Heini, Heini, Heini

Ok so I’ve know that China and I don’t mix well since I took Chinese in High School, but Heini’s Chinese story is driving me crazy.  After finishing what I could read in his folder, my aunt Marianne and I got together Sunday to go over the handwritten ones to see if I had missed anything.  Oh and I had. … SOOOOO MANY little details about the ghetto in Shanghai and his troubles getting out.  We worked on his folder from early Sunday morning until like 4 in the afternoon.  There were many desperate outbursts from the both of us, as we made it through sentences like  “We only got out of the ghetto because of _______.”  For some reason the most important parts of the sentences were nearly impossible to read!  But we made it slowly through about a fourth of them.   I have been working on the rest since, and I will get together with Marianne in order to finish, but not till after Sarah leaves.   Sunday, after working,  Maia and I headed to Lucia and Nacho’s  house to watch Man of la Mancha and the Wizard of Oz.  We had a blast catching up and eating Lu’s famous cake and Nacho’s yummy faina.  On Monday, we headed back to work at around 8:00.

 Maia headed out to a bookstore with view of the beach a few hours after we got back to Elena’s.  When she returned we ate lunch with Elena, and then we headed to see our Elena.  That would be the wonderful lady that took care of us when we were little.  She started working for my grandfather’s GRANDMOTHER.  That would be my great great grandmother! Elena is now 92, almost 93, and she is doing wonderfully!!  On the way there, we took the bus to meet Marianne and kinda got out like 4 stops early, so we had a lovely 20 block walk, but the weather was incredible!!!!  (not too hot, not too cold, and sunny).    Once we made it to Elena’s it was like traveling back 15 years.  She still looks the same, sounds the same, and treats us the same.  She told me about my great great grandmother, and how she would put sugar in the food that Elena cooked, because she didn’t want her to cook it. 

Maia and I with Elena

After leaving her house, we headed to Elena’s (my aunt) house to get the house ready for Sarah’s arrival on Wednesday. 

Tuesday  was crazy!  We woke up sooo late! Too late to wash our sheets and have them dry before night time.  So clever me decided to go get them washed and dried.  I called information to get the number and address to the nearest place.  Then Maia and I walked there, left the sheets, told my aunt, found out the guy leaves clothes smelling horrible, called the guy so he wouldn’t wash them, found out he had already put them in, and then waited to pick them up later.  When we realized that he had washed them, we moved on to our next task… Making pastel de carne (Sheperd’s pie).  After this, we rushed to shower and make it to my grandmother’s to take her out for tea.  We took her to a lovely café and then rushed back to get the sheets at 6:00.  On our way back with our LOVELY  smelling sheets, we saw this older man (70 ish) running in front of us.  He was in such a hurry and it was incredible the shape he was in.  Maia and I just stared as he rushed to catch the bus.  After making it back, I made Sarah’s birthday cake, wrapped presents, and had the Sheperd’s pie for dinner.  Funny story…  We decided to have Coca Light with our dinner…. However, after Maia, Elena, and I tried and failed at opening the bottle,  we resorted to using a wrench… It still took 2 of us to get it open.  TOOOOOO FUNNY!!!!!!!!!

Today, I went to get Sarah from the airport and Maia went to see her best friend here.  She had not seen her in 7 years, and they had a blast.  Sarah and I went back to Elena’s to shower and unpack.  Then we headed to pocitos, walked around, found a cafe, and sat down to eat lunch. 

Sarah's soup bowl!

Maia came and met us, and after eating we took a little walk around the “Rambla.”  The most beautiful place here.  It is a street that goes along the coastline.  Today was a lovely day to do that.  

Sarah was beat and cold, so we chilled and we waited for my aunt to get back from work and we ate the cake and Sarah opened presents.

Cold and tired Sarah