Pink

Well, I have made it to August. All I can say is that it is good that the project will be over soon; I am ridiculously burned out and fed up with the jungle. Even after taking several days off, it was pure drudgery to get up at the crack of pre-dawn and follow the monkeys all day through rain, dense canopy, mosquitoes, spiders, etc.

Wrinkle Belly was my focal animal today—I tried to explain to him that I was going away soon, and that this would be the last time I would be following him all day long. But in typical Wrinkle Belly fashion, he did not appear to care one way or the other. He just went about his business, without seeming to care that our time together is about to come to a close. My burnout is so extreme that I didn’t even get too emotional about it; I just wanted the day to get over so that I could come home and lay down. I took a few pictures of him as a memento for the occasion; the photos aren’t great, but I did the best that I could.

Wrinkle Belly

Wrinkle Belly in his fave mango tree

Matilda with baby Toby, who is playing

Baby Toby on her mother's lap. I do not know where big brother Horace was today.

I left the forest a little earlier than usual because there was so much thunder that it sounded like the mountain was falling apart. It seemed for certain that I would get caught in a torrential downpour, so I told Wrinkle Belly thanks for the memories and scurried towards home. It never did rain too much though; just a few drops and then the storm moved on.

On my way home, I stopped by my little amigo’s house—the one who had run out and asked me for a bracelet a few days ago. I had promised him that the next time we saw each other, I’d have a bracelet for him. When I walked past, he was outside and I called out to him, telling him that I had made him a bracelet. He came tearing out to the road, grinning from ear to ear. I gave him the bracelet and he was beaming, telling me muchas gracias many times over. He ran back up to his house and a woman—could have been his sister or aunt or mother—came out. She held out her arm and he tied the bracelet to her wrist! After all of that, the bracelet wasn't even for himself! I could have cried. Well, maybe they’ll share it.

When I finally got back from the forest, Eduardo was here, which cheered me up despite my burnout from the jungle. We chatted for a little bit, and I asked him what color bracelet he would like me to make for him. He thought for just a minute and then smiled brightly. “Pink!” he exclaimed, in English. Pink. Alright then, pink it is.

That’s all for now; I’ve got to get myself together so that I can go to the forest again tomorrow and keep making those bracelets. Thanks for reading!