"Ayer, Comi Caballo" and Other Adventures

Hello fans.

Kristen and I are alive and well. We arrived at our host-home Friday night and have been surviving well enough ever since. Kristen is going to write more details later, so here are just a few highlights.

We arrived at the right time to party in San Ramon. Granted, we've been so overwhelmed recently that "party" really means "observing craziness." This weekend was the festival of San (Saint) Ramon, and the whole center of the city we live in was made up to be like the county fair, complete with a petting zoo, cotton candy, and lots of music and trinkets. Part of the festivities included a parade of saints, and the parade of oxcarts.

The title of this post is now explained: We walked up and down the street with our uVolunteer staff (one of whom knows EVERYONE...much like Bill from Good Sam) and at one streetside tent we were pulled over. They gave us drinks (which were super strong) and some sausage (which was fairly strong too). When I asked what the sausage was (hoping/fearing to confirm Kristen's suspicions of what word she had briefly caught in Spanish), our vVol coordinator told us we didn't want to know, at which point the other vVol staff person promptly said, "It's horse." Awesome. I ate horse. It's not bad, actually. Kind of tastes like sausage. Polish sausage. Kristen declined, imagining thereafter that she was devouring Mr. Edd, or some pony.

The most interesting food tidbit we've been fed was at breakfast this morning. It was a "Tico sandwich," which consisted (I think) of: Bread, eggs, refried beans, catsup (salsa), mayo, and something that might have been fish (?). You make your own judgments about that one. I had two. I think Gretel is observing (I KNOW she is observing) everything we eat very carefully, so she is lessening the rice and beans count.

That's about it for now. Kristen's up to bat.
Thoughts to you all.