July 9: Apopa, El Bosque, Pouring Rain

On July 9, we drove to Apopa.  We went to Betty's house.  She got up at 5 AM that day to make us sopa de pollo and grilled chicken. Betty loves plants and has many beautiful plants in her home.  The soup and grilled chicken were delicious!!  And her grandson is darling!  We all enjoyed holding him and playing with him!

That evening we went to El Bosque.  It's so pretty with outdoor games and food.  I really needed to use the bathroom.  Michelle and I went in and there was no light.  (It took me several minutes to realize I could turn on the flashlight on my phone.  Duh!)  The stall I entered had no toilet seat.  And no toilet paper.  I asked Michelle if her stall had some toilet paper and she said no, but I desperately needed some and we had some in the car. So I asked her to go find her dad, get the keys and get toilet paper.  I had the worst diarrhea in my life.  I'm sitting in this dark stall (even with my flashlight, it was still dark), no toilet seat, and a mess.  Michelle comes back several minutes later and it has started pouring rain.  She can't find her dad.  I don't know what to do.  I admit that I cried for a few minutes.  But fortunately Betty's daughter was there and she brought baby wipes.  It was not my best moment.

The girls ate delicious nachos, but my stomach was too upset to eat anything.  And it was pouring rain.  I mean POURING rain.  We sat under a covering and everyone ate and talked.  It stopped raining for a bit so we walked around...but it was muddy and the games weren't reopening and then it started to rain again.  Hard.  So we headed to the car and headed back to our house.  Betty's family came with us and gave us atole de elote and I took a tiny taste.  I liked it but I felt so sick that I only took a tiny taste.

Betty's family was SO kind and so loving.  And they have so little.  Cement floors and metal roof.  But their kindness and love and generosity meant so much.

One thing I thought was so interesting was that in El Salvador, there are buses.  But there are also lots of trucks that have bars in the back and people ride there in the back, sitting or standing.  Some just had a couple of people riding in the back, but some trucks would have the back crammed with people.

Cussy Honey Generosity

 I am reading a really interesting and good book right now (though sadly it was due back to the library and I had to return it today and will probably have to wait 3 or 4 weeks until I get it back).  It's called The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek.  It is set in rural Kentucky, and Cussy is a book woman...she travels up and down the mountains to deliver books to the families and a school located in remote areas.  Her selection of books is very limited and all of the people including Cussy and her dad are VERY poor.  Her dad is a miner and getting miner's lung.  And he works long hours.  Also, Cussy and her dad have a rare genetic condition that makes their skin blue and people look down on them because of their color.  (Amazingly that is real and though rare it was found among a group of people in Kentucky.) 

A doctor convinces Cussy's dad to let him take Cussy to the city to run tests to learn more about the causes of their blueness.  After their first trip to the city, Cussy is bruised and sore and scared.  The doctor obviously feels a bit guilty about her experience and so he gives her honey and medicine.  Both are invaluable to the people in Kentucky.  One family that she delivers to has a husband that was shot in the foot for stealing a neighbor's chicken.  The doctor won't treat him--he says he's lucky he was just shot in the foot.  And the wife, Angeline, is pregnant and has a couple of small children and they are nearly starving.  She likely won't survive if her husband dies.  So Cussy packs up the medicine and honey with her books to take to Angeline.  I have to admit as I read it, I was a bit shocked by Cussy's generosity.  Cussy can definitely use that honey for herself and her dad.  She could just give Angeline a portion of it.  Cussy has so little.  Yet Cussy is generous and selfless, probably beyond what I would be in her situation.

I know she is a fictional character.  And yet I also know that many people make significant sacrifices for others.  I can be more generous.  I can be more selfless.  I can be a little more like Cussy.

LESSONS LEARNED:  Generosity is not a matter of how much money you have.

Be selfless...think of others more than yourself.