Happy Mother's Day?

It is time for my school to celebrate Mother's Day!

12 days after the fact...

That's right, the principal didn't have the time or inclination to plan an event that would actually coincide with the holiday, so we are planning one now for almost two weeks later. I guess this doesn't seem weird to anyone else. But to me, it's like forgetting about, say, Halloween and then trick or treating on November 12, to the confusion of your neighbors who by now have no more candy. At some point you have to recognize that a holiday has passed you by.

Of course, I was dragged into the preparations at the last minute. It always happens that way. One minute I'm on the porch talking to my host family, the next minute my school director comes by and drags me into a "secret, important meeting" that is starting that very minute. So here I am at the cybercafe looking up poems and images to put on the invitations that we are giving to all the mothers, which I have been put in charge of as the only computer literate teacher. Apparently these mothers will come to school in the morning May 22 for snacks, raffles, dances and a poem.

The poem is to be recited by me following a confusing exchange with the principal.

PRINCIPAL: Maybe your mother can write a poem for us.
ME: My mom? Why?
PRINCIPAL: Is she going to come? Can she write a poem?
ME: No, she won't be coming...wait, are you saying you want ME to write a poem, or my mom?
PRINCIPAL: Oh, I just remembered. Your mom isn't a writer. The last volunteer had writer mom...
ME: Well, I'm a writer! I write the news! But maybe I could just look up a poem on the Internet...

So not only do I get compared to or mistaken for the previous volunteer pretty much daily, now her mother has become my mother.

Anyway, thank God for the Net. I found a lovely Spanish poem written by an actual poet, and that will be read to my school's mothers on May 22. Twelve days late.

Here are some of my host family at the beach a couple of weeks ago:
During training we hiked through a cloud forest to a view of Lago Coatepeque, a famous crater lake. There was fog EVERYWHERE and my camera died soon after this unremarkable shot...
Paz y amor.