March 14 pm - March 15 am

This is Ilya writing. Yesterday afternoon proved to be tough but rewarding. After our usual lunch and share of laughs, we headed out to our work place in the construction area of our school. Or at least everyone but me did. I was luckily called back by my brother, Ronald, to watch un partido de futbol, a soccer game with Real Madrid playing against CSKA Moscow. Here, you´re either a Barcelona fan or a Madrista. Luckily, the majority of my family are Madristas, like me, so I found myself yelling "gol" four times that afternoon as we won, 4-1. However, not all is fun and games and I quickly rejoined my companions in the work place.
When I stepped into the construction site, I was blown away by the progress we had achieved. The sweaty, but beaming faces around me encouraged me to work harder and I soon found myself sweating as I pulled out nails, touched up painting, and swept the floor. By the end of the work day, I had found myself looking at a work place that was cleaner and more organized than before. The affirmative smile of Octavio, the engineer, only enhanced the group's feeling of satisfaction as we headed back to Rafaela's house for our cena, or dinner.
After dinner and a bit of street games which Ileabeth taught us, we were all rested and ready to go to my house for the evening. Ronald picked us up and as we headed to the streets I live on, the students' eyes were growing wider as we walked into the poorer parts of this neighborhood. However, after a soccer game with all the students, everyone seemed to feel at home and we soon found ourselves sipping Fanta Roja and enjoying life in my family's back yard. However, it was 9:00, as time flies fast when you're having fun and it was time to head home and to bed.
This morning, I had gotten up at 5:00 am like the rest of my family as I was slowly falling into their routine. Amazingly, I was the first to shower in a family of more than 10, and I waited for everyone to get ready. But I found myself in class teaching, before I even knew it, and here I am, writing this entry and waiting to play a big game of soccer with our students and some from La Nicaraguita. Time is starting to fly; we only have less than nine full days.