Stand. In the Place Where You Live.

You know what I finally noticed and appreciated tonight? The beautiful view of a volcano that can see from the front porch of my house. And everyday when I catch the sun setting upon it, it is very... wow! When I notice things like that, I am reminded of reasons to love being here. Lately I have just been looking out of my porch and noticing the copious amounts of shit in the field. There is more cow dung than ever before! Is it because the mama cows have been popping out babies or what? I suppose it's the dry season, there's just nothing to make it go away. It bakes and stays there. hard patties all over the field. Looking forward to rainy season! Out of no where, it rained last night! I haven't heard the sound of rain in over two months! It was a real shocker. A wower. I walked outside and stood in it just to be sure. And the smell of rain, oh it's nice! But, hehe, we'll see what I say about rain come may when I have tons and tons of it everyday.


Meet Don Tulio. A 60-something year old man, maybe close to 70, who suffered some serious injuries during the Salvadoran civil war. He works for my host parents, cleaning up cow dung, watering plants, working the corn in their field. My host parents' kids all ran off to the states illegaly as soon as they could, so they send plenty of money and they make Marinita and Chepito high rollers here in the campo. Well Tulio... he's not quite right in the head, because of his war experience I am told. A soldier cut out part of his leg and tortured him and that is why he walks funny.

So he calles me Jaimita... which sounds something like Amy I suppose. Well he has been in love with me ever since the day I arrived I think, when he brought over his guitar and I played him Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here", the only song I can play entirely on guitar... When I leave for several days to hang out with friends or do things out of site I come back and he tells me "Oh Amy it is with so much pleasure that I am able to see you again. Your absence was weighing me down. If you werent here now I think I would die." Oh boy. He is a character. Marinita and Chepito are constantly keeping him in check around me. Well he found out I have a boyfriend... and yesterday he came to my porch asking me if it was true. "Do you really have a boyfriend Jaimita?" Yes Don Tulio, I do. He said how celoso (jealous) he was... he just might die... Ay dios mio. He is just one of many in this town badly affected by the war. Or he is just a creepy old man. He has been cleaning off my back porch today. Said he found two chinches. The bugs that bite you on your face while you are sleeping and kill you. Great. At least he killed them. And Gracias a Dios AGAIN for my mosquito net.

I had that dance workshop with my youth group last week and it was fantastic! So many kids came and almost all participated and had lots of fun! I would love to keep dancing with them. But this week we did an artistic workshop and made bracelets for all the kids that said they weren't interested in dancing. It went well... but not as well as the dance workshop. We have sold pupusas the last two tuesdays and we have been doing great with that. All the kids help and we are making an OK profit... next week they want to sell Quesadillas instead, so we will see how that goes. I am a bit worried about how there are a few kids that are pulling the weight for many of the others. Is that fair? That a few kids do all the work but the other kids get to enjoy the benefits and fruits of the others' labor? ummm... no. But everyone here is so used to it being that way. I talk about it with people, and they say, "well thats just how people are here." Ooooh. "?"

So I went to Copan, Honduras last weekend with Noel and some of his friends. The drive there wasn't too bad, about 4-5 hours from San Salvador. I didn't realize we had to go through Guatemala first to get to Honduras. So for the first time ever I got to cross a border of a country on land, and then I got to do it again! But I tell you, Guatemala had this terrible smell while we were driving through it. Smelled something like vomit. It was coincidental that I ran into my Santa Clara host sis Ceci at the Guatemalan border! That was a fun moment. One thing I was surprised about- on the way back, passing through the border of Honduras into Guatemala... we just drove straight through without stopping or anything. I'm pretty sure that is not allowed. Hmmm... Or it shouldnt be.

It was beautiful there though, a little gray and cloudy the first day, but it was nice to be cool and have a break from the sun. Copan is an adorable pueblo... pretty touristy and therefore toursity prices... but still, totally worth seeing. The coolest part of the trip was seeing the Mayan Ruins. The best, well and only, Mayan ruins I've ever seen. I saw some ruins that were kind of similar in Mexico but they were of the Zapotecs, the people of the clouds. Well, Central America is gorgeous. I saw an article from a facebook friend about how El Sal, Honduras and Guatemala are supposedly in the most dangerous part of the world. El Salvador made it to the top of the list of the world homicide rate I think. But living here, I can't tell. I haven't felt threatened much in this country. Sure, I've had some money taken from me on the bus, and almost had my cell phone stolen from me, but that could happen anywhere.

I love it here. Still hate the food. But love living in this tiny developing Central American country. I do need to study my spanish more. It's better than before I came but not where it should be.

The new group of volunteers arrived today. That means I am no longer one of the new kids. That's cool. I was at the office today and met some of them. It was fun to see how they were... how I probably was 6 months ago. Wide-eyed. Asking me all kinds of questions. It makes me realize how far I have come.

I definitely still have a long way to go. Give me another year (at least) and I might finally be able to tell you what's really going on here.

Paz y Amor.
 
P.S. Pictures of Salvo kids Dancing and Honduras and Cow Dung to come....