Soloy

I spent my first 2 days while in the Comarca in a community called Soloy. This community along the river was about a one hour trip by bus up and down many winding roads through the mountains. Once we reached Soloy, I was immediately shocked by a dog which was laying in the waiting room (this later became customary) of the clinic--my first thought was sanitation?! As we walked along the river toward the town, there were women washing their clothes in the river, while on the other side people were bathing. There was also a lady cooking in a firepit outside of her hut for her children, while another hung clothes to dry on the trees. It made me quickly realize that the people within this community make do with what little they have. I spent these 2 days partaking in the reseach project on domestic violence. It was a very difficult subject to listen to the women talk about, but something that is very common there. I found it interesting that many of the women were abused but did not show any emotion during the interviews. This could have been because of the culture and the fact that this subject was rarely discussed, or because we had an interpreter as well as 2 students interviewing. To be immersed in the community of Soloy was a very humbling experience. The homes, built along the clay hill, were literally the size of my car. They did not have windows or doors, and were made from anything available to their owners, whether it be wood, metal scraps, plastic, sheets, etc with a clay floor. Chickens, dogs and cats were free to roam among the huts. As a matter of fact, the people seemed to just walk as they pleased in and out of eachother's homes. I was taken back when a little boy, about the age of 6, climbed into his bed. It was a plank of wood raised off the ground, with an empty corn sack he was using as a blanket. It really made me stop and look around, and be grateful for all that I have.