Oh Atalaya, How I've Missed Thee

As much as I missed Portland, it has been really great to be back home, in Atalaya. Life is so peaceful here and it has been fun catching up with all my neighbors and hearing about how they spent the holidays. More than a few people have suggested that I should have brought some snow back with me, since they have never seen any and would love to know what it's like. I tell them they wouldn't survive if it ever snowed down here- I barely did while I was home. It is 90 degrees here every day. The sun and humidity can be unbearable and the only goal in the afternoon is to find a hammock and sway in it until life is bearable again around 5pm.
Recently my little town was in an uproar over a scandal at the local Catholic church. I'm sure I've explained before but Atalaya is home to one of the most famous churches in the country. Every year during the first week of lent people from all around the country go on a pilgrimage to Atalaya to worship at the statue of Jesús de Nazareno (Jesus of Nazareth). Our church has been here since the 18 hundreds but the statue itself dates back to the 17th century, according to my host mom.

Last week the statue was removed from the church, restored, and replaced. Only later was it discovered that the returned statue was actually an impostor! Soon after it was discovered that a statue of one of the saints in the back of the church had started crying blood (I did not see this miracle). The townspeople were devastated by the loss of their beloved saint and demanded action. The priest responsible for the restoration could not be located and the riot police were called in to control the crowds outside the church.

This next part is slightly lost in translation. From what I understand, the priest was eventually found and the original statue was returned to the head priest at the Atalaya church, who then had the police carry the statue to it's rightful home in the church (that part I witnessed). What I don't understand is where the statue has been, who stole it in the first place, and who returned it. Honestly, I'm not sure that anyone but the priest himself knows at this point. But, the important thing is that the saint is back where he belongs and the his companion has ceased crying.
As I've mentioned before I currently work with an environmental group in my community called Ecoclub. Last weekend the Ecoclub put on a fund raiser for their upcoming summer camp. The fund raiser was a Noche de Talentos (Talent Show) and featured local kids. I have to admit to being pretty impressed by the talent that showed up for our little show in the campo. There was a rock band (above) complete with electric guitars, a beat boxer (who was VERY impressive), a girl who sang Celine Dion's My Heart Will Go On in English (very ballsy), and a young man who sang a love song. It was definitely worth the 25 cent entrance fee.
This photo, I'm not going to lie, is just to make you jealous. This is my orange tree. It is one of the greatest things ever. I also have a couple grapefruit trees. Normally I don't like grapefruit but these ones are so sweet, they're amazing. The oranges are sweeter down here, too.
The best way to "eat" an orange down here is to chupa (suck) it. You take a knife and peel off the rind (many people can do it in one long swirly piece but I haven't mastered that yet), careful not to puncture the white skin. You then cut the top off and, you guessed it, start sucking. Since the rind is gone it is easy to squeeze the sides of the orange, massaging it so that you get all of the juice out (occasionally stopping to spit out the seeds). My favorite thing to do is get up in the morning, pick a fresh orange from the tree, and suck out all the juice. It's a great way to start the day.
Next door to my house is the Middle/High School and my back yard butts up against their garden. They have beautiful tomatoes, among other things, that the Ecoclub is raising in order to later sell for a fund raiser and to educate local communities on the benefits of vegetables in general and also those that you grow yourself. Unfortunately, during the summer break, someone broke in and stole from the garden. The kids are also growing trees to plant in order to counteract the deforestation that has been running rampant throughout the country. Someone stole nearly 1500 plants from the garden, which we believe they will sell for a small profit. The kids and professors that have worked so hard to raise these plants are heartbroken.
This is one of the berenjenas (eggplants) that the kids are growing. I love the beautiful deep purple color.
This awesome looking plant is called a guineo chino (Chinese banana). I have no idea why it has that name. The huge purple flower at the bottom (it's at least a foot long) helps you determine if the bananas up above are ripe. The bananas are a lot like plantains in that they stay green and have a square shape but they are sweet, unlike plantains, which is why they are called bananas.
This adorable little hut is in the middle of the school. It is home to a little tomato plant. I don't know why this tomato gets such special treatment but I think it's a cute little shelter.

So that's pretty much what has been going on in Atalaya lately. I've been getting in some excellent hammock time (currently reading Empire Falls- highly recommended!) and spending time with my host family. Tonight is little Yosuet's 5th birthday (he is such a little terror) so we're having a party at my host mom's house. Should be fun!