Thursday, January 22, 2026
Update 5
Things looked pretty quiet this am so we did some of our wash. We've been gone one week so it was time. As we were hanging the last few, Sister Joan came & asked us to take her to the market so off we went. Since her driver always knew the way, she had a hard time figuring out how to get there. Even had to say a prayer once…but we got there. It was a huge warehouse with lots of fruits & veges. She said yesterday was the big market day & there would have been tons more produce, but we got enough to fill up the van: potatoes, carrots, onions, Swiss chard, turnips, cabbage, egg plants, bananas, apples, oranges, lettuce, melon & eggs. Most she paid for but several vendors gave her their less desirable produce which she gladly took. We stopped for cheese, ham, tuna & chicken at another market on our way back. By 11 we were back in our villa eating lunch. The afternoon was slow. I tried to play tic/tac/toe with a few men but only got blank stares or they shook their head no. Finally at 4, we started cleaning the veges & putting them in storage. that kept us busy until 7. Dinner & dishes were handled mostly by residence. Some of them that I thought were staff, were not. We've been able to borrow the nuns bikes which has been a nice way to get to nearby restaurants for relaxing dinner next to the river. Our evenings have been filled with reading, writing & phone calls.
Here's a funny story I don't want to forget…Rog noticed a lot of yogurt like containers in our frig so he opened one & tasted it. He thought it just needed sugar so he added some. Better, he said so he ate the whole thing. Later we learned, it was cream cheese.
Next morning there were more veges to peel, cut, cook or store. I was dicing onions when Sister Joan walked by & told me not to cry…so I started singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina and she immediately joined in. She loves to laugh. Yesterday on our way to the market, she'd laugh when we came to a speed bump & say "Loma burro" (hill donkey). She is the main cook and I don't see her using recipes. She said she uses what she has & her imagination! Yesterday a bakery brought left over bread. There were @50 left over croissants so she had me slice them & put a piece of cheese & ham in them. She popped them in the over 15 min before dinner and wella….super meal eagerly gobbled up! She had me cut up some donated French bread into chunks & that'll be breakfast along with jam. The harder buns were broken into chunks & made into bread pudding! Buns not too bad were set aside for families that came later. Too hard one were put in a bag for a lady who has pigs who will come later to get them. Not a crumb wasted. At the market someone gave her a crate of egg plants because they were old. Today Rog helped peel them & slice them. Sister boiled them and then I helped dip them in egg & cover them with bread crumbs. She stirred up a tomato sauce, spooned that on each & added a slice of cheese. Another good meal created from free food. Other than the instant potatoes, everything else has been made from scratch and with much care. Much of the work is done by two young Argentina girls who hope to join the MofC. One, Helena speaks good English so we chat with her while we work.
Today's trip to town was with a local lady, Michaela. She's a HS Math teacher with extra time to volunteer since it's summer break here. She has volunteered her for over 30 years. We went after bike locks & groceries. Before we left, we asked Sister Anita what the men might enjoy. She suggested coloring books & Duplo sets. We found both! Later as the men started coming to the dining room tables, we put them out & BINGO…several started building towers & coloring. Success! Later, as we were cleaning up, Sister Joan told me she was missing me. I said, we aren't leaving for at least a week…she said she knows but is already starting to think about missing me. I'll miss her too.
Here's a funny story I don't want to forget…Rog noticed a lot of yogurt like containers in our frig so he opened one & tasted it. He thought it just needed sugar so he added some. Better, he said so he ate the whole thing. Later we learned, it was cream cheese.
Next morning there were more veges to peel, cut, cook or store. I was dicing onions when Sister Joan walked by & told me not to cry…so I started singing Don't Cry for Me Argentina and she immediately joined in. She loves to laugh. Yesterday on our way to the market, she'd laugh when we came to a speed bump & say "Loma burro" (hill donkey). She is the main cook and I don't see her using recipes. She said she uses what she has & her imagination! Yesterday a bakery brought left over bread. There were @50 left over croissants so she had me slice them & put a piece of cheese & ham in them. She popped them in the over 15 min before dinner and wella….super meal eagerly gobbled up! She had me cut up some donated French bread into chunks & that'll be breakfast along with jam. The harder buns were broken into chunks & made into bread pudding! Buns not too bad were set aside for families that came later. Too hard one were put in a bag for a lady who has pigs who will come later to get them. Not a crumb wasted. At the market someone gave her a crate of egg plants because they were old. Today Rog helped peel them & slice them. Sister boiled them and then I helped dip them in egg & cover them with bread crumbs. She stirred up a tomato sauce, spooned that on each & added a slice of cheese. Another good meal created from free food. Other than the instant potatoes, everything else has been made from scratch and with much care. Much of the work is done by two young Argentina girls who hope to join the MofC. One, Helena speaks good English so we chat with her while we work.
Today's trip to town was with a local lady, Michaela. She's a HS Math teacher with extra time to volunteer since it's summer break here. She has volunteered her for over 30 years. We went after bike locks & groceries. Before we left, we asked Sister Anita what the men might enjoy. She suggested coloring books & Duplo sets. We found both! Later as the men started coming to the dining room tables, we put them out & BINGO…several started building towers & coloring. Success! Later, as we were cleaning up, Sister Joan told me she was missing me. I said, we aren't leaving for at least a week…she said she knows but is already starting to think about missing me. I'll miss her too.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)