day of the dead in the nica

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Helloooo world!

Am in San Lucas, the next town down the mountain where there is - gasp! a cyber! Good god thank god gracias a dios! Need to ask how much it is to call the States, too.... makes a difference.

Today is Sunday, Nov 2nd, Day of the Dead in all latin countries. More on that later.

So. I am staying in a house with Maria Louisa Torrez... but she´s running for a position in the mayor´s office - elections next Sunday 9th - and is never home. But her kids are, including 19 year old Xochilth who is basically my mother. The other kids and aunts don´t talk to me much - mostly because I´m strange and foreign and we don´t have confianza yet. But the grandparents are awesome and talkative and cool, and a neighbor, Glenda, and her 14 month baby, Alexandra, come see me often. Glenda is 27 and lives next door. She brought me corn and two oranges today and her kid is cute, but effing small for a 14 month old.

Mario, a lider and my counterpart, has come into his own in his own community. Yesterday was my first full day here in Moropoto and Mario took me around for a few hours in the morning to different houses, and then at 11 I attended a meeting of the 12 liders - leaders - of the community. It was a very heated meeting and I think they were embarrassed to be fighting in my presense, but it was good to see how the community works.

For the afternoon we walked around to more houses and got home around dark. Moropoto has decent transportation and amenities. There´s water and electricity, though it is on top of a mountain and water is going to be scarce in the summer.

Um, that´s it for now. Oh, day of the dead. So I woke up at 5.30, as normal, but Xochilth - pronounced Soy-chee - didn´t get up until like 8. So I bathed and sat on the porch and journaled and wrote in my Spanish notebook about what had gone on the day before, washed my underwear on the concrete slab, and talked with Glenda and Alexandra... and made friends with the dog and got over my fear of the pigs between the house and the latrine.

Xochilth and I caught the bus at 9.30 and went to the cemetary past San Lucas. Horses were tied everywhere and everyone had on their jeans and boots and were macheteing and hoeing the graves, cleaning them. Most everyone picked flowers and brought them. We had to hike up and down hills, through underbrush, over mounds of graves cleaned and uncleaned, and finally found Abuelo and the graves of his brothers and mother and kids. Everyone was in a good mood, putting flowers on and macheteing away. I shouldn´t have worn a skirt and sandals... Bought ice cream from the Eskimo vendedor at the entrance when we left. Xochilth and I walked to San Lucas and then she pointed out this place.... so here I am. I think she´s up near the park somewhere. Not sure what time the bus goes by, but do not want to hike up the mountain in this heat...

Okay signing off love from Moropoto!

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Comments

[Ben Chavez]

The day of the death
I couldnt help to post about your entry. Very interesting but I think the day of the dead is actually a Catholic holiday called All Souls Day or All Saint's Day I am not sure. But I think it is celebrated by all the catholic communities around the world, not just in Latin America. Anyway I will take a look on what Kikipedia has to say about it and I'll let you know. Good luck with the Chanchos and la letrina bye