Day 32

These ants were going somewhere important, apparently. They made a whole caravan across the driveway this morning!

I have become a good scavenger here. While in Iguazu I tried guava in the park, I found an avocado on the sidewalk and ate it, and I picked up a fallen passion fruit to bring home… we’re still waiting for it to ripen. I wonder what it will taste like! It’s different than the little wild ones we have found here. Today I walked into town with Clayton. We barely caught the bus, even though we had hoofed it up the hill at a good clip. It passed us when we were about 100 feet from the end of the driveway, so we sprinted the rest of the way, and made it, thanks to the other people getting off and on the bus. It’s the first time I’ve successfully caught the 7:45 bus into town, and I feel kindof proud about it! I think next time I will try to leave at 7 though… 7:20 just doesn’t give us enough time!

I’m still getting to know the new interns, and we were immersed in conversation about culture and religion when I looked up and realized that we had missed the bus stop in town too. So, we went all the way to the bus terminal and walked into town from there. Going a different way was fun though, and we passed a herd of male turkeys who were strutting their stuff.
I did the turkey noise (like Jon does when he wears the peakey feathers) and they all followed suit, gobbling in exactly the same way. It was hilarious! We did a few call and responses before moving on.

We also passed a mango tree (within a fenced yard- no wonder they have that fence! The mangoes looked amazing!) and an avocado tree before we made it to the center. I picked up a couple of avocadoes before we left, and had them for dinner tonight. They are smaller, and more smooth and black than the haas avocados at home, but delicious. Hopefully I can find my way back there and get some more on Tuesday!

This is what the streets under construction look like in Obera. Look at all of that beautiful red soil under the cobblestones!
While in town yesterday Marcelo made dentist appointments for four of us. I went this morning, and told the dentist that I had lost a filling and was hoping to have it replaced as well as to have my teeth cleaned (it has been a long time- too long!)… he took a look at my mouth, got out his drill, and went to work... for 10 seconds or so. About 5 minutes later, he was done with my filling- no novocaine was needed, no frills. He told me that my teeth look great and don’t need cleaning (I’m feeling glad that I floss!), and charged me 120 pesos (about 30 dollars). Cheapest filling ever. And it’s something I have worried about for so long! I’m glad to have it done.

The hooties found a friend with similar values! This is Marisa's bookbag:
After spending another afternoon at Esso, I caught the bus home with Marisa and Steve (also known as Coop). We enjoyed talking (and slipping) on our way down the driveway. It’s the new moon tonight, and we are having a celebration and fire, just because we can. Marisa knows some songs for honoring the earth, and she bought some dates and cheese to share as a celebratory food delight/offering. Kayla has made the fire, and Steve is playing guitar in the hammock to my right as I type. We’re just waiting for everyone else to return home from town.Lulu is eagerly (and not so patiently) hoping for dinner… Kim and Marcelo always feed the animals in the evening, and none of us know how it’s done. She is enjoying good snuggles instead though, and I’m sure they will all be home soon. It was a good day in town, and I am tired. Last night was the first night that I woke up feeling cold in my sleeping bag. Tonight I will wear my long johns for the first time. It’s amazing how quickly fall has come upon us. I wonder if they have something like Indian summer here… I guess we’ll have to wait and see.