On The Farm In Nicaragua

... people young and old laugh in earnest, or not at all.

... if you are fat, people will invariably refer to you as the fat one. This is no big deal.

... the people fart just like the horses; loudly, often, and without any observable reservation.

... the ticks are many, and know to go for the hard-to-reach places.

... I encounter and learn about new bugs everyday. Some are very hairy, others have big teeth, glow, or are otherwise amazing.

... there are no clothespins. Laundry is hung, ingeniously, on stretches of barbed-wire.

... there is no dinner-time, per se, but you are never at table alone.

... every meal comes with farm-fresh coffee, hand-pressed corn-tortilla, rice and red beans. Bananas cut and fried in the french style are a special treat.


... there is no milk, but there is plenty of sugar, so coffee is taken black, and fruit juice so sweet as to be well-nigh undrinkable.

...they love baseball, and they play like they mean it.

... there are people of all ages. Our youngest is 2, our oldest, 113.

... if you're old enough to walk, you're old enough to work. (Last Friday, the aforementioned 2-year old put in a solid morning alongside me. He grunted when lifting, just like his father.)

... you don't have sex until you get married, usually around 16-18 years old.

... the very smallest families have no less than 5 or 6 children, the larger ones top out in the high teens.

... you go to sleep when the sun goes down, and wake when it rises.

... is where I will likely be for another few days, enjoying the profound kindness and hospitality of my generous hosts, la familia de Dionicia Valdivia, proud members of the El Privilegio Cooperative. I hope to be back on the road soon, however, and will surely drop in with more photos and information at that time.

I hope all is well! Talk soon.