well time is running out quickly. its hard to believe. in 40 days i'll be home. there's so much to do. i leave zambrano in three weeks, which is clearly not enough time to do what i feel like needs to get done. i'm starting to think about how to pack up, have to take all my house (fridge, oven, table, bed, etc) to sincelejo at some point, plus continue working on the projects to get as much done before leaving. but things are good.

zambrano flooded like two weeks ago. it wasn't as bad as they say it is some years, but there were neighborhoods where the water reached my waistline. thanks to godde it stopped raining and the river has gone down and the water is mostly out, but was hard to see the difficulties it put on the people, and interesting to see how they dealt with it. it is a humanitarian crisis, yet its something they experience frequently so it, in their eyes, is more a nuisance than anything. unbelievable.

also went to a high school graduation of one of the youth. another interesting experience. i remember graduation being such a big deal, and it kind of is here, but there was more presentation of teachers that talk of students. it could be true that my culture over-celebrates the student/young person, but i think there is something to be said for encouraging them to move forward and to study, find a vocation, etc. while that was mentioned here, it seemed kind of a side point. i feel more and more strongly every day that education is a KEY role in development and watching this graduation reinforced that idea. education is so important. and furthermore, maybe its not just the education in itself, but the recognition of how important it is that i felt was missing.

i am writing an article for seed, wrapping up my time here, and i'll post that early next week. and i'll try to download the pictures from my camera onto my computer so you can actually see some.

see you all soon!