Things I find funny:
1. One of the older women in my town wears a be-jeweled pink hat that says “White Culture.”
2. Walking to work trying my best to avoid the mud puddles in the dirt road only to fall in one.
3. Naming the local dogs, making up personalities and their back stories.
4. Moo-ing at a cow and having an old lady see me do this and just stare with an expression of confusion.
5. Being the town’s goofy white guy.
So for those of you who have not heard, I can now add chicken farmer to my resume. I now have 5 chickens that I keep at my host family’s house. I also started a small garden, with some things I like and others I hate...
There is a fruit here called “tomate de arbol” and it’s pretty sour and my least favorite fruit ever. I told my host mom I wanted to plant “tomates.” She gave me instructions on where to go in the market and who to buy from. As directed I went to the market and found the right section. A nice lady came up to me and says “tomates?” Strange, I guess she reads minds. (I later found out that Isa had told her a bearded gringo wanted tomates) So she hands me the plants, 4 for a $1. The leaves seemed to be bigger than I remembered, but I paid the dollar and left.
While planting I looked at the leaves of these tomate plants and then at the tomate de arbol ones Isa has. Fuck a duck. I had just planted 3 of these damn things. Oh well, someone else can have the pleasure of eating them.
Garden de Gringo has:
Lettuce, Tomate de arbol, garlic, wax beans (not my idea), radishes, carrots and rosemary. I am going to plant tomatoes, onions and broccoli as well in the near future. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let me know!
I have also moved out of my host family’s house and into my own apartment. It has a mudroom, bathroom, kitchen, to bedrooms and a little outdoor patio. The larger of the bedrooms is going to serve as the man-cave/brewery. The place is coming along but still needs a stove and fridge. So for now it is peanut butter sandwiches and street food (yummmmmm).
Dear Trisstan....Grandmother and I read your comments about life in the (Banos) fast lane. Very interesting....now that you are a happy gardener, I gather that you will be opening a Farmer's Market that serves beer....not a BAD idea.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear that you are in a "comfy" place that has room for guests because Nanny and I are planning a trip....maybe for 2020 or something like that. By that time you will own Banos and a few other nearby towns. On tthe whole, it sounds like things are going reasonably well, and that the natives haven't been reading "Joan of Arc books". However, keep an open eye out for those who might think that you aren't there to help them into the "new" world.....whatever that is. Not a bad
choice to join the PCV....things are only improving slowly back here,,,,so, your timing looks good.
Eric's friend Chris gave me a few bottle of Mead not long ago...WHAT A TREAT. Those old English kings knew what they were doing when they drank that stuff.....better than Penicillin.
Otherwise, all is well, and I guess you know that Michelle is going to have a baby in June....I assume that Rick had something to do with it, but I won't rush into giving him credit yet.
So, please continue to place your best Gringo foot forward, and let the natives know how lucky they really are....Love and prayers.....Nanny and Grandpa