Cats vs. Rats

My first month is winding down. 
Under the umbrella of "Time flies when you're having fun"  it feels like I've been here for a year. 
But there's a million silver linings...
for one I am conquering a difficult move riddled with:  food poisoning, dysentery, 'lady-week', horrible toothache, *not to mention severe homesickness+++ combined with you're A-typical high-stress situations: new job/city/country/language/culture/money. 
If you are praying for me, Thank You...I have been sent a guardian angel of a host mother here!
Two, I'm making a good dent in a new idioma, Spanish.  I may be carving out a career path by process of elimination but regardless, I'm carving it out huh!?
and 3, I found a shop that sells Old Navy tshirts for s/5! ..that's like $2 US
they have weird labels in the collar but now I'm warm!  :)  

Also found that i can rely on the fact that my gringa face will always get charged more $$ in the markets...I gotta get hustlin on my bargaining skills. ugh.    I ask the price and then have Marlene (for example) go to the same shop & ask the price of the same purse & it's magically s/20 less for her! %$#@!

Anywhoo, there's a pretty entertaining park a few blocks from school: Kennedy Plaza.  The other afternoon I saw 2 dudes, about my age, spinning techno in this concrete seated-recess in the ground while a bunch of 50-60yr olds sat around boppin their heads & eating their lunch. To add another splash of fun, this park is riddled, I MEAN RIDDLED with cats.  I've been mesmerized with this situation for the past week & just today found out that the local gov't passed some provision for a TON of cats to be placed in the park to keep the rats out b/c the rats were eating all the flower seeds!  So the cats are residents and apparently have free reign in the adjacent church for shelter too!
when it comes to Cats vs. Rats...i co-sign this decision.

This week is exams at school.  I have no idea what I'm supposed to do (again). The training program here is titled:  "Sink or Swim"... I'm doing a good job of treading water!
The other teachers from the US are coming the end of next week! (Yea!!)  Also hopefully that means enough people for a SPANISH CLASS!!

ps, 25 days NO television!