Yesterday we had a lot of younger kids come to sew. They started out hand-sewing pillows, and then they moved onto the machine sewing. Almost all of the women decided to make wrap-around skirts. Many people finished their quilts and put the backs on them. They would then hand-sew around the outside to hold all of the layers together. We ran out of cotton, so we ripped open an old pillow to use as stuffing. For lunch we had deep-fried vegetables and fruits. We had sweet potatoes, bananas, plantains, Malanga (a root). They were very tasty! (but pretty un-healthy).
After lunch we went for a long walk down a road through the mountains to a beautiful pasture in a valley. Often you will see children with baskets or men carrying bags of very heavy sand on their heads. There are cows, horses, and pigs everywhere! When we came back there was a thunder and lightning storm. It was a little scary, but the rain was really appreciated by the farmers. At the end of our walk we came to our village. The village is pretty small with one or two room cinder block houses and most of the roofs are made of tin. There is a small store on the main road up the hill that consists of a table covered with assorted items. By the store there are always little puppies that bark ferociously at you as you walk by and nip at your heels. All the people are very friendly and always say "Bonjour" or "Salue" as you walk by.
