(From Brad's perspective:) Today was another day of work and getting dirty (some more than others). We spent much of the day at the two homes with rooms and roofs we demolished on Thursday rebuilding them with fresh materials (thatched reeds, bamboo, and wooden posts... the old ones were rotted pretty well, a brief but extravagant bonfire waiting to happen, especially since they do run electricity into these places).
I am a big fan of the mid-day siesta (from about noon to 3pm). Of course, the sun and heat get so intense it would be senseless to continue working through it. But once rested you can return to work with more efficiency and a brighter disposition.
The language barrier is still frustrating (Go Diego Go didn't teach me all I needed to know here), but I have noticed how much we communicate non-verbally. We really can communicate and understand a lot with only a little common language. So much of our shared humanity translates without having to use words. I guess here we can truly take to heart St. Francis of Assisi's message, "Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words."
After Mass tonight (and we will again after Mass tomorrow) Gene and I put on a small show for the church goers. (For those reading this who don't know, we are full time jugglers/comedians/Christian evangelists throughout the US and Canada.) I brought some balls and beanbags to juggle, but the clubs took up too much room in our luggage and had to stay behind. As when we were in China, we found the next best substitute... six plungers. (See joiafarmer.com/ava for the China story.) Once again we found plungers to be an adequate substitute for juggling clubs. Interestingly enough we found the Peruvian plungers to be a bit more managable than the Chinese plungers. One of our favorite parts, as well as a crowd favorite, was passing six plungers around Fr. Jack.
And, after our show... the real show... the rock-star... Jack Farmer was once again mauled by Peruvian kids who wanted to touch, poke, or just say "hola" to him. Little did they know he had a bit of a sunburn from the beach... Ouch!
For another perspective and maybe some more info, check out Gene's blog at brblue.org.
More pictures will be loaded in the morning...
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