Dancing, Farms, and Food

¡Buenos!

So last night we had merengue dance lessons! It was the first time I ever tried it and I loved it. We had a great teacher, Luis Diego, who didn't speak English but he knew how to lead. There wasn't a whole lot of space to do the full moves (we kept bumping into one another), but it was still fun to practice.

Today after work, we took a field trip to a farm up in the mountains. It was absolutely beautiful. We met Gerardo, Grace, and Presilla, who have given previous tours for volunteers. I think the vegetable they grew was called arracacha. Gerardo showed us how he processed and packaged it to sell at the market. *I must mention that his workshop smelled exactly like the shed at Pigeon Lake. It instantly took me back there.* We went inside the house and Grace cooked some of the arracacha for us (on a wood-burning stove!). There were tables set up and place settings for everyone to sit and enjoy the food - it was lovely. I also tried agua dulce, which is sugar cane water. I dunked some sweet breads in it and it was soooo good. :) Afterward, we went for a short hike (in the rain) and got some good pics of the town. (They live in a small village of about 300 people.)

Let me tell you about the food here:
There are fields of coffee beans and sugar cane everywhere. Coconut trees and mango trees are mostly what I see on the way to work; but the fresh fruit here is AMAZING! I've never had such perfectly ripe pineapples, mangoes, strawberries, watermelon, guvava, and mamon chino (aka rambutan). Black beans and rice are a staple at every meal and the volunteers get sick of it quite easily . . . but not me. Throw some vegetables in with it, a little side of fruit, and I'm good to go! There are also several panaderias (bakeries) around the homebase and the smell of fresh-baked pastries is irresistible. Costa Rican cuisine is definitely for me!

Love, Laura