Journal, September 26, 1976 AM (Sunday)

I finally finished retyping & revising my San Isidro “minifundio {small farmer}” study last night. I spent all afternoon & evening in Peace Corps Office working on it, ‘til 8:45 PM. Now I can run off a copy for Chico {Rodriguez, Peace Corps Agriculture Program Director} & one for DGRNR {Dirección General de Recursos Naturales Renovables}, and show it to Nestor Gonzales to see if DGORD {Dirección General de Riego y Drenaje} would like a copy.

Jay {Hasheider} was at Peace Corps Office working on his manure digester (methane gas producer). I think he’s forgotten all about my bike. I guess I’ll have to do my best to sell it, or keep it if I go to work in Costa Rica. <I could take it down on Tica Bus perhaps, & leave it with Sofia.> Still if I could get $100 for it . . .

I went on a buying spree yesterday. I figure it’s a good time because of the danger that the Colon will be devalued. I don’t want to be caught with a lot of Colones, so I’ll just try to buy the stuff I was going to eventually as I go along. I contracted to get a shirt made of “manta {unbleached, undyed cotton}” cloth with the Guaria Morada (national flower of Costa Rica) embroidered on it, 25 Colones. I also am having a pair of dress shoes made for me for 40 Colones. They’ll serve for Jaime’s wedding & hopefully last a long time, since I use dress shoes sparingly. I got a belt (also looking forward to the wedding), a coin purse, and a pouch that you put on your belt for documents, at a little store Mike Shank had told me about, but which I’d never been in before. Nice place, they give you a pretty straight price there rather than start high & try to see what they can take you for. They have Guatemalan blankets for 50 to 70 Colones. I may buy one there rather than go all the way up to Guatemala again. Unless of course DGRNR sends Mike & I up.

There was a birthday party for Mari Cruz last night, plus Francisco, a former neighbor here, was at the tienda {store} giving away shots of vodka. Steve hays made a great chocolate cake for Mari Cruz, what a treat!