Guinea pigs, jaguars, and sheep! Oh My!

Originally published 11/10/08

I am writing this article from a little motel in Central America.   I have a lot of time on my hands this week, so I counted the number of insect bites on my legs. 

Fifty-two. 

They would probably heal if I’d quit shaving for a few days, but as ridiculous as it seems I can’t bear to have legs that are hairy on top of appearing disease ridden.  Vanity doesn’t always make sense.  
  
I would describe the bugs that have been biting me, but I haven’t actually seen one.  They are appropriately called, “No-see-ums.”  I even found an insect repellant designated to battle no-see-ums, but apparently it doesn’t work.  
 
Earlier this week we had dinner with a family that hubby has gotten to know on his many business trips to this area.  The mama and papa speak only Spanish so their teen daughter interpreted for us.  I am not kidding when I say they live in the jungle.  Black jaguars roam through their yard, and you can totally forget about cell phone service.  
  
Wait!  Did you read that part about the jaguars?  I had dinner in the home of someone who has real live jaguars regularly running through their front yard!  I kept my chunky, little baby close to me for fear that one might peer through the open door and decide he was a tasty morsel.  Our friends assured me that they generally eat the chickens and sheep but rarely bother humans.  
  
I probably should have been less concerned about the jaguars and more concerned with the loose guinea pig that, much to the delight of our hosts, the baby kept picking up and causing to squeal.  
  
There was also the little lamb that baby boy insisted on giving slobbery kisses right on the nose.  When the lamb peed in the middle of the floor it was no big deal.  They continued bouncing baby boy’s bare feet up and down, right in the pee, and encouraging his open-mouthed kisses.   
 
I grabbed my toddler just as her bare foot came in contact with one of the burning mosquito coils that were sitting at various locations around the floor, and was relieved when our host offered to hang a hammock across the dimly lit room so the babies could swing.  
 
While they were swinging to and fro, squealing with delight, I finished off my plate of shrimp tamales, chicken and chive dumplings, fried plantain, and chocolate poppy seed bread.  Our hostess encouraged us to eat more, but I was stuffed.  Plus, it’s an odd custom, but the hosts never actually sit down and eat with us.  They prefer to stand and watch us enjoy the meal.  We asked them to join us, but they declined. 

The first time this happened to hubby, he thought they had already eaten, so he ate everything that was placed in front of him because he didn’t want to be offensive. He ate an entire stuffed chicken, a pan of quesadilla, piles of rice, fried plantain, and more.  It wasn’t until much later that he discovered they wait until their guests are gone and eat what is left. 
  
Knowing that finances are tight, and the food they prepare for us is much more elaborate than anything they would normally eat, we made sure to leave plenty on the serving platters.  
 

Their hospitality really spoke volumes to my heart.  They live in a one-room house, partitioned with swaths of fabric for privacy.  One light bulb illuminates their entire home.  Besides the table, there are a few plastic chairs, a small stove and refrigerator nestled in the corner, the hammock, which I assume serves as a bed for the teen son, and a bucket seat out of an old car.  Decorations include Scripture verses written in Spanish, lace placemats over a gold tablecloth, and the most amazing fresh flowers picked straight from the jungle.  It is modest, yet beautiful.  
 
But what makes it the most beautiful is the heart of the family that resides within those four walls.  They eagerly shared their home and their food with us.  They loved on our babies.  They waited patiently while their daughter translated everything we said, and laughed heartily at our jokes.  They welcomed us with open arms, and I will be forever grateful for their fine example of hospitality.  And baby boy will have a very developed immune system.