Just another week in the campo

It is old news by now, but probably worth saying that the House Foreign Operations Bill was passed over a week ago and included some very positive changes in aid towards Latin America in general and Colombia, specifically. Thanks to all who wrote and called their Reps - DC seems to have been listening. US tax dollars will now be flowing southward in the form of more economic/humanitarian aid, even though the package still maintains a military focus (65% of total aid to Colombia is to support military efforts). The bill even includes some humanitarian provisions that have never before been included, one requires the State Department to certify that Colombian armed forces are not violating land and property rights of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities. This is all good news. However, I am hesitant to call it a ¨victory¨as it is being widely viewed in human rights circles. This is still a disproportionately militarized aid package. And being a believer in non-violence I struggle to find any good in supporting armed conflict. But, I´ll take it. It is a start towards moving in the right direction.

The past week was filled with much of the same - visits and rain and hammocks and sun. A week ago Saturday we broke a piñata in celebration of 25 years of teammate Mayra. This happened a week after her birthday because I decided to start making the piñata the day of, forgetting about the amount of time it takes to dry - especially when pasting the newspaper to the balloon with a concoction of corn meal and sugar, not my best idea ever. But one of our friends took over and finally it was finished and ready for the rowdy crowd of kids and adults. We reinforced it with duck tape and ended up creating an almost unbreakable piñata. This meant that everyone that wanted to, had a chance to hit it. Actually making contact with it was made much harder by yours truly and one of our friends from the community as the two of us pulled on opposite ends of twine causing the piñata to sail up towards the ceiling or down towards the floor just as the blindfolded candy-seeker was about to place a good solid wop on it. This spectacle lasted for quite some time and eventually turned into an impromptu dance in the kiosk. People have been asking us all week when we will break another piñata.

A week ago Sunday, we accompanied a community "pilgrimage" to the vereda of Miramar. Miramar was the home of recently killed ex-community leader Francisco Puerta. Francisco was shot down in front of an Apartadò club on May 12th by paramilitaries. We walked the almost four hours to the site of the Miramar Humanitarian Zone (physical space for civilians to temporarily displace to in case of combat, thus avoiding more permanent displacement)where our small group from La Uniòn met up with folks from San Josecito. Father Javier said mass for Francisco and community members spoke about Francisco and other murdered leaders. We then made our way back to San Josecito and La Uniòn, following the winding river most of the way.

When Mayra and I got back up to our house after the pilgrimage, we found that the electricity was once again off (not at all surprising) so we lit some candles and discovered that there was a dead rat in our water tank (quite surprising). Rats are carriers of the dreaded leptospirosis, one of the three tropical diseases that hit me at the same time back in March. Mayra also suffered through it in April. A dead rat is better than a live rat but a dead rat in a water source is enough to make me really sick to my stomach. So I found a glove and a hundred plastic bags to put my hand into and then fished the dead rat out. And then we scrubbed and scrubbed. And then we went on a rat removal mission. All in all we have (intentionally) killed four rats in the past week or so. That same night (electricity and thus lights, still out) Mayra discovered a snake in her room. This past month everyone we talk with seems to warn us of the poisonous snakes that are all about. A woman was bit a month ago and almost died, other people have died, I would most likely die if bit, etc...

So, to see a snake by candlelight was not at all an ideal situation. I must admit that we both jumped on nearby chairs and began to scream. It was just too much for one candle-lit night. Mayra decided it had to be killed and went for the machete as I insisted we put our stocking feet into boots, lest the reptile should strike. As we went to the front porch to put our boots on I yelled out into the night ¨There is a snake, there is a snake!". The night was quiet and doorways were empty, all save our favorite next door neighbor, three-year-old Esteban who answered my cries with ¨Whaaaaaaat?" Very cute, but not very helpful.

Luckily another neighbor walked past a few moments later and we handed him the machete as we went to locate the snake that had crawled through the wall from Mayra´s room to my messy room. Just another reason I should not leave clothes all over the floor. Our neighbor finally found it and killed it. He told us it was ¨brava¨ (angry or ready to strike) but that it actually was not poisonous. The lights, of course, came back on about four minutes after the snake was dead. Ahhh, life in the campo.