Living outside my world

A sunny day in Toconao was the first time I saw a membrillo. It was after the ¨Highland winter¨ when heavy rainfalls ruined this little ´place of stones´ in the north of Chile. A nearby dam flooded and a muddy torrent swept away parts of the village. Twenty families lost their house, the reason I was there.
Gathered by Oscar, the big organizer, a group of people collected money and traveled from Calama to Toconao. With a truck full of construction material and cars overloaded with blankets, clothes and food it took two hours to cross the Atacama dessert. Together with local families we built wooden houses. At the end of the day an old indigenous lady in her colorful traditional dress came over to thank me. Her grandson gave me a plastic bag with yellow things. Not having a clue what it was I thanked her and wished her all the luck of the world. The next day I had lunch with my neighbors and for dessert we had the weird yellow things, called a membrillo. My neighbor, tried to describe the taste, but failed. This fruit has the shape of a pear; the structure of an apple and is sour like a lemon but can be sweet as well. Determined to describe its taste, I strained my senses, and put a piece in my mouth. There was a sour explosion. My lips twisted in an ugly grimace and it felt if I was about to loose my teeth. Simultaneously I tasted something sweet. It faded before I could recognize it. All left was a strange feeling and strong dryness in my throat. I realized that the mix of flavors could not be put in words. This experience made me think about the old lady in Toconao. For the first time in my life I saw from close how living without the luxury of the modern world actually mirrors wealth. It is hard living in the dessert without tap water. It is also wonderful. Living in one of the most beautiful places on earth, without the hustle and bustle of city-life and having a backyard full of membrillo´s, which overwhelming sourness makes a sweet whiff even sweeter.