A glimpse of daily life

Today I spent all day in Plan Grande, working on various projects – and trying to get warm. But I stopped out in mid-morning to get some air and to see what was happening in the village.

I had heard a nearby mill that pressed sugar cane to extract the juice. I went to see if Isaías was processing sugar cane. He was there, working over the container that is use to boil the sugar cane juice to produce the raw sugar that he’ll sell later this week. We talked a bit and I warmed myself by the boiling cane juice.

I went back later and took this picture of the house where I live.

A few weeks ago I was in Dulce Nombre and stopped at the house of Isaías’ sister. His brother-in-law was working with some other men in his yard making horseshoes, one of Dulce Nombre’s major products.

I also see people involved in the coffee harvest. Up the road the mayor's sons are often processing the coffee beside their house. These days I’m also encountering a lot of people going or coming from the coffee harvest. Sometimes it’s a small group but at times there are a hundred or so people (including kids) crammed into a truck.

One of the joys of now living in the countryside is seeing the daily life of the people and accompanying them.

I think they also find it interesting to see this crazy gringo.

Today while making a salad a few guys who were waiting for pre-baptismal talks in the church meeting hall next door watched as I cut up the vegetables.

At times this can be challenging, especially when kids make a game of peering into windows on all sides of the house. Sunday night I was a little upset and was a little harsh with two kids, asking them not to be always peering into the house. About an hour later they arrived with eight plantains. I don’t know if it was a peace offering or what, but that’s part of living here.