Norma is a master fund raiser and has done amazing things for this small community From her efforts they have built a small medical clinic a church, two school and important bridge and a community building that I am sleeping in. She has been trying to gauge how I can help and we are both not so sure. She is really fixated on making sure the people can be self sufficient and not just giving them things. If any school church group or club has any interest in helping there are hundreds of needs. A group of single mothers have banned together and live together and they and desperately looking for things like sewing machines or materials so they can make and sell bread.
They wanted me to bring a message back to the states that there are many strong women here looking for men. Seriously.
Life is simple the livestock nearly live with the families and the weekly soccer game I the highlight for entertainment. Normas asked to day if I knew anyone who had a series of age appropriate bible stories with pictures and activities for children that she can give to the local churches.
They are treating me like some dignitary and it kinda feels weird.
I needed to go to the river to bathe before church. I had a long shirt and some jeans. I went to church today and the church was in worse shape than most stables in the states. Here they do not speak Spanish regularity but most understand it. In la moskitia, there are four different tribal languages. At church, the preacher saw me come in and gave bits and pieces of the sermon in Spanish so I would understand.
Have met many people very timid at first but warm up quickly. The diet is rice and beans. I have been here for two days and already looking for something else. Want to catch fish to eat and I am not really fond of fish but it sounds good at this point.
In regards to the town, I am staying in the Hilton. Nice bed with a mosquito net. There were a few holes in my net and I got tagged several times. I got my sheet our from my pack and wraped myself in it with a small hole to breathe. Normas step daughters who is 14 helped me install another net today. I asked for some tape or needle and tread so I could sew up my net. She disappeared and came back with another one that had no holes. After we installed it, I learned it was the one from her bed.
When chloe got her new ipod for Christmas, I told her that santa needed her old one to work out and ski with. I have been traveling with this old ipiod and gave it to Anna. She acted as if I had given her a vehicle or something. She is a sweetheart and looking to come and study in the states. So mom, if you have a room available, I think it would be a great experience for everyone.
After church the town gathered for a meal. The idea is that people donate food and your buy it to help the church. Norma made me a plate with rice some weird patato and armadillo. (cost was thirty cents) The armadillo was actually pretty good but I could not get over the hoof on my plate. I took a few bites and a local dog got real lucky.
When a cow or pig gets killed for food, the don’t have regrigerators to keep the meat cool, so it all needs to get eaten within 48 hours. They announce throughout town when then plan to butcher so hopefully they can sell the remainder. Rumor is there is one going down today. I would pay about $100 for a fat ass steak right now.
The river is the lifeblood of the town. The drink from it, fish from it, wash in it, and it is the primary mode of transportation. Oh I forgot they play it in.
I spent several hours just walking the streets and talking to the locals. The are humble. I almost lost sight of the purpose of my trip. Aubin helped me put that back into perspective.
There is only very slow internet connection that a group from texas came and installed. I was showing a few of the locals pictures of my daughters and on my face book was a few pictures of them ice skating. They have never seen that before. I needed to explain how to freeze water, put knives on your feet and skate around. Sounded kinda stupid. They are amused by the most simple things like taking a picture of them on a digital camera and looking at themselves.
Since most do not have power, the nights are lit by candles or simply going to bed early. I have been in bed by 730 the past few nights.
It rains a lot here. When it is raining outside, everything inside gets moist and damp. If it continues to rain, the roads here will be worse and I may have to wait a few days for the road to dry before I can leave.
The sounds of the jungle are unique and hard to explain. Hundreds of unique birds, howls in the background, coupled with the sounds of lifestock, rain, the river and of course the kids playing.
It is 7:30 now and it is raining. The woman are bringing water from the creek and the fires are burning for breakfast. Let me guess….beans and tortillas. The first thing you need to do when you wake is put on insect repellant.
I noticed bat poop in my room when I first got here. It was the same that we used to see in whaley lake when we were kids. Brooklyn, a friend of the family found the source of the poop. Should not kill bats he says because they eat the mosquitoes. He laughed when I said we need to make sure they don’t eat the Moskitos.
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