 1 We stayed at Manuel's home while we were in Sta. Marta. The doorway to our bedroom is just behind the green chair. |
 2 Manuela and her family poses for us. Her compadre was away. Host families were given a stipend for providing a place for us to stay. |
 3 Manuela's kitchen / cooking area. |
 4 A detail of the supports for the porch roof. |
 5 Manuela's son peels a fruit. Behind him is the pila, a water storage tank. There is no constantly available, running water in Sta. Marta. Rotating around town, waster comes on for a few hours once a week and is stored in the pila. The bathing area is on the opposite side of the pila, in full view of the street just beyond the pile of gravel and corrugated metal wall. |
 6 Bath time. |
 7 Papaya ready to eat. It was offered to me but we were warned about eating local foods and disease avoidnace. The fruit had been peeled in an unsanitary area and I sadly turned down the hospitality. |
 8 My bed - a rough wooden frame with rope tied across between rails to support the mattress. It was surprisingly comfortable. Our room had two beds, a desk, one electrical outlet and over head light bulb. |
 9 Betty's bed. A chicken commonly came in for a visit. |
 10 Our hostess gave up one of two rooms, normally used for her sons, and partitioned off the other room to provide privacy. |
 11 Another corner of her living area. |
 12 Pit privy behind the house. Pit privies provide a good means of protection from disease. However, there were some very large bugs in residence therein. |
 13 Pausing to read a book in the yard. |
 14 A chicken and struts through the yard with her chicks. |
 15 Back yard. An aloe plant grows in the green pot. A local stopped by one afternoon for a leaf to use for medicinal purposes. |
 16 One scraggly chicken! |
 17 Manuela's children have a snack. |
 18 Roger and a COCODA helper who works with computers and helped with translations. |
 19 After a severe rain storm, electricity was off for over 24 hours. Manuela's children study by candle light. |
 20 |
 21 Betty loves animals — the family gato (cat). |
 22 Manuela's ax, discussed on another page. |
 23 The family dog rests on a plastic bag next to my bed. |
 24 He spent a lot of time resting. |
 25 Passing from the light into the darkness, this is the last time we saw the dog alive. |
 26 Washing dishes, Manuela's daughter helps out. Manuela prepared snacks and sold them on a corner downtown as school children and others passed by. She also sold a drink made with warm milk and cinnamon. |
