Fri 5 Fed

Today I went to work with Don Oskar on the lower campus. I helped by trimming shrubs and cutting dead leaves of banana trees. Later I went up and chilled with Eddie and then had a meeting with Carlos about my weed whacking project. We had a good meeting and he told me he would help me find the right machines for a good price. After Hugh told me I could move back into the dorms but this time on the lower campus with the Eco-Tourism students. Later, after dinner, Hugh took me to the dorms and I met all of my new room buddies. We talked for about two hours and I showed them pictures of my friends, family, and also Minnesota. They liked all of the pictures and wouldn’t stop asking questions which was fun. After the conversation, my tongue was tired from talking so much Spanish and it was a good feeling. Later around 12am, 25 students came into our room and grabbed a kid from his bed. They started singing happy birthday and carried him out of the room and to the bathroom. Then the next sound I heard was a shower starting. Then I heard the students counting and a scream for each number. It took me a minute but then I realized that the students threw him in the shower and then whipped him with their belts for how old he was. So they got him 22 times. Everyone was laughing and I couldn´t believe what had just happened, but I guess it’s a tradition here. Next some of my friends asked me when my birthday was, and I told them not for a long time thank god!