Feliz Pascua!

Feliz Pascua!

Hello all! Week 2! As time always does, it has been both a fast and slow 2 weeks since arriving. It is Easter (Pascua) today and we are enjoying a relaxing holiday, eating warm food and sitting by the fire. This past weekend with Good Friday (or el Pasion de christo) through Easter Sunday has been very low key around the farm with not much work aside from the daily routine of feeding the animals. 

 

The temperature is slowly but surely dropping as the fall season progresses. We have gotten down to 36 degrees at night with most of the highs in the low 50s. It rains, not super hard but some, about every other day. It is cloudy most days, although there were a couple of sunny days this past week which were pleasant surprises! It has been a big adjustment to not have our normal comforts and basic needs met, such as a temperature controlled room/home. It takes time to make a fire in the stove to heat up the space. At night in our room, we do not have a stove so it is only our clothing and blankets to keep warm. Getting into and out of bed can feel very hard haha. Living in this environment, very reliant on nature, has provided us with a gratitude of the small but important things such as sun and fire for warmth. 

Some activities that we have completed this week: 

• Cutting firewood from nearby dead/downed trees (Connor and I both got to use a chainsaw for the first time - it was invigorating!)
• Carrying said firewood up steep hills to the car  (Great exercise and right up Connor’s alley)
• Babysitting the ranch hand’s one year daughter because their babysitter fell through; he asked if I knew how to change diapers and feed her.. I told him I may have some experience in this area ;) 
• Working on the muddy road to try and make the water flow through the pit so it can still be driven over  (Also great exercise and a work in progress)
• Going into the nearby town (about 20 mins away by car) and seeing the meat plant/butcher; helping do miscellaneous errands for the farm 
• Helping the agriculture team draw blood from the piglets to identify if they have any disease or they will be okay to breed/eat 
• Cleaning the chicken coop (Gross! It gives perspective of what millions of chickens cooped up in small caged area would look like compared to the 45 chickens they have here that get to roam around in a large field) 
• Riding the horses for a little trail ride with our volunteer guide! This was our first time getting on the horses here and it was a great way to see the land and beauty around us.  

This week in general has been a much better one as far as adjusting to the routines and feeling more comfortable/at home. It is crazy how quickly the body and brain adjust to a totally new environment and life. Humans are resilient! We have been eating a TON (most likely because how much we are moving each day as well as the cold - I’m trying to build my fat stores for the winter lol) and also still sleeping SO MUCH. We are slightly concerned something is wrong with us but we are just allowing our bodies to recover and adjust. But overall, we have noticed we are feeling calmer and just mentally really great. Spanish is a work in progress each day, trying to speak to the others as much as we can, but also doing our own daily studying as well. Physically, it feels good to move so much throughout the day, although I have never experienced my knuckles/joints in my fingers feeling sore before - lots of carrying buckets!

We appreciate you all for being here and following along this journey. Miss you all so much. Please reach out and give us a chat! :) Connor and I both have the same number, just only on WhatsApp. 

Con amor, 

Abby y Connor 

                                               Cleaning the chicken coop - covering all his orifices 

Patagonia in Patagonia!

The most frustrating activity - starting a fire -

 but also the most rewarding when it finally happens!

Some apple pie for the Pascua 

The piggies getting tested

Connor is the chicken KING

La naturaleza