Ten days ago, we returned from a five-night visit in the country. This time we went to the community-la comunidad- of Candelaria, where we will be working for entire term. Candelaria was the first community that AsoFénix worked with to install a solar-powered water pump, which brings water to 42 houses. This project was initiated in 2004, and is still allowing families to access water from a faucet in their houses or right out their back door. Before they had access to potable water, they would have to walk to the nearby river, which is a 5-30 minute walk depending on where one lives. Everyone we spoke with was grateful for the convenience of potable water in their home. Most people are on the national grid for electricity in their homes. The average family has 5-7 children, significantly higher than in other communities we work in, therefore poverty is greater!
Our week went well and we learned A LOT!! Many learning experiences made for an interesting week! We weren't really "bored" at all, which was good. We stayed with Maria & her husband Apolonia and their SEVEN children-niños (ages 16 to 4 months)! So never a dull moment with that many people around, plus a new intern from AsoFénix, Arielle, also went with us for the week. Maria is on the committee in Candelaria, and she is accustomed to hosting people from AsoFénix so that was nice. She is a super-sweet woman (age 35) and talked with us A LOT about the community and the people. We're grateful to be working with people like her, because other people we met were not too receptive to us and didn't have much to say, so that was hard!
Highlights
- At Maria's house we learned how to make lots of new things in the kitchen!
- Tortillas (included: washing the corn, grinding the corn, making the tortillas and eating them for every meal!)
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| Washed corn kernels going through the grinder to make the dough. |
- Baked Goods-Cosas de Horno (Direct Translation: Things of the Oven). All items were corn-based with a few variations in ingredients and shape. Baked in a clay/earth oven outside with the fuel being corncobs and wood. All VERY DELICIOUS fresh from the oven and still HOT!
Rosibel putting the ojaldras in the oven!
- Coagulated Milk-Cuajada- It's not "technically" cheese but the closest thing to it in the campo. Maybe it’s more like cottage cheese, but without the liquid. Need to do more research on what makes cheese, cheese! We ate this with two of our meals every day!
- At Maria's house learned ALL about COWS-Vacas!! We watched them being milked every morning around 7:30am. We learned how to milk a cow....kinda cool but freaked me out a little!! AND last but not least, we watched a baby calf being born!!!! Pretty cool, but not a glamorous birth by any means. The mother got freaked out by the neighbor dogs and promptly rejected the baby. Apolonia was working with the mom and calf so hopefully she will start being more attentive to her baby. The past two nights the baby calf-ternerito- slept in the kitchen (for protection). He's a cute little thing! At one point I woke up and heard a little racket in the kitchen, I think since his mom wasn’t feeding him he decided to make his own dinner.
- Other projects that AsoFénix organized in the last year included a lavendero y jardin system in eight houses. The lavenderos are made of cement where people wash their clothes and dishes. The used water is piped to their garden-jardin nearby. Seeing people's gardens filled with fruit trees of ALL kinds and lots of veggies was very exciting! People were very proud to show us their gardens.
- Outdoor "bucket" showers at night=feeling like a million bucks before you retire for the night! One night I almost showered with a scorpion. I was rearranging the fabric on the shower with my headlamp on, I thought I saw a spider but looked again and it was a scorpion about 1.5 inches long. Apolonia killed it with his machete as soon as Arielle took a photo.
- Playing baseball and outdoor games at dusk with lots of kids (under 11). It became the evening ritual, and on the last night we taught them Bocci ball.
Difficulties
- Sleeping in a "twin" cot-tejida- for FIVE nights=lots of togetherness!
- Eating a lot of starches for EVERY meal-RICE, beans, and CORN tortillas! (arroz, frijoles, y tortillas)
- Conversation...sometimes it was really hard to figure out what to talk about with someone you've just met that could care less that you’re paying them a visit. This lead to awkward moments on occasion. Understanding campo Spanish has its challenges, and we have about three pages of new vocabulary words to prove it!
- Seeing how people live with very little! Small, deteriorating houses made out of sticks and mud, with 5-7 children per family, no variety in diet and lack of education (including high illiteracy rates). Very hard to soak in all the sights of poverty.
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| The baby calf is finally eating the next day! |
Well, that gives you a taste at least of what our lives our like when we go to the country-el campo. If you come visit us, you too could experience some of what we are experiencing. Looking for tickets yet?
Check out our album for photos from the week!
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