Site visits in Concordia

03-Apr

We met our host families yesterday evening and were treated to an awesome rodizio-style dinner.  Good food and company sent us to bed with smiles.
We woke Wed morning pleased to hear that our site visits would begin with a tour of a family owned and operated farm (the Monaretto's).  The land is not extensive, but it is used most efficiently.  Pigs, chickens, and cows are raised here and grapes are grown to produce wine (which we were offered and gladly accepted seconds of before 9:30 am).   The family is sustained by their farm by also growing fruits and vegetables and filtering water through a cistern system.  

From here, we went on to a meeting at the Mayor's office and learned a lot about the city of Concordia and the region.  We all came away with a strong impression that the local government has truly invested in the well-being of its residents.  It really seems like a happy place.  Our final site visit was a tour of a hydroelectric plant before washing up for our first presentation to the local Rotary club!