Himno Nuevo

“Dimelo.” Basically the top song in the house right now. I liked the English version, but the Spanish really brings it home. Check it out if you can on YouTube (it’s by Enrique):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RagiA5Grh5s

Avispas

The house we lived in was left to us in a state of unorganized chaos. While I would like to say that all of my time here has been for the betterment of others, a small bit (unfortunately) had to be set aside for “personal cleanliness.” We threw out a couple truck loads of junk, reorganized kitchens and offices, and then descended upon the bodega (fancy way of saying tool shed (but not really a tool shed, more of a storage closet (that is part of the house, but outside))). So anyways, the bodega had never before been organized. Over the last few years people had just thrown stuff in there, with no order, and no general cleaning. Thanks to an opening in the bodega which connected to the street, there was also a good two years’ worth of dust accumulated on any and everything. We had cleared everything out of the bodega, swept and cleaned it, and were beginning to put things back in when we were visited by Fatima (VIP to know in Talanga). Now, mind you, we had been moving around the bodega for at least a good 1.5 hours (probably more), and after 15 seconds in the bodega, Fatima calmly commented that there was a nest of avispas (translation: wasps (except really angry, big, red, and loudly buzzing wasps)). Now, I’ve never had a fear of wasps, but these things were scary. Needless to say, they had to be taken care of, and Joe jokingly stated that we needed some fuego (translation: fire). Joking as he may have been, Fatima quickly agreed and set about making make-shift torches out of rolled up newspaper. The video is a little long, but seeing it in it’s entirety is the only way to do what happened next justice.

Video Courtesy of Joe Runde

Chancos

Basically, just watch the video (as a side note, it should be said that we were following (sometimes chasing) this group of pigs for about 4 blocks)

Video Courtesy of Joe Runde

Tarantula

A few days ago we drove in to Talanga pick-up the final two volunteers from the airport. On that very same night as we prepared to go to bed, we were startled to hear Mike calmly proclaim that there was a gigantic spider above his bed. Upon further collaboration and conversation, we agreed that there was, in fact a fairly-sized tarantula above Mike’s bed. One thing lead to another, and we now have a new mascota (pet). The video is very Crocodile hunter-esque.

Video Courtesy of Joe Rune

**As a side note, a week later we ended up (after much persuasion from the locals) killing the tarantula (by chopping it in half with a machete (by yours truly (video to come)).

Billy Madison

So we’ve started helping out at the local schools (and by helping out, I mean being helped out (to learn Spanish (from, in my case, 2^nd graders))). Basically, every day I go to school I feel more and more like Billy Madison (it’s gotten to the point where the kids will ask me why I’m not doing the homework (I tell them it’s because I already have all the answers to check their work with)). At the same time, I feel like some sort of freak show (“The Amazing Gringo”) as kids will stare at me and then quickly turn around when I ask them what’s going. It is fun playing with the kids, but their favorite game is chase the gringo (basically what it sounds like). If nothing else, I should be able to talk as good as a 2^nd grader by the time I’m done here.

Muerte

The people here have a very different way of dealing with death than what I am used to. Rather than fearing and avoiding the passing on of a person, the community embraces it entirely. The other night the other volunteers and I had a meeting scheduled with several prominent community leaders. We arrived to the meeting only to discover that it had been canceled due to a severe illness in one of the elder men of the community. The house was nearby, and we were invited to accompany the locals on what turned out to be their last goodbye to this man. Maybe it’s the nature of living in a small town, maybe it was testament to the strength of the Church here, but for whatever reason, we arrived at the house to find it overflowing with people. It was so full inside that people were standing or sitting wherever there was room in the street, filling up the block in either direction. Both the young and old turned out in equal measure, and each group was equally filled with tears and grief. Each person was given their turn to sit bedside and say goodbye. The next day, we heard that he passed away peacefully. Passing by the house later that day, I was surprised to find that the crowd of people had not yet dissipated. If anything, it had grown. Once night came, a fire was lit in the middle of the street to serve as a beacon to those passing that a death had occurred, and the crowd grew yet larger with those who had to pay their respects. In Talanga, the people practice very unique ritual following a death. The family of the deceased builds an altar and hold a 9-day service, providing food and drink to any person who enters. The amount of people present slowly dwindles, but during this time the body is presented and buried, and for several days after the burial the pray and celebration continues. I had the opportunity to experience the final day of this service in another household, and what I observed was that not a single person there seemed sad. I knew from seeing the beginning stages of this process that there had most definitely been tears earlier, but it amazed me how much they had healed from what happened. By addressing death directly, by facing it and embracing what it means, and by getting such amazing support from the community, the people here are almost comfortable with it. They celebrate a life for what it should be.