Going Nuts~ Coconuts

Today was the "rest day" which means no practice. It also means (usually) going to town.

I had expected to be writing about that, since I knew we would be there longer than the 1st time & I had hoped to have some great stories to tell. In fact, town was just hot & tedious. Everything took three times as long as it should have, partly because we had too many people to coordinate & partly because that's just how it is here. Also, the staring is starting to get to me just a little. I'm sure I'll get over it again soon, but still - it's wearing on the nerves.

All is not lost!

This morning the COOLEST thing happened. The new house is on a coconut plot- they're everywhere here. Funny thing is, I can't seem to get a coconut to drink & eat to save my life..until today. We were just about to leave for breakfast when we heard noises outside. After investigating, it was clear that some folks had come to harvest the coconuts. Gerhard knew that I had been whining about no coconuts for days now & so went to see if they might let us pay for one or two. Before we knew it, we had 6 coconuts, two were opened & ready for eating & drinking & they wouldn't take a single rupee for them. We scrambled to figure out what to give them as a gift & settled on ginger candies I had brought from home. They looked puzzled, but amused that we were going nuts over the coconuts. The coconuts tasted sooooooo great. They are a cooling food & it is so hot here - I can't imagine anything tasting more satisfying.

Milton the cow & I are getting along very well, and I think he secretly wants to be my pet & ditch his heron for good. I'll keep you posted as the situation develops.