Dia De Carino

For Valentine's Day we took the day off of health promoting (or so we thought until the school kids playing nearby presented Vicente with a wound to clean) and picnicked by the river in Vicente's community of Quixaya. It was such a great day of relaxing with Vicente (and his wife, Gloria), Dominga, and Abelino, one of the graduated promoters. Hanging out with Abelino is like hanging out with your wise, old grandfather. Gloria and Dominga treated us to a dish called chorizco which is basically BBQ, without the tangy sauce. They both laughed heartily when we explained that in the States men light the coals and roast the meat. The men were sunning themselves (and to be fair, the gringo women were too). We ate a salad of greens collected directly from the river. You can see the "crop" in the photos. The small, flavorful salad green is the signature crop of Quixaya. The food was delicious. We contributed soda and rice crispy treats. Hmmm. Well, they loved the rice crispy treats, made with pink marshmallows and topped with M&M hearts for Dia de Carino.

Gloria and Dominga preparing lunchVicente with Jose Eduardo, 2 years old

Jose Eduardo and his cousin, IrisVicente and Abelino to the rescueVicente cleaning a cut

Washing dishes Dominga and Iris