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things are not well here in monteclaro.

it's cinthya's birthday today. she was really upset and sad and missing her family all day. there's not much i can do for her, but i went to mercadona and got some dessert and some party umbrella things (the ones in cocktails) and stuck them in the top of the pudding and came back here and sang her "happy birthday." she gave me a big hug and we sat and ate our pudding and talked for an hour or so, and she seemed a little happier.

but of course, nothing good lasts.

so miryam comes home and doesn't even say happy birthday but does say that cinthya will only be getting one week off for vacation this year. cinthya is good at holding it all in, but as soon as miryam and the family had gone off "on a walk" she came outside and told me what happened and i could tell she was near tears. it was awful. she's so homesick and so lonely and so stuck here. at least i get to go home in two months. but cinthya's got no working papers and no hope of saving enough money to get back to bolivia and support her family.

as for miryam and jose, sometimes they are just stereotypical shady white people. it makes me sick. i hate to see middle class families, who even have "help" in the first place, abuse the very people they rely on the make their lives work. if it weren't for cinthya, these people wouldn't have more than cheese and crackers for dinner every night. they wouldn't have a well kept house. they wouldn't be able to keep themselves clothed and fed, frankly.

so it's just plain awful to see cinthya so upset when she deserves so much better. she's the one who makes the wheels turn in this house, but she's the most underappreciated member of the household. i wish i could do something about it all, or at least better communicate how much i appreciate her, but my spanish is still pretty bad so all i can do is listen and shake my head and hope that she understands that i'm on her side. that i appreciate her and would not be able to make it through this summer without her.

gosh, now i feel like crying.

i just wish so much that there was something i could do.