When the moon hits your eye...

Yesterday I held another cooking class with my women's committee. As you can see, it was a huge success!





But wait, I'm not gonna lie. Here's what actually happened...

It really was a huge success, but instead of a smooth afternoon, it was kind of a trainwreck. The muchacha who came and led our first cooking class two weeks before actually left me high and dry by flaking out on us a couple hours before class. "Oh, that cooking class was today?"

I was ticked off, but that's campo life. People forget, something comes up, they get a spontaneous attack of shyness. So no big deal.

I called Melida, my neighbor, rockstar counterpart and unofficial president of the women's committee. I explained what happened and said I'd see her in half an hour.

When I showed up, instead of the usual attack from my dog and collapse into my hammock, I was greeted by six women sitting on my porch, smiling. They said class or not, we're making pizza.

I couldn't help but beam, and I got that feeling, you know, when the hair stands up on the back of your neck. When you know you're in one of those moments. We launched into making the dough, screwing it up a bunch, but not really giving a shit.



And it turned to be a fun afternoon. Without the pressure from being a formal class, we were able to just experiment. Back in the day, Chuckie had showed me a few things about making pizzas, and everyone enjoyed the novelty of making "gringo" food.

Here's one of Melida's masterpieces. She was great. Experimenting with tortilla dough made from corn, and even trying a comal pizza, one cooked over an open flame.



By the way, don't worry, I represented. Did the whole show-off pizzeria twirl and everything. This was my little one to show you can even make them in a toaster oven...



I secretly love that this chick has on a tie dye shirt.





The demanding judges



Right now we're having fun, just reorganizing ourselves (remember cooking classes from a year ago?) and figuring out what we want to do - organize a sewing course? healthy cooking classes? learn how to make soap and shampoo? first aid and CPR? home gardens? collect food for poor families?

They have a ton of ideas. And eventually, this group of women will work with me side by side on my rabbit project and continue it after I'm gone, hopefully keeping it alive and kicking in the years to come.

If any of you have any suggestions or want to donate items to the women, please let me know. Thanks!