Things are low-key

Things have been low-key for me here. I´ve been going to my volunteer workplace but right now things are slow. They say that next week there are some things going on, so I´ll see how that goes. I´ve also been doing some other work to keep me busy. I read a book in Spanish, and right now I´m working on translating a very easy version of the Grapes of Wrath into Spanish - it´s a long project. My 2nd host sister is the one who made the suggestion...she knows some French and an itty bit of English, and she translates books for practice. Tomorrow there´s an orientation for international students, and then my course starts in about 2 weeks.
I was at the pueblo again this past weekend. My 2nd host sister and I went for a walk and she showed me around. There is a huge river, lots of trees, and blackberry bushes! I felt like I was at a private national park, without tourists. It´s a really beautiful place. She said there are still lots of places she wants to show me. One night my host parents were out in the fields until almost midnight and we ate dinner really late. At 1:30 my host sister said we would be going out soon and asked if I wanted to change...I was shocked about leaving the house so late, but I guess some events don´t even start until 1 oclock. And it was a family outing - not just my host sisters, but my host parents too. There was this huge fiesta about 15 minutes away in another pueblo, with a live group singing rock and popular Spanish songs, carnival games, bouncy houses, and food and drinks. There were lots of people when we got there, and still a good amount when we left at 4. My host sisters said that the fiestas usually last until morning and that they usually stay later, but that night my host dad wasn´t feeling great. Wow!
I´m surprised at how much I´ve been missing food from back home. I´d kill for thai food from mix bowl, frozen yogurt, or pizza. One night I dreamed that my mom and I were at the grocery store and they had four types of hamburger patties to sample - and the samples weren´t just pieces, but whole patties! And the other day I was daydreaming that my roommate called me to say she was on her way to mix bowl and if I wanted anything, and I said "yeah! chow mein and thai tea boba!" When I came back to reality I was really disappointed. It´s sad that my family cooks with so much oil and hardly ever eat sweets, but at least I can buy chocolate.
There have been a few things here that I´ve liked a lot though. One time we had this thing called an empanada - it was in a big box, like a sheet cake, cut into squares. It´s basically two layers of egg bread (reminded me a bit of challah, except thinner) filled in between with tuna, cooked onions, and tomate paste I think. Like a spanish style tuna sandwich. And the one dessert I´ve seen them make is a special birthday cake that is REALLY good. It´s a lot like cheesecake, except all it is is a cookie crumb crust, "nata" which means cream, and plain yogurt (I think), with cinnamon on top. I didn´t see the whole thing being made, but I did see the pot of cream on the stove, so maybe they heat the cream with the yogurt so it thickens? And it´s not baked, but refrigerated until solid. I want to try and get the recipe.
Everything at the pueblo is freshly grown/raised - green beans, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, eggs, chickens - and they hardly need to buy anything. I still can´t believe that the chicken I eat is all freshly killed...it´s more chewy than store-bought. I was thinking about how sad it is that they kill the chickens, but they´ve been doing it for years and to them it´s totally ordinary. Then I was also thinking about how chicken is prepared for grocery stores in the states - how they live in teeny cages and are injected with hormones - and I realized that the chickens here on the farm have a better life. They grow up with family and are not crammed into cages. Plus I can handle the extra chewiness, it´s more natural than hormones. My host mom joked that by the end of the semester I´ll kill one, but I don´t think so haha...maybe I´ll just try to hold one. I like watching the chickens wander around pecking at stuff, and then I get sad when I remember that soon they will have their necks pulled, but at least they can enjoy themselves until then.
Next time I update I´ll show some pictures of Leon and the pueblo. Take care everyone.