I awake this morning at what I think is 8am, but because my cell phone has no satellite connection, the time is totally messed up and it is actually only 5:30. I realize this when I turn on the computer to check my morning emails. So, I go back to bed until 8, get another warm shower (yay!), and head over to the shelter.
When I arrive, there is no one in the house or outside. I walk back to the surgical suite/grooming salon and start doing dishes from the night before so that the place is clean to begin the day. I soon realize that Dr. Lew has been sent to spend the day with me and I am grateful. Dr. Lew is a friend of Diego’s, and was actually the best man in his wedding. Lew is from Lake County, just northwest of Chicago and is an American. He’s 75 and has been practicing veterinary medicine for 40 years. I am very happy to have him here… he takes the burden of decision making off my shoulders and is happy to help me do whatever my duties are for the day.
We work on the dogs for the morning and then Sandy comes to pick us up for another lunch of local food. This one was a bit scary, and I can’t pronounce the name or even come close to spelling it. It was soup made with 3 parts of the ruminant stomach (rumen, reticulum, omasum) and spleen of what I can only assume used to be a cow??? No clue. It was heavily seasoned with cilantro, and if any of you know me, cilantro tastes strongly like Palmolive dish soap smells. I have to say this is probably the worst food I have tried so far, but I get the feeling I may eventually try something even less edible…
Sandy brings Lew and I back to the shelter and we spend another few hours watching telenovela (Spanish soap operas) before Diego shows up. Thankfully he got there earlier than usual, around 6pm, and we end up being able to eat dinner shortly thereafter. Because Lew is an older American and has some stomach issues, Diego allows him to pick where we eat dinner and we have lasagna. It was a welcome change from the local food.
While at dinner, Diego received a call from Gonza insisting that I come out for a “ladies night.” I finish dinner quickly and run out of the restaurant in time to meet the girls. I initially thought we would go to a discotech, but instead the evening consisted of drinking beers in the car… something that is not frowned upon in the least bit here. The girls all drink pilsner beer and love the Black Eyed Peas. Everyone is wearing a scrunchie hairtie and an aeropostale sweatshirt (except me). I think I missed the memo. We stopped along the roadside to meet up with some of their friends and a one of the guys approached the car. All of the sudden I hear the Backstreet Boys “I want it that way” coming from his cell phone and I busted out laughing. They all inquire on what is so funny, so I explain to them that the Backstreet Boys are not acceptable for a grown man to have his ring tone set to in the US. Much more laughter ensues and I’m pretty sure the guy no longer wants to be my friend… oops! Glad to know that I can even intimidate men in a culture not even remotely similar to my own.
After a few hours the girls bring me home and we say goodbye for the night. I’m happy to have met such good friends so quickly, they’re already asking me when I will return.
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