pm today, which is...er, 12 minutes ago!!!...what am I doing here??...oh, yeah, finishing up and setting up my out of office reply...

AND, saying "see you" to all my SA friends!

1. Nobody knows exactly when or where I was born (sometime in early to mid July ’69, somewhere between ES and Honduras….my biological parents were fleeing the war!)
2. I have struggled with self-esteem/body-image issues my whole life, and used to think of myself as very ugly….with all the work I’ve done, now I think of myself as either plain or cute, depending on how bad/well I feel that day….still working on it, though!...
3. I’m smart and warm and caring…and I keep telling myself this is what really matters…
4. A lot of people tell me they admire me, and that always takes me by surprise
5. Sibling rivalry is terrible at my house: sis got the looks, I got the brains, and our parents always pointed this out, so whenever someone praises her on looking younger than me, or praises me on understanding things faster, you can feel the tension in the air! –we do love each other, though!
6. My appendix was removed when I was 2 ½ years old
7. I have difficulty telling left from right…I quit trying to understand North and South a loooong time ago! (I’m ok with East and West, though!  )
8. I get disoriented very easily, and frequently get lost in my own city….even when in “familiar” places…and it’s terrifying!
9. I was never good with numbers, but always had an affinity for languages
10. I speak 3 languages: Spanish, English and German
11. I use English more than Spanish in my day-to-day interactions, even though I live in a Spanish-speaking country
12. I’ve never been outside of my country for longer than 2 weeks
13. I married at age 22, separated 6 ½ years later and divorced 1 year after that
14. Ex-hubby was the one asking for a divorce: he’s gay
15. My pregnancy was unplanned and it came at a very difficult time in my life, yet my daughter is the most wonderful gift ever!
16. DD is not ex-hubby’s child
17. The hardest thing about being a single mom is explaining to Ale why her father doesn’t come to see her or call her or even write to her! (I’ve tried to keep things as “friendly” as possible between us and, even send him an email regarding Ale once in a while…1 time out of 3 he doesn’t even bother acknowledging receipt of those…once in a while he will answer emails….mostly with apologies for not having stayed in touch and not sending money)
18. I love reading and read at least 1 book/week
19. I love Latin American Literature
20. My favorite book is 100 Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
21. My maternal grandparents were listed in a ES sociology book as being part of the “oligarchy” of the country
22. I’m terrified of bugs…excepting beetles
23. I’m terrified of bats, and the sound of flapping makes me shudder
24. I’m extremely ticklish…you can make me scream without touching me just by saying “tickle” and doing tickling motions with your fingers in the air…having my hair washed or blow-dried at the beauty parlor is torture!
25. I’m very impatient – I like things done NOW, else I stress out…
26. I have nightmares if I sleep on my back
27. I’m a chocoholic

Just in case you were curious:

1 - seeks opportunities
*is proactive
*grows the business towards new areas, products or services
*Takes advantage of unusual opportunities to launch a business, get financing, equipment, land, facilities or help

2 - takes risks
*Deliberately calculates risks and evaluates alternatives
*takes action to reduce risks or control results
*places him/herself in situations that present a moderate challenge or risk

3 - demands efficiency and quality
*tries to do things better, faster and at lower cost
*takes action to guarantee that guidelines for excellence are met and exceeded
*Develops or uses procedures to make sure that the work is completed and that it meets the established guidelines

4 - Persistence
*Takes action in the face of a great challenge
*Repeatedly takes actions and changes strategies to face a challenge or overcome obstacles
*Taks personal responsibility for doing all that is necessary to reach her/his goals and objectives

These four are part of the ACHIEVEMENT aspect of entrepreneurial behaviour....will post behaviours pertaining to PLANNING and POWER tomorrow...

As an exercise, you could try and discover which characteristics are stronger in yourself...

What does she have to do with anything on this community? you may ask...
Well, I haven't seen Ugly Betty, but I did watch the whole Yo soy Betty, La Fea (Original, Colombian version) and La Fea mas bella (Mexican re-make, where Betty is actually called Lety)...The characters are all very interesting, but,the one I have been pondering lately is Alicia (a.k.a peroxide blonde)...she's a very ambitious (or should I say rapacious?) woman, who married a very rich guy, got used to "the good life" and then got dumped by her husband...in true Latin-american fashion, all she got out of her divorce was her Mercedes Benz...
Since she refused to see the reality (that she wasn't rich anymore!) and continued to spend lavishly to keep up appearances (God forbid her rich friends should find out she's poor now, they'd shun her!) she gets into so much debt that her car gets taken away until she can come up with ~$5K to pay the cc debts!...now, this is the biggest drama of her life...she has no car, what is she going to do??...(take the bus, her only true friend -- rich girl who owns the company Alicia works for, who is alreay tired of having to pay for Alicia's lunches and stuff) Now, this friend had counseled Alicia long ago that she should sell the Mercedes, settle the debt and get a smaller, inexpensive car (GASP! give up the Mercedes??NEVER!)...
So, Alicia starts taking a cab to go to work, but, guess what? there comes a point where she doesn't have enough money to cover the fare, and there's a big scandal in front of the office building (where all the secretaries, whom Alicia looks down on because they are "low class" and "ugly", get to see how Peroxide Blonde is humiliated by the taxi driver for not having the money to pay)...Alicia's mission in life right now is to catch another rich husband, to get back her Mercedes and "not be poor anymore"...Another thing that is noteworthy is the way Alicia (eventhough she's peniless) keeps reminding the secretaries (a.k.a The Garrison of Uglies) that she's much better than they are, because she's rich and beautiful ...
Why am I rambling about all this?...because I know many Alicias in real life...

...Ale's school went on a field trip to a park near our house today...since I had to meet with my cousin for some shopping (toys!-- to sell...) it was ideal for me to pick her up there (and, our transport lady couldn't make it, since she has Ale scheduled for 3pm and the kids were being sent home at 11:30am)...well, my car was trapped (we have parking problems, as the municipality is fixing the street that we park on!, so there was one car parked behind me and, being 11am, the owner was nowhere in sight!...had to call him, he was nice enough to come, but, I was late anyway!)...since the kids weren't there anymore when I got to the park, had to go halfway across town to Ale's school and then back again to meet my cousin at the toy store...well, it came 1:40pm and we still weren't done, so I just left Ale with my cousin and came back to work...notice I haven't had lunch?? ...I settled for a wonderful delicious sinful "oblea" (two thin wafers with luscious caramel in the middle!!)...and then a friend came by and offered some home-baked carrot cake!...so, now I'm not hungry (for the time being), but, I am about to OD on sugar!!! (water, I need water!!)...I still have about 1 hour to go (it's 4:45 here!) before I leave for the hotel where the closing ceremony is taking place....
water!!

LOL! yesterday at around 11:00pm I got a text message in my cell that said "Hope you have a good night, but dreaming of me" (in Spanish)...from a number not in my directory....so, I called the number and got a woman's voice...I was half asleep and she sounded half asleep, too...now, I thought I recognized the voice and, after a while of asking Is this X? Y is that You? somebody said: Marisabel?? and I said Yes...and she said: this is R--- ...Oh...so, I thought it was the landlady for one of the houses we rent for our expats...and thought she (or her teenage son) just misdialed when sending the text message....

Now, this morning, I was commenting on this with the other admin and, at first, she said: maybe it was a new guy, whom I REALLY like!...and I said, no, it was X's landlady....but, then, this morning, I remembered that his housekeeper is also named R--- .... could it be?? ...

This all could be resolved just by calling the housekeeper and asking, but....I don't know, in a silly way, I'd rather not ask and wait and see what happens...

After all, the idea of a secret admirer is SOOOO very romantic and, romance is something that has been lacking in my life for so long now...

I got the coin Jeffrey sent!!...(our postal service IS slow!...it arrived to the central post office on May 17!, which means it took another 14 days to arrive in Antiguo Cuscatlan...different town, but it takes about 30 minutes to get from downtown San Salvador to the outer limits of Antiguo, so....)

Anyway...I'm thinking I can do 1 of 4 things with the coin...1. give it to a friend here in ES and ask her to forward it along her own network of friends...2. send it to one of my friends in Central America and ask them to send it along...3. send it to a friend across the world (either South Africa or Australia) and ask them to send it along...or 4. send it along to someone from this board!!

Just wanted to give you an update on the trip of this little coin!

LOL! I was reading my categories, and, I have 55 entries under "setbacks", 55 under "progress" and 74 under "Hope in trying times"...so, I guess I'm not doing THAT bad!! (some entries are categorized as both "setbacks" and "progress" at the same time, depending on what they deal with)

I can also see that -obviously- 167 entries deal with money, but, Family comes next with 90 entries...and the Job front has 44...while The World around me has only 10..

Interesting,the things you find when you analyze the categories in your blog....

Now...how should I categorize THIS entry??