October 7, 2014
When we work in the garden, no one worries about farmers’ tans because we wear long sleeves and long pants to block the sun and the bugs. When I put on the long-sleeved shirt, the bugs bite my hands and people ask why I’m not wearing gloves. It’s different than working on farms in the US, where hippies roam barefoot and shirtless under the sun. The bugs are bigger and badder, and the sun is more intense. People wear bandanas over their hats every day to block the sun from their necks. To me, it makes it look like they are always working hard. However, the atmosphere is so much happier and so much more casual than that of the States. We are not rushing through one thing just to get to the next thing, and people constantly take breaks for coffee and food. While we work, we work hard, but with music and jokes. For example:
How do you say repollo in English? Re-chicken. (Pollo is the Spanish word for chicken).
What do you call a dog that bites you, turns around and bites you again, and then turns around and bites you again? Remordimiento. (Morder is the Spanish verb “to bite”, but remordimiento means “remorse”).
Between the joking and the singing, I have finally taken some pictures.
In other news of my life here in Costa Rica, I ate cheese empanadas for breakfast. They were outstanding. I went with friends to the mountain, where we had a fire and ate some snacks (and drank some terrible orange Fanta), and listened for coyotes and other creatures. Last night I got up at 4 am with my host brother to watch a lunar eclipse, and we saw nothing because it was too cloudy. I played soccer with a lot of guys from the neighborhood and afterward, we laughed and talked. Today I got up and went to work in the garden, helped a friend study for an English test, and now I am here writing. This life is simple and busy, and so, so good.
I have also finally taken some pictures, so enjoy!
The garden! We planted this corner first, with cabbage, lettuce, and culantro.
This is Turrialba Volcano as it appears from the garden. In the mornings, the sky is clear enough to see the volcano, but it clouds over quickly.
Beautiful culantro, growing nicely.
Sweet and hot peppers and tomatoes just starting out in flats, or bandejas. We will transplant these when they’re big enough.
Radishes!
We have planted this flor de muerto to deter insect pests with its potent odor.
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