La Chumicosa gets its name from the shrub like trees that are growing sparsely on the grassy hills around the town. The leaves are course furry and used to be used for washing dishes. It is still unclear the process of this area becoming deforested. Nobody remembers when there were trees in the area and this shrub like species along with the pervasive grasses seem to be right at home in this grass land. Although the annual burning of mostly everything keeps those weeds and trees at a minimum. We still have some research to do on some natural history.

It has been two and a half weeks that we have been the new residents in this small mountain town. We have done a lot of weeding (or limpiar-ing arroz siginifca cleaning rice) of parcels of rice and corn. These pardels tend to be on steep hillsides, incredibly weedy and blazing hot. The chiggers have taken up residence along my pant and bra lines making sleeping only successful for half the night. I can´t help but leave the beautiful blooming flowers (that are few and far between) unweeded, in order to finish their cycle. Knowing that next year this spot will be left fallow and these flowers left to reproduce. We have planted tomatoes and peppers and started a bunch of seeds for our garden. My Okra seedlings came up in 1.5 days! Mostly each day has been working with a different family in what ever agriculture that they may be doing this time of year.

The flash flooding gave us a bit on a run our first week in town. Isaac and I were separated by a 3 foot wave that washed down the river just upstream from us as we were attempting to cross. I ran one direction and he ran the other us logs and rocks and brown turbulent water made their way down the river channel. I waited on the other side at a families house while Isaac walked home. It was 1.5 hours before the water was waist deep and crossable.