By I am a picky eater. I have distinct likes and dislikes. However, I went into this trip with the idea that I would try something of everything wthout turning my nose up and attempting to avoid wrinkling my nose. Therefore, to this point, I have tried mussels (yum), cooked carrots (which are usually my nemesis, but I wanted to be polite ), seaweed (crunchy green pipe cleaner. It was okay. Really salty), mangoes (so yummy) and a strange dessert which reminded me of the grade school horror shows we used to put on with dyed spaghetti and peeled grapes. In short, I am not starving here and the fish is delicious (and huge. You can eat as much as you like).
At the same time, I am experiencing a growing admiration for a people I did not know until a short time ago. They are unfailingly hospitable and friendly, even those I do not know. They wave to the tall white girl on the street and the kids want to run up and say hello. My host mother gave us the best of what she had and took us to visit her friends and family, incorporating us into her family as “ates” or sisters (although the youngest didn’t buy it. We were obviously aliens). I had a good conversation with the matriarch of the family, a wise great grandmother who was proud of the fact that she was an American citizen without ever having set foot in the US. Angela and I had a blast with the boys playing in the river. Talking to these modest people is a blessing, as I find a deep love for God in many of them, and those who do not actively pursue God have respect for people of faith. I like that attitude. I like it a lot. I wish we could see that same respect more often in our considerably faster-paced and cynical Canadian society.