It's summer! Well almost. The last day of school is Tuesday but the kids and teachers have already been in the summer mindset for weeks, only showing up to school for an hour or so for "exams".
As the days get hotter and longer, the conversations get shorter with sips of terere filling the gap. A typical conversation goes something like this:
"Haku"
"Heê, haku porã"
(It's hot.
Yeah, it's really hot.)
*Repeat every few minutes just in case someone forgot.
My community seems like a ghost town during siesta and most outdoor work occurs 5-10am and 4-8pm. I was working in my garden one afternoon and when I went to take a cold shower, my neighbor told me I had to wait until I wasn't so sweaty or else I was likely to explode. And that would have been unfortunate.
Speaking of gardening, I'm getting quite good at it! There are many vegetables and fruits that grow during the intense summers here. I have planted beet, squash, sunflower, cucumber, carrot, green pepper and eggplant. I'm hoping that people will see my lindo garden and want one of their own. Since my community is located so close to the pueblo, many people just go into town and buy veggies rather than growing them. Having their own gardens would be cheaper in the long run and much more convenient. I also want to start cooking classes because most people don't know how to cook with veggies.
This summer I'm also planning a couple of summer camps for the kids. One with general health themes and another as an art camp. I am definitely not an artist but the kids here don't really have a sense of creativity. They spend all day in school copying the teacher's notes off the chalk board and get in trouble if it's not perfect. I want to help them realize that it's okay to express yourself and be creative. So we'll see how that goes.
I have my computer back so hopefully I'll be able to update more often with blogs and pictures. I love and miss you all, especially this holiday season!
