it has been raining for days and it's not expected to stop any time soon. i have nothing against rain -especially on a lazy Sunday-, but the truth is that with every drop my heart aches thinking of all the people that are endangered by the rising rivers and the loosened soil. Guatemalan homes, especially in the rural areas, are not exactly what you would call safe or strong. not at all.

as the saying goes, "it's raining over wet soil" (I'm not sure that's the correct translation), because there are so many other issues Guatemalan people are concerned about right now...the number one being their empty, mistreated, unsatisfied stomachs.

i can't believe that oil prices continue to rise in times like this, when there are so many problems the world has to deal with. now food, as pretty much everything you can buy, is getting more expensive, and as more people drop under the poverty line, the people that have been there for a while see their life conditions worsen, when not even they could imagine it possible.

I'm sad and worried. I'm giving all the sweaters and coats i don't need away. this rainy season comes in particularly strong in particularly weak times. a friend told me on Sunday (as he tried to cheer me up) that when the word "crisis" was written in Chinese it was composed of two characters, one of which represents danger, and the other opportunity. it got me! it seemed pretty reasonable, especially after witnessing all that is being made and achieved in the name of the universal cause of stopping global warming and "saving the planet" (=saving ourselves). and just now, as i looked it up (or should i say: "as i googled it") i found that this is a "misconception" or "etymological fallacy"...! oh well, i don't care, I'm sticking to my friend's version...i like it better. i believe it actually makes sense.