Brats

What a week. (Hello, by the way). On Tuesday, after the bank holiday, I got a call at 2:15 telling me I had a class in 15 minutes and "oops, sorry nobody told you." A new class and, wait for it, teaching a 5 year old and a 2 6 year olds. Ha. It was hell. The little boy spent most of the class crawling on the table and rolling around on the floor. Then I found out that I was supposed to be teaching them twice a week as well as another class of 10 year olds three times a week, in addition to my other classes. And I´m not being paid yet. Needless to say I have had words and have requested that they give the kids to someone else and, at least, they start paying me. We shall see. I had to teach them all week though which was HARD. At least adults want to learn, these little scumbags don´t want to learn at all. Now I know why, when I saw a woman giving her small son the belt in the street the other week, it gave me a warm glow. I think I can safely rule out any type of childcare or small child related careers from my list. It doesn´t help that I barely speak Spanish and so cannot communicate with them or effectively discipline them (although my threatening glower seems to be helping for the time being). And I question the value of sending a 5 year old visigoth to English lessons in the first place, when he´s too young to properly learn anything and all he wants to do anyway is destroy civilisation. I may decapitate him and mount his head on a spike as a warning to the other students. (JOKE). (I think).

So that irritated me somewhat. In addition, I have been suffering physically this week (although bearing it with the fortitude for which I am known). Had the runs which overshadowed my weekend trip to Tiwanaku (monoliths, other bits of rock, museums, archeology stuff - OK but not mind blowing), as well as headaches which I have been medicating with coca, aniseed and camomile tea (unusual for me, but the normal tea here is gross and they are apparently good for what ails you). I´m OK now though. I may even allow myself a little wine this evening. Or summat. Everyone here is ill anyway. Apparently the farmers down in the valleys do this slash and burn thing for a few months each year (to make the ground more fertile) and that causes massive pollution and lots of health problems in La Paz, but it stops in September so no doubt things will get better then.

That´s it really - I´ve been too busy and ill to do anything interesting and I´m having a very slow and restful weekend. Trying, although the 6 year old barbarian from next door will no doubt do his usual thing of strongarming himself into my room to watch cartoons. (There´s only so many times you can plead work, sleep (at 8pm) and so on). Why am I being persecuted by these monsters? I feel like Job. Not really. I like children, I do (although I could never manage a whole one - sorry, couldn´t resist), they´re just assualting my tower of iron grumpiness in a most threatening manner. From all sides. I feel like Gulliver vs the Lilliputians. Hmmm...who else can I feel like....? Poland in 1939, some sort of dog carcass being destroyed by thousands of insects and bacteria...I could go on. Ah ha ha, it´s alright really...well, it will be once I get rid of the 2 kids classes.

Anything else? Um...crossing the road here is a nightmare. That´s it really.

Lots of love
Moaning Myrtle.

P.S. There should be more photos on flickr now, go to the usual link (as per previous entry, I forget which one....)