Journal Entry #3

Dear Journal,
Today I had woken up from a very pleasant dream. I dreamt I was picking the sweetest fruits from town. I had bundles of the ripest fruits in my woven basket. I had so many, that it was enough to feed the whole entire city! After waking up, I got ready, ate my whole grain and fruit breakfast, which by the way, I love, and went off to teach the children how to weave.
I have one particular student whose baskets always come out superb. She was very timid and meek, but her baskets beg to differ. Whenever we’d finish a basket-weaving project, I take the kids out into the fields to pick berries and other sweet decadences. Her baskets always catch the eyes of many townspeople and always get the most compliments.
After the kids and I wove today, we decided to pick mangoes, which are their favorite fruits to pick. We were strolling into the rain forest and had stumbled upon a berry tree. One of my students picked a whole bunch and placed them into their baskets half-filled. As we walked on, I noticed, the berries were different, I realized they were poisonous! I quickly grabbed his basket and threw away every single berry off to the side, and gave the kids a mini lecture on fruits we can and cannot eat.
Fruit-picking was good today, we managed to get not only ripe and juicy mangoes, but we also managed to find banana trees also, and took home a whole bunch.
The kids and I were quite tired after going to the rain forest. It was time to eat, and everyone was very anxious to get their hands on the succulent fresh fruits. The men also picked many fruits. We had so much to finish (we don’t like wasting food), that we didn’t have time to sun bathe.
Dinner came along, and all the juicy mangoes were gone like the wind, so the men went out to get pineapples. They were delicious also!
We had our daily bonfire, which I always look forward to, and many of the elders told tales and stories. My life here in Toucantopia is very fulfilling. I love working with children and I also love nature and the whole idea of leaving behind the city life. Toucantopia is my home, and I don’t see myself living anywhere else, anytime soon.



Sincerely,

Lucita Toucan

24 years old, April 18, 2008