Week 2 was a busy week where I stayed on the farm. Donald went to work each day but he didn't have any community projects so I worked on several projects around the farm.
Monday and Tuesday morning Lazaro and I dug up grass near the barn and took it down the hill and replanted it on a side of a meadow. The mornings were hot and the work was tiring digging at least a 100 holes between us but it felt good and beat being in a dark office over a computer. The worst part was the walk back up the steep hill. I walked up that hill 6 times this week and although it got slightly easier I was out of breathe by the time I got to the top every time. My goal over the next 2 weeks is to get better at that climb.
Lazaro doesn't speak much English so I took advantage of the 6 hours in the field to listen to one of my Spanish audiobooks. I also listened to the book as I swept some paths into the rainforest, painted the casa, and sifted worms. I spent 4 days listening to the book over and over again and found that I have learned some words; however, the audiobooks and the workbooks I brought with me do a great job with helping the beginner learner catch a taxi to a hotel, order a meal, and do some shopping. No where have a found the lessons that I need- Como se dice? How do you say?
-Where do you want me to plant the grass? -Can I milk the cow today? -I can't find the missing rabbit. -I'm going to go sort worms while it's raining. -In what drawer does the strainer go? -Are we having leftovers tonight? These are the types of sentences I need to know how to say. Fortunately Google translate has been a great app, as long as I'm in wifi range.
The rain has continued every afternoon starting anywhere from 12 -2 except Feiday. I've sorta gotten in the routine of working in the worm house between 2-4:30 to sort more worms. It isn't so bad with the audiobooks. Also, Tara the dog and I have come to a mutual understanding. If she doesn't jump on me then I will throw her a rock. She goes absolutely crazy and will chase it all day long. She's gotten even sorta cute and greets me in the morning with a rock in her mouth and follows me around all day. I have learned not to wear my flip flops around her though after she dropped a couple big rocks on my toes. She prefers to pick up the biggest rock she can fit in her mouth.
On Wednesday, Donald told me I didn't have to do hard work which ended up actually translating into I didn't have to go into the field. Instead I spent the next 3 mornings sanding and painting the posts in the kitchen and the side of the house. Although not as laborious as digging holes, it was not easy with the tools I had. I am not quite done with the painting but threw in the towel when the brushes barely had any bristles left. I'm going to go into town this weekend and try to find a new brush.
Each evening before dark I also try to help Xiani round up the chickens and bunnies and feed them. They have a free range area they roam durning the day but they are put up in the coop each evening. There are 7 different bird cages for all the different birds- chickens, roosters, guinea foul, ducks, etc. They are pretty easy to 'herd' because once the food is poured into each cage they are eager to eat. Occasionally one or two don't want to go in and I run around trying to catch them. I've gotten better at it catching them but some are pretty fast. There are also 6 rabbits and it seems like there is a different one every day that we end up having to hunt down and find. I'm learning their hiding spots so that too has gotten easier. After we get all the animals feed, including the cows, pig, and horse, I gather the huervos (eggs), as many as 14 a day.
Monday I was able to do my laundry and learned a valuable lesson - don't wait until you're on your last outfit to do laundry. There is a washing machine but the clothes are all line dried. That wouldn't be a problem here in the summertime but between the rain and the temperatures dropping down to a chilly 70 degrees it took 5 days for my clothes to dry. (Side note- Donald wears a scarf every night durning winter because he's cold.)
The evenings were a bit more active this week. On Monday Donald and Xinia left for awhile to take Lucky somewhere hoping to breed him. This was great for me because it meant a night of no barking outside of my window. While they were gone I started helping Xinia grind the cocoa beans into a fine powder. Previously Megan and I had peeled the cocoa beans and then used a grinder for the initial chopping. (We also ground up egg shells which ended up being a smelly good and not near as fun as the chocolate. To get to a powder state we had to use a pestle and a strainer to crush the remaining cocoa. It took the two of us two days to complete the job but we have a lot of cocoa powder now.
On Wednesday I got to meet Donald's son Max and his grandson Mato. Mato is 4 and we hit it off despite the fact I couldn't understand a word he said. He is learning English in pre-K so Donald wanted me to talk to him in English. They didn't stay too long but came back on Thursday night, with Mato's mom, because it was Max's birthday. We had dinner, pizza, and birthday cake. Mato was sleepy and grumpy when he got there but was wide awake by the time dinner was done. I was doing the dishes and he was hanging out in the kitchen although I didn't know why. Finally his words were translated for me- he was waiting for me to finish so we could play. It was super cute. I was excused from finishing the dishes and we played for awhile until he had to go home. It was a lot of fun and was much needed. Early in the evening whlie texting with Dan I had a moment where I questioned what I was doing. I think between the rain, and the worms, and not being able to communicate I just got frustrated at why I was here. Dan was very supportive and helped me stay focused on enjoying the moment, the country, and the culture. Friday, instead of the Spanish audiotapes I played my favorite rock music and the sun shined all day and my spirits were once again lifted and brought back to this beautiful peaceful place.
Two other exciting things happened this week, besides the earthquake on Sunday night that I barely woke for. I had told Donald that I didn't hear him after theearthquake because I had on my headphones because the frogs bugged me at night so on Monday and Tuesday night before going to bed he would climb into the pond and pull them out. On Tuesday it was an endless battle. He went in at least 3 times and the frogs kept returning. They were really starting to bug him too. On Wednesday Xinia and I put a tarp over the pond and voila - no more frogs. The nights are much quitier now. Now if I could just figure out how to keep Lucky from barking at 5:30am.
Secondly I saw my first Sloth and had some fun with him. He was hanging out in a tree on the edge of the rainforest not far from the house. After getting a few great pictures of him hanging out relaxing in the tree I got closer, and even right underneath him. He didn't like that too much but I got to watch him climb off his 'recliner' limb and crawl up in a ball. He moved much faster than I had expected. I'm sorry (lo siento) that Megan didn't get to see him. He's been there for 3 days now and I've gotten right under him, making him move all three days.
Tomorrow I'm heading to la playa, the beach, for the weekend. I found out I can catch a bus right in front of the farm, vs an hour walk, at 5:30 am that will take me into San Isidrio to catch the bus to the beach. I hope the weather holds out. Stay tuned!
