Eyebrows are Raised

Back in the capital again. I am too comfortable right now. Laying on a big cushy sofa with a laptop, watching Friends on cable on a really big flat screen tv. Hot showers. Hollie and Katherine, my fellow PCV guests in this palace, are downstairs making us pancakes and bacon. Could it get any better than this? As it turns out, I was able to have a classic American Thanksgiving here in El Salvador. I didn't know how much I would appreciate it... but I would have been sad if I missed the holiday and did nothing. I just realized this is the first time ever that I didn't have Thanksgiving with my family. But we got to talk on the phone and they put up great pictures for me to see on Facebook documenting their "turkeypalooza." As for me, my turkeypalooza was complete with all the trimmings. I especially enjoyed my vino. One of my friends was diggin the food so much. A little too much... in fact it all came up only about an hour after the food coma set in. That's how excited some of us were about this dinner.

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite holiday of all. It's better than Christmas I think. You don't have to worry about getting presents or anything. 

So before I left for the capital I learned about some happenings that raised my eyebrows. 

My host dad's cousin owns a restaurant on the Panamerican highway that is really pretty nice. It has a juke box and a cute little pool. I had been there several times to eat and went to a baby shower there once. Well Don Chepito informed me that Nina Chavela had to give her business up. Apparently a few weeks ago some mareros came in and told her that she would have to start paying them. SO she gave up her restaurant and sold it to a pimp and now its a whore house apparently.

The next brow raiser has to do with the upcoming jaripeo, or rodeo, that we will be having in my front yard on christmas and the day after. Being from Texas, you know I love me a good rodeo and so I was really looking forward to it... until Don Chepito filled me in on what a s*it show it will most likely be. They hire a company that offers a full rodeo package. This includes entertainment with mariachis, ranchera bands, dancing horses and.... a whore, of course. I was like what!? excuse me! he said that there is some lady named Selena that is paid to come flirt with the men. And that last year she was dancing with my neighbor Don Artilio (who before this I thought was a respectable man) and that she asked him "where do you want to kiss me?" and he ended up kissing her in a very bad place in front of everyone, for all the crowd to see. Call me a prude... but now I am really not looking forward to this. There will be a gazillion bolos and crazy people all right in front of my house for 2 full days. It shocks me that my host parents, being the seemingly sctrictest catholics in the town, would endorse such a raunchy event. Oy vey.