A trip to the countryside

A couple of weeks ago, I (Gracy) went with some other ladies to a hot springs resort for a weekend getaway.





The place was very nice—had a large indoor pool heated by the hot springs, a large outdoor pool, tennis courts, etc.



The best part for me, though, was the location. The resort is in the middle of a rural farming community and is run by the minority people who live there.

As we wound our way toward the resort, down a dirt road and across the terraced mountain side, I felt as if I’d stepped into the pages of so many books I’ve read.

There were farmers hoeing row after row, young boys carrying large buckets of water on shoulder poles,







donkeys carting loads from the fields to the town,

buildings adorned with corn and red peppers hung to dry.




What a time for my camera batteries to die! But I was able to get a few pictures, and the rest I got from a friend so you could see what I saw…










Of all that there was to see, I think you would remember most the faces of the people—men and women putting in another hard day’s work,

children teasing and laughing on their long walk home from school,

grandmothers and grandfathers sitting in the afternoon sun—watching village happenings from seats of well-earned respect, through eyes that have seen more than I could ever read about.

One afternoon I was able to visit with a lady who helped keep the grounds at the resort. She was deaf, but she certainly had her way of communicating. Through simple gestures she shared that she had two grown children and two grandchildren, ages 4 and 8. The 8 year old, she very proudly told me, is in school learning to read and write. Her husband spends his days up on the terraces hoeing their crops. He also picks fruit from their fruit trees to sell in the market. There was so much that passed between us throughout the course of our silent conversation, and I strongly wished that I wasn’t just staying for the weekend. Sitting with her gave me a poignant glimpse of what we hope will be part of our future, and rekindled the burning desire to know, live among and share life with precious people like her.