A Parent Party

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Hi y’all! Long time no talk.

If you were wondering whether my lack of blog posts were due to my being trampled by a cow, losing all electricity for a week, or literally being eaten alive by mosquitoes- rest assured that while these are all entirely possible events, they have yet to occur. The problem is that here at the farm the internet signal is not the most reliable source as it comes from Juan’s cell phone (strange, I know). Thus where Juan goes, the internet goes. This past week, he left for Buenos Aires (the city 4 hours away) to compete in a Sumo wrestling tournament, thus leaving Federico and I alone to our own devices…without internet. DUN DUN DUNNNN. But alas, we survived, and I can interact with the rest of the world once again.

Currently, I am writing this blog in the living room (which of course is the same room as the kitchen), as the aroma of caramelized onions and sizzling potatoes fill the air. Yes, I am perfecting the art of french-fry craftsmanship. Of course the first time I made them here they turned out as a burnt pile of starchy mush- but alas, third time is the charm! In fact, I have stepped up a level in the French fry-making arena. In Argentina it is very popular to make french-fries with eggs. This dish is strangely called “papa fritas a caballos”, aka horse french fries (I don’t get it either). The onions, however, were my genius addition to this culinary delight (thus bringing us to the extent of my cooking creativity- TA DA!).

As per usual, much has happened here since my last post.

For one thing, I tried my hand at motherhood for a night. BEFORE YOU FREAK OUT you should know that by motherhood, I really mean that I found a baby mouse outside all by its lonesome, fell in love, named him Gus, and had the fanatical and disillusioned idea that I could raise him as my own. Immediately, visions of our imaginary bond flooded my brain- eating cheerios together, knitting him blankets, running through the fields on a sunny day, side by side. Completely deluded I was.

There are no words that could give justice to his cuteness- he was no bigger than my pinky, just a tiny ball of fur scurrying around. I made him a bed in a flower pot and gave him one of my socks to nestle in. I then anxiously waited for Federico to come home to tell me whether or not I could keep my new bundle of joy. The problem with my playing house with a mouse (other than it being completely impulsive and ridiculous) was that Gus had no interest in eating my makeshift baby formula (milk and warm water) with my makeshift bottle (a Q-tip….see what I mean about ridiculous?). Youtube was no help on the matter given that everything it suggested involved using things that our little farm was not equipped with. Then and there, I decided that mouse food was going on the grocery list- boy was I getting ahead of myself.

Federico came home soon after to find me sitting on the couch with a smile on my face that no doubt revealed my mischief in the making. “What are you so happy about, hmm?” he asked. Still smiling, I replied “do we have an eyedropper?”. “ An eyedropper? What do you need an…” He stopped mid-sentence and smiled as if he already knew the answer to his next question,” Oh no. What do we have now?” Instead of telling him, I sat back to reveal the flower pot that I had been hiding behind me, and scooped Gus into my hands- hoping his adorable face would be reason enough to let him stay. While it took some convincing, pleading, and my saddest puppy dog eyes, Federico reluctantly agreed to let me keep him. Of course, only after giving the “he is your responsibility” speech- It felt like I was a 5 year old winning over parental approval for a pet.

That night, with Gus in his box, he on the bottom bunk, and me on the top, we went to sleep. But it was not a restful sleep. Believe it or not, I had horrendous nightmares about losing Gus, Gus being eaten by a cat, Gus refusing to eat, and Gus growing so big and wanting to eat me! I woke up in a cold sweat. Had I made a mistake? I am always in favor of leaving things in their natural environment- believing that it is selfish to keep something as a pet when it belongs outside. I had initially justified my actions by thinking he was too young to be left alone, that I was saving him from the harsh dangers of living in the wild- but what do I know about mouse rearing? I tried to feed him with a wet Q-tip for crying out loud.

The next day, I went looking for Gus’ parents- to scold them for leaving Gus unattended and to return to them their son. While I didn’t find his parents, I did find what I can only assume was his brother. Another little mouse just like Gus. I wont lie- for a minute I entertained the possibility of raising twin mice babies- then thought better. I brought Gus outside, cleaned him with a Q-tip to remove my scent (multipurpose instruments those things are), and set him free. I still think about him and wonder what he is up to- my mouse son for a night.

The other new and exciting thing to happen around here is that I now know how to use and make cement! Oh the home projects I am already planning for my return to Canada. This past week we made two new brick gardens in the yard. Of course this meant we needed to cut more of my beloved grass. Remember Mariando, the grass expert? I totally get it. No, really- I now LOVE grass. There are so many different kinds here! Tall grass, short grass, grass that looks like wheat, grass that looks like flowers, grass that is soft, grass that is itchy, GRASS is EVERYWHERE! And they each have their own special jobs to do in keeping the balance and flow of nature. Think what you will, but grass is a miraculous thing. Mowing the lawn has never been so heart breaking. Federico did his best to comfort me assuring that it was not mowed, and then subsequently dug up, in vain but so that new things could grow. This made me feel only slightly better about the whole affair- but then again, I am surrounded by kilometers upon kilometers of fields of grass- leave it to me to mourn the loss of one tiny patch of it.

This past weekend was also pretty crazy- but in the best of ways. On Friday, Federico’s mother came to spend the weekend at the farm. While my Spanish has greatly improved since I arrived, it was not enough to communicate as much as I would have liked to with such an incredible person. I don’t think she sat down the entire time she was here. She cleaned EVERYTHING. And by everything, I mean absolutely every inch of this house and outside too. And she knew so much about gardening- she spent hours and hours outside, watering can and shovel in hand. And here I thought I was an expert for simply being able to tell a weed from a garden plant. I didn’t understand everything she said, but she was so expressive with her face and her hands and her intonation that it almost didn’t matter. I could tell by her actions and overall presence that she was an incredibly strong willed, capable, and endlessly kind woman. I really do wish that I could have had a real conversation with her…one in which my contributions consisted of more than a “Si!” thrown in here and there whenever she asked a yes or no question.

Then on Sunday, Juan returned- not only with the internet, but his entirely family in tow- His mom, dad, and younger brother (also named Juan). After it just being the three of us for such a long time, I had forgotten how much I love family gatherings- even if the family is not my own. Again, even though there were many things said which I did not understand, watching the dynamic between members of a family is absolutely fascinating- almost a language in its own right. We spent two days together working outside in the farm, cleaning and fixing things up- a group effort on all fronts. My favorite thing about this weekend was eating outside with all 7 of us at the same table. I loved listening to the animated talk going on around me, watching the emotional tones of the conversation change, just being in the midst of people who were, at that moment in time, all very happy. All the while the backdrop to our meal being the gorgeous scenery of the farm- something I fall in love with more with each day that I am here.

I am closing in on my last few days here at this farm. While I am incredibly excited to continue my adventure, and to explore more of this beautiful country, in a way I feel uprooted. A month is just enough time to become accustomed to a new surrounding- certainly not enough time to enjoy the benefits of being accustomed. I have finally found my rhythm here, feeling entirely at home, and it’s all of a sudden time to pack up and move on. But that’s life I suppose- or at least life while travelling. New and wonderful things ahead, so I have that to be thankful for.

Talk again soon!

Brooke

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