Round the World with Us

I’ve made it safely to Ica, and found out how difficult it can truly be to communicate with someone when you don’t speak the same language. Emna met me at the bus station, and took me to my hotel. She is older, very kind, but it’s so funny because she speaks Spanish REALLY LOUD at me as if to help me understand. I find myself saying “Si! Vamos!” all the time and she laughs at me for this. The other thing I do is repeat the words I am trying to decipher but it is still very hard.  We met the translator, BORIS,  who will help me tomorrow. He, Emna and I will go to the village together and interview the families in the village about how this new facility will have an impact on the community. It will be a large kitchen where most of the village will be able to have food cooked in, and also another room as a center for the children and hopefully the government will fund a teacher or at least a nurse of some kind to work there also. This facility will enable the mothers to work on other things, like planting food.

Emna and I went to the village to see the progress of the building. It was supposed to be completed this weekend, but they have a little more work do to…

I brought the bread treats for the kids and they warmed up to me immediately. ( I’ve also been to to the store and bought a bag of lollipops for tomorrow!)

Oh goodness, they are so proud of their little gardens.  Only one area seems to be giving anything at the moment, but they are so proud of their little patches of green stubble which they’ve built small structures (below) around to block out the intense sun… they have one orange tree and a lime tree that is absolutely covered in black flies. It will die soon. I wish i knew what to bring them to fix the problem, maybe I will look it up tonight and see.

One mother took me around with her 4 kids to show off their large pig and little entourage of ducklings little pen. The poor pig is tied to a rope under a few slats of wood for shelter from the sun, just like the gardens.

There is an older woman who always brings us bottle water and bananas. It blows my mind.. they have nothing and they bring me food to eat. She also took me into her house (below) and fed me a meal. I sat at her little wooden table on her dirt floor with squeaking guinea pigs running around  the “kitchen” and ate rice, potatoes and chicken. I just pray to god I don’t get sick, but I have to offer up the most sincere gratitude for the act of love she showed to me.  She has nothing, and perhaps everything.

Back at the hotel… it’s great, I’ve already taken two showers and walked up the largest sand dune I’ve ever seen right next door. At the top, you can see the next village! I think I will get up before the sun and try to film Ica as it wakes up Tuesday.