And the fruit keeps falling

I heard some voices outside my room. A little girl her parents and my landlord making small talk before the real work began. My landlord is a dentist, this I new before moving in but really only understood when I came home one day and found bloody cotton swabs and teeth garnishing my front door. Since then it has become normal to see people comfortably seated in the Guayacill furniture with their heads tilted up and there mouths filled with plaster or whatever he uses to make fake teeth. This morning however was a bit more than I bargained for. Waking up to the whimpering of a child as novacain is inserted into her gums and teeth are pulled out is not all that pleasant. Thankfully I was very rested having gone to bed early last night so Iw as able to get up and out of ear of the torment.

Yesterday we, Havivi, her two friends and I ventured into the dewy green mountains in search of Maracuya aka Passion Fruit. Though after three hours of hiking we were unable to locate the treasured fruit we did happen upon banana apples, yes a hybrid of bananas and apples, Lucuma, an orange chalky fruit that looks like a coconut on the outside and is better served as a flavoring in ice cream and yogurt, plenty of guineos, the unripened bananas people love so much for breakfast and loads of Avocados, the buttery kinds. Quite the successful trip to the chakra I would say. I tendo to go once a week. Usually with my friend Pedro. And this way I have unlimited fruits, sometimes veggies and I get to go hiking. Saturdays are a good day to go and if we are lucky the rain will hold off for a few hours and only the mist will blanket our outing. Yesterday was the first half day of sun since Christmas I think. It was glorious and all my clothes dried so fast instead of the normal week long process.

All this week I have been helping Marisella process her jams. She made Chicope jam which is a fruit similar to papaya but oh so so so much better. You can smell them a block away! So we made Jam and also processed Alcaparras. The dictionary translates it to capers, but these are different. They are actually the flowers of the Agave plant from which Tequila is made. Marisella pickles the flowers with hot peppers and well in fifteen days I expect they will be quite good having been soaked in apple vinegar.

Summer school continues for three more weeks. My students vary, somedays we have 12 other days three. We have planted seeds, made rainsticks, learned about nutrition, though I think these kids have had so many Nutrition sessions that they can spit out the correct answers without knowing why they are correct. I actually asked the question, how many glasses of water do you drink everyday?
"eight" says Franklin casually knowing he is right, but not knowing why.
So that was a bit frustrating. I moved on to reading but only three kids came that day and Franklin would only read all the easy books so he could get a star faster, I told him that to finish his sheet he needed to start reading chapter books and he refused and instead went to slide down the railings of the mayors office. I know my patience is being tested, but come on, how many times do you have to tell the kid he cant run around screaming and playing in the mayors office?

Really hoping for some luck in the trash stuff come March, though now it seems plans might be changing and money may be shifted around for an agricultural project. Beautiful right I cant wait to ge tinvolved in planting Maracuya, Peaches and Avocados...but then where is the youth development? Still thinking of going to the campo schools too when school starts up again, we shall see, its all about connections right and relationships so working on those in the meantime.
And loving it really. I have a wonderful family, great group of friends, we are having a luncheon today, Cebiche, Papa a la Hunacallina, Sabado, Tallerines Verdes( like a pesto sauce)and ranch with veggies, they love ranch dressing here thanks to the five previous volunteers. So it goes. and the sun is out again today. wahoo.
hope you are all well
lebo