Roosters on the Roof

It sounds like the name of some new computer-animated kids movie. And with a name like that, I would probably bomb at the box office.

I wish that were all that it was. We have roosters here, and although I haven’t asked, because I really don’t want to know, I’m pretty sure they are being raised for cock fighting. (Cock fighting is a very popular event here, and I’ve been encouraged to see it. However, I’m hoping the fact that the women stay in their homes most of the time will work to my advantage for once and I won’t be pressured to go see it.) When I first got here I would say there were about 4 or 5 roosters, perhaps 10 hens (although they are harder to keep track of because they sort of wander the streets at will), double the amount of chicks, perhaps 10 pigeons, and a huge chicken coop full of doves. I sleep next to the rooster coops, and the roosters and pigeons, and hens and chicks, like to fly up to the tin roof and make a lot of noise. And, as some of you probably already know, roosters don’t just crow at dawn. They crow 24 hours a day, sporadically and for no reason. Sometimes one will start to crow and the others will want to prove that they can crow louder, and then you’ve got a situation on your hands. They especially like to get at it between 4 and 8 am.

It has taken a lot of getting used to. And just when I was starting to get used to it, about 4 more roosters appeared. These new 4 are bigger and scarier looking than the ones that already live here, thus convincing me that they will be entered into cock fights.

I wouldn’t say that we eat a particularly large amount of eggs, so that perk of having the crowing doesn’t really exist. And if I was asked to describe the sound of the crowing, I’d think I’d say it sounds like defenseless animals are getting stepped on, but louder and bolder, and with a beat.

Speaking of defenseless animals, there are lots of stray dogs here. Some seem well cared for, well fed, etc. They are the minority and probably the meanest because like that old expression, it’s a dog eats dog world, and hardly anyone feeds the dogs or treats them well. It was the same in Chile. For a country that is focusing on feeding, educating, and taking care of the people, it is unrealistic to expect that they also focus on spaying and neutering their pets. I try not to let it bother me, and so far it’s working. I have been lucky in that I’ve only seen a hand full of dogs that look pretty bad. I would like to have a dog at my project site as a companion and to demonstrate another way to treat animals. I worry though that the dog would not be able to adjust from the world that it would live in here to one back home, and if I left it here that it would not be well cared for in my absence.

I will figure it out when I get to my project site I suppose. That, by the way, will be happening for a few days in mid November and then permanently after Thanksgiving. I should be aware of where I’m going sometime in the next few weeks and then definitely know a few days before I go on that visit. As I’m sure you can imagine I am very much looking forward to finding out more about my project site.