Ok, let my tell you a little about our home in Chambala. Most mornings we rise at 5:30 or 6 but usually we are roused from sleep at approximately 4:30 am, as that is about the time everyone else in Chambala gets up. The roosters crow early...around 10:30 pm and generally aren't heard from again until around 4:00 am. We have a corn-grinder near our small living quarters and it makes quite a racket but it is almost like having a fan to make a continuous noise...the only problem is it has trouble killing all the other sounds! By 7:00 we are out in the fields or helping with a construction project...I enjoy the field work the most as I tend to take a more active part in those activities. I made about 60 holes in the ground with a large wooden stake (my height) for the other stakes to be placed in to let the tomato plants to grow on! It was hard work and I am a bit sore now but it felt really good to actually help out. Evan and I adore our little family...and by little I mean about 10 people. The kids are great as they are not afraid to ask you questions and expect answers...which helps me speak more Spanish. However, it can get tiring when after a long day of hard work a group of 5 or 6 kids surround you and expect you to play with them. Neither Evan and I want to disappoint them but sometimes we are just too tired! Generally when that happens though, the kids love us again just as much the following day, not a spiteful bone in their bodies! Our host-brother, Juan, is eighteen and has been our main partner in crime when it comes to work. He is a very open and friendly guy, much like his father, and is always willing to help us out.
I have yet to really try my hand at "the woman's work" but I will try it before the summer is up. Our host-mother is one busy woman! She washes clothes for about ten people...by hand, cooks food for ten people. She constantly has kids running around her since they go to school in shifts, half in the morning and half in the afternoon. She is up before the rest of the house to get breakfast started by turning on the corn grinder. I rarely have seen her sit down, except for at dinner...and even then she is the last one in. The life of a housewife in the states would probably look incredibly simple and easy to her! I mean wow!
We are not sure of our work with OIKOS or the Lutheran School yet but we hope to find that out soon. Our first day in town we did get to go to an educational fair OIKOS held in El Transito but we haven't been to the office to do any work there yet.
The last thing I wanted to tell about is the Sunday Soccer games! The community has a soccer field way high up on the top of the hills, above many pastures and fields, with AMAZING views of the volcanos. There are two games: the first at 1:30 consists of the younger males in the community, the second at around 3:30 consists of the older, more experienced males in the community. Many people come and watch and there are vendors that bring soda and snacks to sell. It is quite the event and everyone (even the guys going to play) make sure they are showered and properly groomed before going. I found that interesting but because it is basically "THE" social event, it is understandable.
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