Inside a Bubble

Newsflash.... Don Chepito DOES know how to cook! I have never in my months here seen him step foot in the kitchen. When Marinita leaves, the neighbor makes him his food. But this morning, he had to make his own food because Marinita is gone and the neighbor is sick. I don't know why, but I feel so relieved that I was wrong about him. I guess it's because before I thought he didn't know how to take care of himself, but now my repect has gone up for him a bit more. When he saw the look of shock on my face when I saw he cooked, he told me he knows how to wash clothes too! LoL. He just doesn't usually show that he can do these things because that's the woman's job.

All the time Marinita is telling Don Tulio- You need to find yourself a wife, or a woman to live with you, so she can take care of you. Don Tulio likes this idea very much- and Marinita's comments are usually followed by him proposing to me. To which I respond with laughter and exaggerated head nods that mean no way. It's interesting to me how Marinita is such a proponent of this Women-Serve-Men lifestyle. She runs herself into the ground everyday keeping her house clean and caring for Chepito. I can't help but wonder, would there be more equality in this community if women just stopped doing everything for the men and babying them so much? Clearly Don Tulio can take care of himself just fine- even though he is a 60 year old that seems to be developmentally at the age of 10.

But I suppose with as much at men here cheat on their women, maybe they do it in hopes that they will appreciate them more and not be unfaithful. Unfortunately, that doesn't stop most of them. What do you suppose it would take for such a machisto country like this to take steps toward gender equality?
This is a good reason for me to start a women's group. Like one of my friends wrote in his blog, "Many say if you want to truly make progressive steps forward in developing a country, start with women... " Hmmm.... I'll have to see about that. I'm soon going to be working with a group of women to make and sell shampoo. Wish me luck with that!

So much else to tell you guys about!

I have 4 youth that I'm taking to an HIV/AIDS education workshop in a few weeks up in Chalatenango. They will also learn about safe sex and other STDs. I think they are more excited about going to a part of their country they have never visited before than anything. But it will be a good step towards constructive work in my site. They are expected to take what they learn at the workshop and come back to San Vicente and teach it to the youth in their community. I'm a little bit nervous about being pegged as the gringa that is promoting sex among the youth, but you know what- they're doing it! It's necessary they be educated on it.

I don't know if you recall but I had a 14 year old girl, Ivania, in my youth group that was pregnant. I came back from my vacation to discover she had suddenly left to go mojada to the United States. Her mom lives in the US and told her she had to come. Eek. She went alone... just her and a group of unknown people that all pay the same Coyote thousands of dollars to guide them. Hope she's allright.

A few other sad things happened while I was gone. The literature teacher at my school hasn't been to work in a while. Her husband was shot and killed in while working in San Miguel. He was a militar I am told... I think that means he was in the army? I'm not sure I understand the details, but i think he was killed by gangsters. All I know is it's really really sad for her family. I met him once. He was a very nice family man. And poor Marlene, the government only gives her 8 days off to grieve the death of her husband. Any more days she takes she has to go without pay.

Don Chepito's nephew was also shot while I was gone. He was a motorista that worked on the inner-city buses in San Vicente. Was shot by mareros for not paying renta. This kind of thing happens all the time around here. There was another similar shooting recently of two motoristas on a pickup truck to Santa Clara, where I used to live. I am told the mareros were kind enough to get all of the passengers off the pick up before they shot the guys. I don't let these things scare me. It's just a reality here... and you know what... it's a reality everywhere. There were shootings in my neighborhoods of Houston. I do let these events serve as reminders that I need to be careful and aware of my surroundings.

President Obama was here visiting El Salvador this week. Everyone was talking to me about it, and the day he arrived it's all that was on TV. I saw my neighbors glued to the television watching over and over the clips ofo him and his family walking off the plane, and they even remained glued to the TV when it was showing nothing but traffic in front of the Cathedral they were going to. It was a pretty big deal around here. And they are all talking about how they served Obama pupusas and frijoles for dinner. Noel worked the dinner and told me it wasn't just that, they had much more than that. But it makes the people happy to think that even the Presidents eat their humble beans.

I'm teaching English to Kindergartenders this week, and will soon be doing the same with all the primary grades. Teaching them while their young, they'll soak it up and hopefully have a good base for learning English in the future. I'm also getting to work on fundraisers, working with the students and teachers, to purchase a refrigerator for the school. I was given a generous donation from a friend in the states- that in reality would cover nearly the whole cost of a refrigerator but I want my school to have more ownership of it, and they will want to take good care of it. Then I can also use the rest of my donated money for other educational projects. Purchasing a refrigerator will allow the staff to buy more fruits, vegetables, and milk for the children, providing them with healthier more filling meals they were unable to get before. They won't waste as much food. And also- they have a lot of events and celebrations in the school. They bring in a lot of meats and then the meats just sit there all day in the heat- with flies and who knows what growing on it.

Rode a horse again yesterday. The stirrups were too long so when we trotted or ran I just had to hang on for my life. He got a little angry with me there at the end and didn't want to listen to my commands. I rode through the center of town on him exactly at the time when most people are out of their houses. I'm sure I gave them something to talk about. I like horses and everything, but I dont think I can keep up with riding them. I'm allergic to them. Everytime I go for a ride, after I immediately am attacked by sneezing and allergies :( Too bad. I'd love to have a horse of my own to get around everywhere. But I think I want a girl horse. They are probably nicer and more tranquila. Plus, boy horses are kind of gross to look at when they get excited, if you know what I mean. Yuck.

Anyway- Chepito has asked me to do him the favor of putting all his phone numbers in his contacts on his new cell phone. But he's not asking me to do it because I'm a woman... He, like most old folks, just doesn't really have a clue how to operate a phone.

Paz y amor.

P.S. Does soap get dirty?