My allergic reaction gradually worsened to become a painful cough. All day yesterday, my sinuses were hurting. My upper jaw felt as if I had teethaches.
I used a nasal rinse, which seemed to provide some relief, but at bedtime I was wheezing pretty badly. I propped a bunch of pillows in bed so I could sit up to sleep. It was easier to breathe and rest that way.
This morning my voice has left me. My chest is burning and hurts like crazy to cough. I guess I will just send out my sermon as a document this morning because I can’t preach.
In happy news, Percy finished the kid pen. It’s much more convenient to walk the kids in through a door than to mess with the chick pen gate from before. I’m pretty pleased.
Last evening, the lecheros asked to borrow a knife. They wanted to use it to butcher. I didn’t immediately connect the dots, but last night was Halloween. It is a common ritual for traditional Quechua people here to kill a piglet on or around Halloween and offer it to Mother Earth so that she will release the tortured souls of their loved ones.
Today and tomorrow are the Day of All Saints and the Day of the Dead celebrations, a mixture of traditional and Catholic holidays. They will make a meal for the deceased and drink liquor, pouring some out on graves or altars for the spirits to drink. They also offer wawa bread (wawa is Quechua for “baby”), which is a replacement for the human sacrifices they would historically offer during these celebrations.
It’s a very dark time of fear and mourning for them.
Juan David 