Little blessings

Today started off like any other--cleaning up dog and rabbit messes, but then began filling with everyday happenings that remind me exactly while I love this place. When I arrived at the school, Professor Victoria and the 9th graders were already busy preparing our cooking project. Project goal: teach them that vegetables are delicious and nutritious. Most have never tasted broccoli or cauliflower, much less the leaves.
Vegetable soup (carrots, onions, oregano, corriander seeds, beets, swiss chard, broccoli and cauliflower leaves--and a bit of queso paraguay), cabbage salad (with fresh broccoli and cauliflower), parsley juice and beet juice. The students loved it!. We were using everything from the garden the students planted before I left for the states. I knew it was a
success too when the Professor's 5-year-old son had to be begged to try the
soup...and then ate two whole bowls!
I wrote the following haiku on my hand while waiting for the soup to boil. Naturally, the students were curious and immediately went to work diciphering the English to Spanish. Once I explained the significance they loved it.

Mango tree shadows.
Rubies, emeralds, pearls, and death,
9th grade cooking class.

On my way home, I stopped at Kai Pedro's and Na Lalita's house. I joined the terere circle and was immediately asked by Na Lalita if I could teach her how to bake bread. She wanted to sell it. Kai Pedro agreed to help with the wild hive capture on wednesday and wants to
plant abonos verdes when there's a full moon. To end the visit--a dozen bananas to enjoy later!

Now I'm home, enjoying pizza bread and fresh squeezed orange juice,
but before this I said hello to my good friends down the street. I
wanted to know if they were ready to build the compost pile (tomorrow
afternoon we have scheduled). We also chatted about the
school cooking class because their daughter, Angela, had just returned
from school. Her Mom is motivated to learn how to use the oven more
so she doesn't have to eat so many fried things. She also wants me to teach her how to make vegetable soup (am I really still in Paraguay? this is far from typical). The electric oven is better
because she won't have to gather firewood and cook in the heat and
smoke.

Just now I got a phone call from the lady i was supposed to visit
yesterday, but never had time for it and she said her son is coming to
the typing class this afternoon. Well, those are today's little
blessings--and it's only 1 in the afternoon.