We have been here in San Bernardo/Sasapud for 3 months now. As expected the newness has rubbed off and we are down to the normal rhythms of life with its usual ups and downs. At first it seemed like things happened without too much effort on our part. Now it seems like we have to really make a strong effort with a measure of thoughtful concentration to make helpful change happen. We still deal alot with issues of daily life: being with the ever increasing boredom, how to bathe without a shower, keeping warm, how to keep the mice out, keeping the dogs out of the garden, and now, dealing with the dust driven by strong winds. Our best times continue to be connecting with the people and living things in our little part of the world. These photos show a couple of families we visited (Lucy wasn't as sleepy as she looks). One includes a retired pastor who still works for the benefit of his community and asked Lucy to put on a workshop to help the women learn something new. She is going to help them make tapioca pudding as there is plenty of eggs and milk produced here. The other family spins their own wool yarn by hand to make ponchos and handbags. Lots of wool produced in this valley as well. Rosa, the young woman in the last photo is receiving a scholarship from a Peace Corps volunteer committee to attend high school (colegio) as her father died a number of years ago. The animal in the picture is a "cuy", or a guinea pig as Norte Americanos know them. Cuys in Ecuador are a traditionally favorite food reserved for special occasions. We have tried them on twice -hard to refuse as they are offering you their best. But it is very difficult for me to know they are killing one of these little guys in my honor!
Lucy is finding her teaching and cooking skills in big demand. I'm struggling some because my skills seem less in demand. Yet one more lesson for me in patience and letting go of identity. The I Ching says that success usually leads to failure and failure usually leads to success.....two sides of the same coin.
That's all for now folks. If you haven't checked out our friends' in Wisconsin, Farmer to Farmer, at their website, you should. They are doing great work: www.farmertofarmer.org
Craig
