Day Four

My first "collective" taxi ride ever. I went with Adriana to Tejupilco in a shared taxi, she showed me where an internet cafe was, and sent me in the direction of the post office. After a few blocks I stopped to be sure I was going in the right direction and while I was asking someone, my bus driver came over! He was very kind to me before so it was nice to see him and how neat that at that exact moment we were in the same place at the same time, gracias a Dios, as they say frequently around here.  I've come to believe that bus drivers are a breed all of their own, and I mean that in a good way.

They pointed me in the direction of the post office and I went a few more crooked blocks and stopped at a random store to ask again. Believe it or not the lady that owns the store was going to the post office! So she took me there and brought me back, how blessed I was. Then I wandered around until I found an internet cafe, just 55 cents for an hour! That's even less expensive than it was 4 years ago, I wonder why. It was much faster too, with better equipment. I used to be scared when I pressed "send", sometimes it would delete my whole letter.

Before I found the internet place I happened to pass by a shop selling roses. I had asked before and Sra. didn't have any yellow ones, so I was thinking about trying to find a plant for her.  But it was in the back of my mind until this shop turned up right under my nose.  $1.60USD later I felt less like a glowing tourist as I carried my little rose bush in my arms. After I finished with the internet, my plant and I went to find the taxi. I was unsure of exactly where Adriana had told me to go, but I walked slowly in that direction trying to look for her cousin who had driven us in his taxi to Tejupilco. When I got closer someone asked me if I wanted to go in the direction of Luvianos. I sure did, so I piled into the little 5 seater car (think a Toyota from the 80's) with 5 other adults, a kid and a baby! I managed to keep my breakfast down by trying to breathe evenly and not looking at the road as we raced along the curvy mountain highway (of death, as I call it).  To the relief of my stomach I was eventually dropped off right in front of the store (which is in front of the house).  Sra. and Sra. Eva were so awed that I made it home safely, but they were worried I took so long .

Like a doll, that is what two different women have called me. Because of my skin color and that I am a head taller than almost everyone? I am not sure how to take it.  I feel very un-doll-like in any respect so it makes me laugh. After Sra. and I returned from our 3 hour trip to the river, I showered because my bag of dirt that I had hoisted on my shoulder had split open. The dirt ended up all over me, sticking to my sweaty skin, including managing to get to my stomach and undergarments. I realized and felt bad that I hadn't visited Cousin Feliz yet. She is always so nice to me and happy to see me. I feel very sympathetic to her because for 15 years she has suffered from a "nervous disorder".  I wish I could package up a sense of worth and a warm welcoming Bible church for her to heal her soul.  I have my suspicions why she doesn't have peace, perhaps because ofg a person who is often around her, but that part I must keep to myself.

Sigh...any way, Feliz and her mom were ecstatic that I came to visit, I feel awful that I never did that on any of my other trips. We did pretty well at understanding each other. Feliz does a great job of explaining things when I don't understand. In my quest for perfect politeness I accepted a "refresco", deciding not to ask what it was and when the apple flavored soda (who would think to make apple flavored soda?) was brought to me, I drank every sugary bubbly drop, to the dismay of my stomach. Next time when someone offers a beverage to me, I will ask for water. I made the mistake of saying no when Feliz asked me if I would like an orange. I think I should have said yes because I think she would have been happy to give me something. I would be delighted if someone wanted a piece of fruit from my tree, if I had a tree. So maybe when I go tomorrow, I will ask her for one if the moment seems right.

For some odd and wonderful reason their little furry poodle/bichon mix, Capullo, answers to my whistle when I call him. He used to do that before too, when he wasn't even fully grown. And people wonder why I prefer animals to humans. With animals all you need is a little food and to know how to scratch their heads the right way to make them love you. Feliz has a nice furry black dog, like collie/retriever mix that loves to be petted, in fact he lay down and put his head on my food so I would pet him the first moment he met me.

Capullo accompanied us to the river. Little monster that he is, he is accustomed to having his own chair. So when Sra. and I found rocks to sit on and put our feet in the river, he stumbled about in the river looking for his chair for at least 15 minutes. Finally he came over to me and put his dirty, wet front two paws on my lap. I picked him up all the way and he was very content getting my dress dirty and wet while attempting to clean his paws before he was to get them muddy again on our trek back.

This evening we planted the yellow rose bush using the dirt we brought back from the river. After planting the rose we surrounded it with stones, including one about six inches in diameter that I had carried back. They are partly decorative, to keep water in, and to not let the chickens scratch the fresh dirt.    In order to carry the bag of dirt, the stone, and my parasol, I slung the bag of dirt over my shoulder and balanced the stone partly on the bag and partly on my shoulder. Sra. saw me and said the equivalent of, "You always know to do the things that no one does". I think it was meant to be a complement, but I wasn't sure how to translate that, so I just laughed along with her.   After finishing with the rose bush and pruning a few other things, while Sra and I were enjoying the evening and eating mandarin oranges, Adriana stopped by on her way home to be certain I had made it home from town safely. I ran inside to get my camera to take pictures and we had fun looking at the ones I had taken, and teaching Sra how to take some of us.

Continue on to Day Five...