Novios?

I wanted to post a picture of my loveable dog, but since Brooke stole the day with Molly, I'll let her have it.

We celebrated Tricia's birthday with Bolwing and ice cream OR food. She brought Andres (who asked if my name meant someone who doesn't like to do things--lazy), Carlos, and Jose. Juan showed up mid-game. Ecuadorians apparently don't bowl. A few lanes down from us had a really fun group. Everytime one of them would knock down more than 3 pins, they hooped and hollared.
We had fun. My Spanish is bad, so that was tragic. The group got onto me several times (mainly Deanna and Tricia, but Andres helped eventually). Juan and I were doing just fine, until Andres heard him speaking English to me, so he said something to him. Juan said that I was answering in Spanish so we were both practicing. ha. fun.
Carlos reminded me so much of Casey Perry that I could barely stand to look at him. Talk about absurd. Casey Perry, blonde hair and blues eyes for those who don't know my dear friend, was looking at me in the form of a dark skinned, black hair and eyed Ecuadorian. Talk about creepy. I think their humors are similar too. creep-y.
When it was time to go home, one of the boys took a girl-as in, make sure she gets home safe and not mugged or knifed. haha. Deanna, Carlos, Juan, and I took a cab to 6 de diciembre and got on the Ecovia. Awe, all four boys were so nice.

TODAY.
After some confusion of what time i was suppose to meet Tio OR Abulito, Tia called and said her dad was leaving at 10:30. I went to his apartment at 10:30 and Hilda, his maid, was like, O, let me call him. She finally got a hold of him, and I met him downstairs outside. He was walking in, so I went out to the car. Driver talked to me, asked me where I was from, chit chat. He was nice. I've seen him around a lot, but didn't know who he was. He asked me HOW many boyfriends I have here. I laughed and said zero. He then asked about at home, and I laughed a little harder and said none. He didn't beleive me. After Abulito got in the car, he asked if I planned on returning to Ecaudor eventually. I said I want to. He then said that I would have to to visit my boyfriends. {Insert boystrious laugh of driver.} I said I don't have any boyfriends. and they both kind of made fun of me for sticking to my true no.
We got to the school. I met with Magali, the VP figure, and she instructed me on how they do their spelling bee which is different than the US. She said she had to finish some things, but I was welcome to walk around or sit up in her office. Well, I saw the little kids outside, so I assumed Patricio (teacher I met the first Tuesday I was here that was so nice) was outside. Lacy was right. Cesar (teacher I kind of met that same Tuesday) called him off shortly after we started talking, but he came back. We chatted for about 45 minutes, joked with me about partying til 5 or 6 am, my non-existent boyfriends, and how Little Grandpa was a funny name [Abulito]. Magali found us, both judges, and showed us the list. I did the best I could at concealing my horror for the words the English as a second language kids were about to take on. I'd list some, but that would you probably couldn't decifer them.
We met the third judge, Pablo. Patricio went and got his suit jacket and put on a tie, and the three of us went to the room where it was going to go down. We took our seats, and Magali had me write my last name on a piece of paper. I also corrected the spelling of my first name, LaZy...ya.
Camila won her grade. She had 5/5 right, but so did Abigail. They had a spell off. Abigail got a word that I didn't know and she mis-spelled it. Camila got her's right. The kids are so smart. I'm so happy for them that they are getting this chance to learn so much. The United States should really consider teaching languages at an early age. The US is arrogant in the fact that we do speak English and 'everyone else' does or should learn. Those 7-12 graders can spell in English better than I can. I know people have different strong suits, and that isn't one of mine, but those kids have worked very hard to learn new words (I helped Camila write sentences to help her practice. English teacher is from South Africa {tall, skinny white boy with blue eyes and blonde hair mind you} and gave them Apartheid). I'm 22 and struggle with my broken Spanish. It's incredible at how different languages are viewed around the world.
ok.
We had snacks in the teachers lounge. Tia Rita was Tia Rita to me. I answered her and she stared at me, so Patricio cut in and helped out. Thank God for Patricio. He had to leave for a seminar, so I sat with an empty chair between me and Pablo who was connected to the rest of the group. Abulito filled that chair for a bit.
When we left, we went to a fruit market. (O, Abulito played the basic Spanish game with me again, he's so sweet. What's a subject? What's a verb? teehee). I talked to him more, so I think he got the idea that I was slightly past that. When Abulito got out at the fruit market, I asked the driver what his name was. I meant to do it earlier, but didn't. He said Marco and stuck his hand out to the backseat where I was. I shook it with my left hand. (Pablo shook my hand to greet me, which threw me off. When he was leaving, he shook my hand and I started to good-bye kiss his cheek, so he did the same to me still hand in hand haha. It was weird because no one ever acknowledges my Gringaness in that way.) We talked more in the car, and Abulito asked me my name again. (For the 10th time today.) He said it over and over trying to convert it to memory. I get Dacy or Daisy a lot, so it's understandable. He then told me it was a very pretty name.
ok then.