A Lifetime of Plantains

Day 4- August 10, 2015

“I just can’t stop thinking about my kids. I want them to have a role model that shows them they can be and do just about anything. I know that I am just one person, I get that there are kids everywhere but these are my kids we’re talking about- Feli, Pecho, Emili, Miliana, Josecito…all 86 of them. Rationally, I know that it is my time to go, I need to move on, but my heart doesn’t understand how to leave. They are surrounded by drugs, HIV, poverty, racism, and have the worst education system on the planet…it doesn’t feel right. Am I supposed to be like, ‘See ya later, good luck with all that?’”

My voice trailed off into the night. It was late, and Ben’s hut was blanketed in thick darkness, pierced only by a sliver of moon. Lying in our hammocks, we were talking about leaving, moving on, and starting the next phase of our lives. While on the one hand it seemed exciting and fitting; on the other hand it made absolutely no sense.

She made sure I didn't get bored waiting
for the rest of the workers to arrive!

It had been a long but exciting day. Six AM brought morning bathing, coffee, and plates of fried plantains and eggs, per usual. The plan was to finish building the composting latrine we'd started back in January 2014 that we'd had to abandon when we were evacuated. The morning got off to a slow start. I played with a pair of little girls on the base of the composting latrine while Ben scoured his community for volunteers and tools. We started work around 11, and by 5pm the latrine was nearly finished, just short a few boards for the walls and the stairs needed to dry out before we could fill them with concrete mix.

I went straight from the work site to the river, grateful to sit in the cool water and relax after a hot day of work one last time. Afterwards we had another plate of fried plantains and scrambled eggs at Enilda’s while watching the sun set over the tree tops. Everyone had been talking about an event at the school all day, so we headed to “downtown” to check it out. The school was dark and quiet, but we visited with a few houses on the way back.

Antonio’s wife gave us yet another plate of fried plantains and scrambled eggs. I powered through this second dinner while we watched the discovery channel with half the neighborhood on the porch. We stopped next door at Fuljencio’s and he topped us off with- ok, not plantains and eggs this time, but mugs of plantain pudding. I willed my stomach to digest faster to make room.

The stars were bright and clear when we climbed back up the hill to Ben’s hut. The surrounding jungle felt both alive and still. It was my last night in Vígia. The next day I was going to Playona to say goodbye.

The problem was, I still couldn’t figure out how I was going to do so.

Today I'm grateful to be part of the completion of this project.

Watching sunset over downtown Vígia.