Wonderful things happened in Limay. To start, I succesfully milked a cow, and I started sketching on my own for no reason but just because for the first time since high school, woah! It's hard not to be tickled by that creative itch in a place as beautiful as Limay. This small humble town is home to some of the friendliest strangers I've met. It is custom to say "Buenas" or "Adios" in passing, which, for someone who grew up in the suburbs of New York City, is remarkably friendly. But after spending time with my host family, and working with the youth (who were so much more mature I feel strange calling them youth) it became clear to me that friendly openness is a part of their culture. Although there is a language barrier, that barrier disappears when creating art together in an environment where the language is simply visual. Teaching my cyanotype lesson was initially extremely nerve wracking, as I feel pretty self-conscious when speaking infront of a crowd, but once the students started working on their prints it brought me so much ease and happiness to see how creative they all were in their process and use of the materials.
Oscar and Xiomar made me feel so welcome in their home, always striking up conversation even thought I sadly do not speak very much spanish, they helped me learn more words or took the time to correct me when I said something incorrectly. I really enjoyed working with Oscar in the marmolina studio. It was great to learn the different tools and methods of creating a work out of a solid form, and watching Oscar's hands make it look so easy when at times it was a delightfully challenging. Not only do I have the honor of living with an incredibly interesting and talented sculptor, but Xiomar is an incredible cook! The other day he made chicken soup, with one of their chickens and onions, yuca, tomato, plantains, mmm muy rica. Angeles also made the most delicious fried chicken the other night, no breading, just with the skin still on rubbed in some delicious melange of spices and popped into a pan of hot oil.
It has been very interesting cohabiting with chickens! Living with the animals that we end up milking, or eating, is making me feel more sensitive about knowing where our meat comes from, and treating those animals with a bit more compassion. Sometimes the chickens will walk into my room and just kind of hangout, and every morning they are my alarm clock. Sometimes the call of the rooster actually sounds a bit terrifying, like a sea lion with a serious case of laryngitis, but it is refreshing to wake up to the natural sounds of daily life in Limay.
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