3. The Village Feast.

~~Today was our second afternoon of parent conferences. We have one more tomorrow, but we've already met with the vast majority of parents. That’s in sharp contrast to the 30% or so who would show up back in Philly. After conferences, around 6, more than half the population of the village came to the school lunchroom for a community feast. The cooks and teachers served the food to everyone: Salmon, Spaghetti, Fish Soup, Veggies, Cake and Eskimo Ice Cream. Eskimo Ice Cream is a base of lard (Crisco), sugar, and in this case, a wild plant called Sour Dock that had the texture of spinach- though often it is made with wild berries. The principal spoke for a while, teachers were introduced, and everyone went home full. On my way out, I ran into a couple of my students who asked if I wanted to go for a walk. They took me around a big circle, past the Moravian Church, the Post Office, the old Post Office (which was about the size of a dog house- seriously), and to the biggest store in the village, where a can of coke was $.85. Not a bad price, really. Most things are about three times the price I'd pay back home. The store had just acquired a slushy machine and is the closest thing to a restaurant in town. They have plans to sell hot dogs someday.