Getting our feet wet....literally

Friday was a wonderful day. The first three teams headed out on the adventure that is field work – Destination: La Flor. We were told that it would take at least an hour and a half to get to the health post of Guayabo by vehicle, and from there we would have to walk at least 45 minutes to the community of La Flor. Our driver got us to the health post 45 minutes after we left, after crossing over several small rivers. We began the muddy climb up to the houses in the area, splitting into three teams: one for the lower regions, one for the middle of the mountain, and one that would go all the way to the top. Josie and I volunteered to trek to the top and we were pleasantly rewarded with beautiful vistas and a sense of accomplishment. Most of the families we encountered were willing to participate in the survey, and the household with 10 children even offered us warm fresh bread called ‘semita’– ¡Qué rico! The local health workers who came with us helped to introduce us to the families and intervened when we had trouble communicating in Spanish. The three teams reunited at the health post, and though everyone was worn out from trekking to every house in La Flor, we were energized as we recounted our stories from the day.

While we waited for the truck to pick us up it began to pour, and there were murmurs from our local counterparts about the rivers growing bigger and potentially becoming impassible. The wild ride back proved the tremendous driving skills of our fearless truck-driver. We huddled in the back under a tarp, bouncing over ruts created by the rain, and catching glimpses of the emboldened rivers we had crossed, grateful for our safe passage to the other side. The rain let up as we entered town, and we thought it was over. But it turns out that it starts raining in the mountains and then passes through town, so we caught the rain twice….but at least the second time we were happily showered and eating dinner in the Casa Blanca. We reviewed any survey issues that came up with the group and talked about the schedule for the following week.
The effects of Hurricane Alex came through and turned the streets into rivers that night, and it rained for most of the weekend. Several of us stayed in El Sauce for the weekend, and attended the 6th Annual Youth Talent Competition – young hopeful Sauceños dancing, singing, and reciting poetry for the chance to represent El Sauce in the larger competition in Leon in August. The kids were so cute (!) and we were happy to get a taste of the rich culture of the region.