These past six months have not felt normal. I’m sure you’ve heard or read that many times recently. For us, quarantined here on the farm, time has passed in a strange way.
I’ve been glad to be able to get out for a few hours a week to sell bread and milk. At least I’ve been able to see other people and to practice my Spanish (which I feel I will never learn).
But lately, things are changing much more rapidly. I believe I’d mentioned the apparent lack of following regulations by many people, but yesterday was a marked change in that. I saw very few masks in town, and business seemed to be back to normal, and I got caught in three separate traffic jams.
Children were running free in the streets while the police and soldiers leaned against the walls, playing on their smart phones. No one cares.
I dropped off bread at Rafael’s. Elisabet said she thinks Rafael is slowly dying from not seeing his friends. He misses us, but he misses his soccer buddies more. They are planning a game soon.
They said there was a discoteca (party) near the plaza Sunday night in a large building. Over one hundred fifty people showed up to dance and drink. Everyone is tired of the lockdown.
Rafael says if the President tries to reimplement a lockdown, the people will revolt, and he will no longer be President. That I can believe. It appears everyone wants their lives back, regardless of risk.
While I was in town, the rain came. This is the first I was caught out in the rain during the day. I got wet, including my croc-covered feet. But it just felt normal. The dry season of bitter cold is passed, and we have returned to Peru. I can get up these mornings without needing to immediately don a coat.
The national postal system is open again. I picked up a book order from Huaral yesterday. The order also contained Good Coffee–I’m excited. (A fellow from Huaral sells fresh coffee.) Now we can go on with school. The children are dubious about all the books being in Spanish, but our options are limited.
However, international flights have returned from various countries. It could be that we can receive international packages again. I’m hoping to find out this week. If we can, we’re going to place a book order from the States, as well.
The Izcuchaca market is supposed to reopen the first of November. I haven’t been able to get in since they locked it up, but they plan to allow people in soon. Lamar’s tables are still under his roof. The same is true of all the other vendors’ things. A wind storm came through last week and pulled a bunch of roofing off. It blows around freely inside the fenced walls.
Things are slowly returning to what we knew before.
Juan David 