the walk to school and back

Oh, if only it wouldn't be rude to carry a camera with me and take pictures of all that I see. Maybe I should ask for a secret spy camera that looks like a button on my shirt. And I could wear it everyday and take pictures of all the funny things I see and laugh about them to myself and blog about them all and try desperately to describe how funny it really was even though the picture wouldn't do it justice and end up looking even more like a physco than I already seem .....

Okay, maybe not.

But I do wish I could take pictures of some things.

It would be rather entertaining.

First: The Rubber Necker

The whole family is walking to school together. We come up behind this lady. She turns around to look at us, probably because we are speaking in English. Then she turns around again. And again. And a third time. And yes, a fourth time as well. We overtake her (no, not like grab her and mug her, just pass her.... Using the word "overtake" just makes me sound smarterish). After we pass her, I hear her mutter to herself "Cuantos hijos?" in a "oh my goodness" fashion (that means "how many children?"). And then she keeps muttering other things but I couldn't really hear..... I'm sure it would have been interesting though!

Okay, so we only have four kids. Really not that crazy. And I guess, like in Costa Rica, not very many people have families that large. It must be the combination of the blondness with the number of children. We have definitely been a novelty in the last year.... four absolutely adorable blonde kids wandering around in Latin American countries.

But then again, people in California would comment to me sometimes too about all the kids.... like when I would go to Costco with all of them. People would ask if they were all mine (These kind of questions will probably slow down in the US soon - is seems to be rather trendy to have large families nowadays. Have you noticed? Lots of big families popping up...)

Okay, so anyway, back to the walk.

Second: The Primpers

On the way home, after dropping off the kids, I see four ladies, all wearing the same blue jackets (must be for their jobs or something), sitting on the curb - beside the lady who is there every day at this corner of the street selling "breakfast", of some variety, out of a big old pot - and all four of them are putting makeup on. Two, mascara; one, lipstick; one, powder. It really would have been a great picture. Sad about not capturing that one.

Third: The Horcker

Walking up the hill, getting closer to home, I come to this man who seems to be having serious sinus issues. Serious. And I'm glad I didn't have a camera for this one.

He made noises so that one would think he was trying to not only clear his sinuses but suck his entire brain through his nasal cavity. And then he would spit out what he had "collected". Repeatedly. And then he blew his nose a few times too. Not like take out his hanky and blew his nose - I mean blew his nose onto the street.

I walked on the "sidewalk" on the other side of the street.

Quickly.

I could hear him the rest of the way up the hill.

Lovely.

Cotopaxi was clear today.

That really was lovely.