Last two weeks fast forward

It has a been a jam packed week since my asamblea general.  I have been doing all sorts of great stuff. Milking cows, working in the campo, swimming in the river with the kids, playing soccer, and helping students with their upcoming English presentations.

Yesterday was my trip to the campo.  I had previously met this family, 2 boys living in the house (23 and 17 years old).  They invited me to go to their land in the mountains to work a day with them and next thing I know I am getting up at 5:00 am (that is unheard of for me).  We packed up the tools and food for the day and set off on our hour hike to their land.  We had a pack of 4 dogs that were going with us and they didn’t stop wrestling until we got back to the people.  It was absolutely beautiful in the mountains.  These guys were like mountain goats prancing up the slopes and rocks without even looking.  I felt so clumsy following them.  Once we arrived to their land I set off on another mini hike with the oldest brother Alexander to milk the cows.  Later we returned and helped repair their barbed wire fence that ran along a dried up creek.  It was a nice changed of pace hacking down trees with machetes.  They joked with me that when I go back to the states I will be walking around with a machete hacking at everything because as we hiked I would take the liberty of chopping every tiny little piece of plant.  We had a good time joking around. While in the campo we encountered these little crab like bugs that grasp onto your skin and suck your blood.  They are called garapatas and they suck.  We were covered in garapatas before noon and it took 2 showers, shaving my beard and moustache, playing soccer and swimming in the river to get them all off.  And After I went and played soccer with the oldest brother, I told them I need to train and they are taking it on as their third job to make me a better soccer player. 

I am also starting to feel like a high school student again.  The kids in the high school are really fun to hang out with and I can never sneak into the principals office without being heckled from the classrooms and whistled at.  I am super excited to go back for PST 2 and learn some valuable information regarding project ideas and how to get NGO´s involved in the various youth groups in my community.  It is about time I start doing things in the community, people are gonna start thinking i´m just vacationing in their pueblo.  That or a professional soccer player training in the community.  Either or.

Well, I am off to San Vicente this Saturday and can´t wait to see Yolanda´s grinning face when I roll up to the house.

Pe@ce

Chuuusito

The high school kids really welcome me with open arms.