Disclaimer: This post is bound to be a little long and lacks photos (which I’m sad about… I forgot my camera). I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it, though – for no other reason that delighting in my happiness of an afternoon well-spent!
The Guilty
I had a great afternoon and evening. It all started with one person: Marcia. (Stress on the first syllable, if it matters to you.) Marcia was the first person I met on here in Monteria on this trip. I thought within the first few minutes that we may end up being friends – she didn’t take herself (or me) too seriously. After a couple more conversations, she invited me to her house – and from what I’d heard from others, it was an invitation worth accepting!
The Arrival
Marica said she would send a neighbor moto-taxi-ist (motorcycle) to pick me up. Two people said “Oh, it’s probably Nadis’ husband.” When he came to get me at 4:00 on the dot, I recognized him from the church. We drove a few miles to Marcia’s house and she paid him the 55 cents for the ride.
The First Hour
I arrived at Marcia’s house (where she lives with her husband Ivan – she’s 23 and he’s 24, they’ve been married 4 months) and immediately understood what everyone said. The makeup of the house made for a wonderfully fresh breeze in the back of the house under open-air palm-covered patio. Marcia grabbed a string hammock for me and we sat chatting. Marcia’s Spanish is very local in vocabulary and pronunciation, which means I only understand about 80% of what she says – but we laugh about what I don’t understand and she tries to explain it to me.
The Coco
In the yard, they have oranges (a green variety – yet sweet), limes, guavas, plantains, bananas, and, of course, coconuts (Spanish: cocos). She planned to make coconut rice (cooked with coconut milk) so she grabbed one of the dried coconuts from a pile (did you know there’s a shell outside of the shell? It’s about 12 inches x 8 inches) and proceeded to hack at it with a machete until she was through the outer shell and the shell we see when we buy a coconut – barely touching the flesh of the coconut itself. I watched in awe. While I enjoyed the water from inside, I watched her grate the whole coconut with a cheese grater and proceed to squeeze out the milk. I was absolutely fascinated by the whole process.
The Neighbor
Marcia’s neighbor, Nordis (the one whose husband picked me up) invited me over to see her house while Marcia worked on supper. Just across the road, she showed me their variety of trees as well as the pigs they raise. Their house is right next to a big rice field. I sat in the hammock and she served me guava juice and we chatted about how she met the Lord and started coming to the church. After a half hour or so, I returned to Marcia’s.
The Dinner
When I got there, Marcia’s husband was home. I chatted with both of them as Marcia continued fixing supper. She asked me if I preferred the head, middle, or tail of the fish – I chose the middle. While we were waiting, Nordis brought me a plate of food from her family’s dinner – chicken, an egg, salad, and rice. I decided to eat the salad with dinner and save the rest for Monday. I enjoyed a delicious meal with Marcia and Ivan of fried fish, coconut rice, plantain chips, and salad – along with a delicious smoothie made with milk and frozen Zapote (look it up!). Ivan took the scraps from our plate and called for their dog, “Gavilán” (Hawk) who was happy to eat what we didn’t.
The Fellowship
While waiting for the moto to come pick me up (which was quite awhile), I helped peel guavas – they were making juice for Ivan to bring to work. They grabbed four coconuts for me and stuck them in a bag for me to bring home. I enjoyed sitting outside talking with this young couple who had embraced me as a friend.
The Ride Home
The same driver picked me up just before 9:00. As we were driving, he asked me a question, but because of his helmet, accent, and the noise of the moto, I couldn’t tell what he said. After three tries, he slowed down, turned his head, and rephrased his question. “It’s peaceful there, huh?” I finally understood. I said that I had really enjoyed myself. I also mentioned that had given me some coconuts. He asked if they were green or ripe. I said they were ripe – and he mentioned that he was going to bring me a green one sometime – more flavorful for making coconut rice, apparently. We got to the house a few minutes later and he insisted that I wouldn’t pay him.
I was blessed by the generosity and hospitality of those I’m meeting here. I look forward to continuing to develop these relationships.